Kale Caesar with Crispy Chickpeas

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This kale caesar with crispy chickpeas is a quick and simple weeknight meal, and is easy to meal prep ahead of time. Plus it's full of fiber and protein!

Kale caesar with crispy chickpeas tossed with shredded chicken and shredded parmesan cheese on a dish. More salad, chickpeas, and caesar dressing in the background.

Easy Kale Salad Recipe

Kale is a great leafy green to include in salads because it's full of nutrients and holds up well with thicker salad dressings. Kale is a very nutrient-dense food, meaning it's packed with various vitamins and minerals, which makes it a great food to consume on a regular basis. Kale is high in vitamins A, K, and C, as well as B vitamins and manganese.

Since it's a sturdier leaf (compared to spinach), it holds its structure well when tossed with thicker salad dressings that may weigh salads down. If you want to prep this salad in the morning to have for lunch, it will hold up well because of the kale.

This kale caesar salad recipe is easy to throw together on a weeknight when you don't feel like cooking. Simply prep the chicken, chickpeas, and dressing ahead of time and toss all the ingredients together to create a delicious, healthy meal!

Kale caesar with crispy chickpeas on a small and big dish. Homemade caesar dressing is next to the salad and crispy chickpeas are in the background.

Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing

Making dressing from scratch can be easier than you think, including this caesar salad dressing! My favorite homemade caesar dressing is made with tahini (instead of mayo to cut down on saturated fat), capers, parmesan cheese, fresh garlic, lemon juice, and more. The full recipe can be found here, although you can use whatever dressing you'd like.

I strongly prefer to make dressings from scratch to limit the amount of added sugar, saturated fat, and preservatives found in a lot of store-bought dressings. Homemade dressings are easy to throw together in a large bowl or container, and save to eat throughout the week!

A big plate of kale caesar with crispy chickpeas and a couple small plates of salad. A dish of shredded chicken and chickpeas are around the salads, as well as more plates and forks and homemade caesar salad dressing.

Ingredient Highlights - Kale Caesar Salad

Kale - full of nutrients like vitamins A, C, and K, this leafy green is very nutrient-dense. Plus it's sturdy and holds up well with thicker dressings like caesar!
Shredded chicken - you can use any protein here, like shrimp, salmon, or tofu! I have a super easy shredded chicken recipe here. Or you can omit the protein altogether if you're making this salad as a side.
Roasted chickpeas - instead of traditional croutons that can be full of saturated fats, roasted chickpeas add a nice salty crunch, while providing fiber and protein! Check out my recipe here!
Caesar dressing - I highly recommend using this recipe for homemade caesar dressing but you can use any dressing you'd like!

Recipe FAQ

Can you eat kale as a salad?

Definitely! It's one of my favorite greens to throw into a salad because it's so nutrient-dense. Since it can be a little tough (which makes it great for thicker dressings), I like to use a mix of kale and a lighter, crunchier lettuce like romaine or iceberg.

How unhealthy is kale caesar salad?

Caesar salad can be high in saturated fat from the cheese and dressing typically used. However, this kale caesar with crispy chickpeas has all of the delicious flavors but less saturated fat and added nutrients from the kale!

How do you make roasted chickpeas?

I use canned chickpeas that I've drained and patted dry. Although tedious, I recommend peeling the skins off of the chickpeas as this removes excess moisture, which allows the chickpeas to get extra crispy. Check out my recipe here!

Kale caesar with crispy chickpeas, shredded chicken, and shredded parmesan cheese. More salad, a container of homemade caesar dressing, and crispy chickpeas are in the background.

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A big plate of kale caesar with crispy chickpeas with two smaller plates around it. A bowl of shredded chicken, container of homemade caesar dressing, more plates, and a linen are around the image.

Rate & Review

If you made my kale caesar with crispy chickpeas, please rate and review my recipe below! I would love to hear your feedback. Also snap a photo and tag me on insta @theperfectpearr so I can see your creation!