Low-Calorie Chicken Citrus Caesar Salad

This recipe is full of healthy ingredients and an abundance of protein! This is a HUGE salad so you will feel nice and full with just 263 calories! The dressing gives it a delightful fresh lemon ceasar flavor! Feel satisfied for hours!

Serves 1

263 calories per serving

Nutrition: 263 calories, 10.31 carb, 6.5 fat, 38.15 protein

Ready in 5 minutes

Low Calorie/High Volume so you stay fuller longer on fewer calories!

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups romaine lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces (20 cal, 4 carb, .3 fat, 1.6 protein)

1 1/2 cup baby spinach (7 cal, .75 carb, 0 fat, .75 protein)

3 large croutons, cut into small pieces (33 cal, 4.5 carb, 1.3 fat, .8 protein)

1 Tablespoon shredded parmesan cheese (21 cal, .2 carb, 1.4 fat, 1.9 protein)

3.5 oz cooked chicken, cut into bite size pieces, warmed (see how I cook a week's worth of chicken in 15 minutes here) (164 cal, 0 carb, 3.5 fat, 30 protein)

For the dressing

2 Tablespoons plain nonfat Greek yogurt (18 cal, 1 carb, 0 fat, 3.1 protein)

3/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon garlic, minced

1/8 teaspoon Worcheshire sauce

1 shake of black pepper

Instructions

1. To make the dressing, mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. 

2. Combine the lettuce, spinach, parmesan cheese, and chicken in a large bowl with the dressing. 

3. Top with the crouton pieces and enjoy.

If you love Caesar, chicken, and lemon flavors, you will LOVE this salad!

It comes together really quickly and is full of fresh lemon flavor! 

Substitutions

If you don't have or don't like some of the vegetables, substitute them for other ones. The calorie count will need to be adjusted.

Vegetarian or Vegan

To make this recipe vegetarian or vegan, omit the chicken and use a vegan yogurt.  The calorie count will need to be adjusted. 

Dairy Free

To make this recipe dairy free, simply use a dairy free yogurt or sour cream substitute instead of the yogurt. 

Benefits of Using Herbs and Spices

Everyone knows that herbs and spices are a great way to add flavor to your food without adding additional calories, but did you know that they also have many health benefits? 

Garlic

Garlic is one of the world's most potent natural medicines. The medical database of the National Institute of Health contains more than 3,200 studies on the therapeutic power of garlic. Many of those studies are about preventing, sower, and reversing cardiovascular disease-- the heart attacks and strokes that kill more Americans than any other health problem. 

Black Pepper

Researchers in Thailand tested piperine in animals with Alzheimer's-like brain changes and found the extract "Significantly improved memory impairment and neurodegeration {the destruction of brain cells]." Additionally, the "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology" showed that piperine lowered blood pressure in laboratory animals. Piperine is an alkaloid found in black pepper. 

I wrote a very informative blog post about the health benefits of cooking with spices, go here.

For expert level learning about healing spices, I recommend the book "Healing Spices" by Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD. Get it on Amazon here. 

Isn't this such a beautiful and flavorful salad?