These chicken caesar smash tacos are the viral social media recipe made completely dairy free! These are so simple to make with the chicken smashed onto tortillas and cooked until golden, then topped with crunchy lettuce tossed in my favourite dairy free caesar dressing. All the classic flavour of caesar in a simple and fun taco that comes together in just 30 minutes.
If you haven’t been making smashed tacos, then you are seriously missing out! This method of pressing the meat onto the tortilla and then pan frying is not only easy but so delicious. It creates this crispy, delicious texture and then the topping options are up to you.
You may have seen this chicken caesar smashed taco version on Instagram or TikTok where the chicken taco gets topped with a creamy caesar salad. It looked so good that of course I really wanted to make it, but all the recipes tend to rely heavily on dairy based ingredients.
But you know me, I’ve been dairy free for over 10 years and I hate missing out, so I just had to create a version that I could enjoy. And I can safely now say that I am so obsessed with these, they have definitely become a go to weeknight dinner! I just love that they are still packed full of that classic caesar salad flavour just like my dairy free caesar pasta salad.
Key Ingredients
These caesar smash tacos don’t need a lot of ingredients, but are super easy to make dairy free with just a few simple swaps.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken mince – I like to use chicken breast mince / ground chicken to keep these a bit leaner but any chicken mince or even turkey mince works too.
- Bacon – just a little bit adds a crispy, salty crunch that makes a good caesar salad.
- Garlic powder, salt and pepper – to season the chicken.
- Flour tortillas – use the street style, smaller tacos for this recipe. You can also use corn tortillas as well if you want to keep this recipe gluten free.
- Cos lettuce (romaine) – finely chopped and tossed in the dressing for that classic caesar salad component.
- Dairy free caesar dressing – I always use my homemade dairy free caesar salad dressing use a little greek yoghurt instead of all mayo to keep it a little lighter. But you can also use a store bought dressing. I’ve seen quite a few dairy free options around lately.
- Cashew parmesan – how we get that savoury, cheesy parmesan flavour while keeping the salad completely dairy free.
Just avoiding lactose? If you’re lactose intolerant rather than completely dairy free, feel free to swap the cashew parmesan with Parmigiano-Reggiano. Authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano produced in Italy is usually safe for people with lactose intolerance, as long as it has been aged for at least 12 months. The long ageing that is part of the traditional cheese-making process breaks down almost all of the lactose.
You’ll Also Love: Sausage and Egg Smash Tacos
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the diced bacon and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until crispy, then transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
Step 2: Add the chicken mince, garlic powder, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix until everything is well combined.
Step 3: Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the tortillas. Using your fingers, press and spread it into a thin, even layer right to the edges. You want it nice and thin so it cooks quickly and evenly.
Step 4: Lightly spray the pan with olive oil and heat over medium-high. Place the tortillas chicken-side down, working in batches if needed, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the chicken is golden and cooked through. Carefully flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until the tortilla is golden and crisp.
Step 5: While the tacos finish, toss the chopped cos lettuce with the caesar dressing and cashew parm until evenly coated.
Step 6: Top each taco with the dressed lettuce and crispy bacon, then sprinkle with a little extra cashew parmesan and drizzle with more caesar dressing. Serve straight away, while they’re hot and crispy.
👉 Tip! Chicken mince can be really sticky, which can make spreading it onto the tortillas a bit messy. To combat this, lightly spray your fingers with olive oil before you press it out, and it’ll spread into a thin, even layer without sticking to your hands. Re-spray whenever it starts to stick again.
Storage Instructions
These smash tacos are best eaten fresh and hot, straight from the pan, while they are crisp.
If you do have leftovers, store the cooked tacos (without the lettuce) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days, and reheat in a frying pan to heat through and bring back some crispness. Avoid the microwave as it will make them soft.
Add the freshly dressed lettuce, bacon and parmesan after reheating.
Recipe FAQs
With the quick cooking time, it can be tricky to judge by eye, so you can always use a meat thermometer. The chicken is safely cooked once it reaches 74°C/165°F.
Yes. Turkey mince works really well in place of chicken and keeps things light. Pork or beef mince will also work, though they’ll give a richer, different flavour to the classic caesar profile.
Smash tacos are a viral twist on tacos where you spread seasoned mince in a thin layer onto a tortilla, then cook it meat-side down so the meat crisps up and fuses to the tortilla. Instead of filling a taco shell, the protein becomes part of the crispy base, and you pile the toppings on top.
If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! And tag any of your creations on Instagram with @eightforestlane as I would love to see.
More Viral TikTok Recipes:
Hot Honey Sweet Potato Beef Bowl (Viral TikTok Recipe!)
Crispy Rice Paper Dumplings
No Fold Dumplings (Viral TikTok Recipe!)
Smashed Potato Salad
Chicken Caesar Smash Tacos (Dairy Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 bacon rashers/slices diced
- 500 grams (1 lb) chicken mince/ground chicken
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 small flour tortillas
- olive oil spray for cooking
- 1 baby cos lettuce/romaine lettuce finely chopped
- ⅓ cup dairy free caesar dressing plus extra to serve
- 1 tablespoon cashew parmesan plus extra to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the 2 bacon rashers/slices and cook for 3–4 minutes, until crispy. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
- Add the 500 grams chicken mince/ground chicken, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to a bowl and mix until everything is well combined.
- Divide the chicken mixture evenly between the 8 small flour tortillas. Using your fingers, press and spread it into a thin, even layer right to the edges of each tortilla. You want it nice and thin so it cooks quickly and evenly.
- Lightly spray the frying pan with olive oil spray and heat over medium-high heat. Place the tortillas chicken-side down, working in batches if needed. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the chicken is golden brown and cooked through.
- Carefully flip the tacos and cook for another 1–2 minutes, until the tortilla is golden and crisp.
- While the tacos finish, toss the chopped 1 baby cos lettuce/romaine lettuce with the ⅓ cup dairy free caesar dressing and 1 tablespoon cashew parmesan until evenly coated.
- Top each taco with the dressed lettuce and crispy bacon, then sprinkle with extra cashew parmesan and drizzle with a little extra Caesar dressing.
- Serve straight away, while they’re hot and crispy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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