This is a Chicken Caesar with a rustic Italian appeal.
We had one similar in Montreal at a wonderful sandwich shop and I was so impressed with the presentation that I thought I'd try to duplicate it at home.
You can prepare the chicken, bacon, dressing and croutons ahead of time
and then assemble the salad just before serving.
I served it with stuffed mushrooms on the side for a light supper.
For the Salad
- 1 head Romaine lettuce
- 2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips and saute'ed with garlic until cooked through
- 5 slices bacon cut into 1 inch pieces, fried crisp and drained on paper towel.
- Lemon Caesar dressing ( recipe follows)
- Home made croutons (recipe follows)
- A wedge of Parmesan cheese
For the home made croutons:
- 1 small loaf French or rustic Italian bread
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
- To make the croutons: Cut bread into 1 inch cubes.
- Place bread in large bowl.
- Combine melted butter with seasonings in a small bowl.
- Pour butter over bread cubes and toss until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and toss again.
- Spread in a single layer on a large baking pan.
- Bake at 300ยบ for about 30 minutes or until dry and crisp stirring occasionally.
- Remove from oven and cool. (If making ahead, store in covered container in refrigerator)
For the salad dressing:
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
- 1 or 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- To make the dressing: Combine all ingredients except olive oil and sour cream in a quart jar or deep bowl.
- Gradually add oil, whisking constantly until dressing is smooth.
- Add sour cream to the jar and whisk until smooth.
- Set aside while you assemble the salad.
To assemble the salad:
- Wash romaine leaves, spin dry in salad spinner or blot dry with towels.
- Tear romaine into bite sized pieces into a large bowl.
- Just before serving, add 1/2 the dressing to the romaine and toss, adding more dressing if needed. Add only enough dressing to moisten the romaine. Too much dressing produces a soggy salad.
- Add chicken slices, bacon pieces and croutons and gently toss again.
- Pile salad high on individual serving plates.
- Using a potato peeler, shave about 6 2-inch strips of Parmesan cheese on top of each salad and serve immediately.
This recipe is a definite keeper. My family will go crazy over this salad. I am delighted with the "extras", the recipes for croutons and dressing. Thanks so much for sharing this treasure.
ReplyDeletePat
I just love a good caesar salad and you just can't beat homemade croutons. Love this!
ReplyDeleteyummy
ReplyDeleteThanks for your recipe. So easy to prepare. I love the fact that you can put it together in a few minutes once everyone is home. We tried it this evening and loved it!! I shared your blogpost on my blog: http://carozcorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/caesar-salad.html.
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
I, too, like having that easy crouton recipe and dressing recipe. Thanks Bev. This looks delicious and refreshing...
ReplyDeletei made this salad today for lunch. For the chicken i put chicken breasts on the bbq and then cut them thin. The croutons were FANTASTIC! The bacon was a great idea. The dressing was not my favourite because i found it a little thin, but maybe next time i will try it with less oil. I added sauted mushrooms to my son's plate. My younger son, "mom you have never made such a fancy salad". Thanks for the recipe!
ReplyDeleteSummer is all about salads...this looks so good, and so easy to whip together.
ReplyDeleteWho can resist a Ceaser Salad.
Yummy!!! Thank so much - I will be giving this one a go, especially like the sound of the dressing!
ReplyDelete