Chicken Caesar Salad with Griddled Chicken
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen and NYT Cooking.
This follows the classic Caesar method — the same croutons, creamy anchovy-mayonnaise dressing and romaine — topped with a griddled chicken breast per person, cooked to 74°C in the thickest part and sliced.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
Unlock all flavours with Premium
This flavour is part of Premium. You can see the ingredients and nutrition; the quantities and the full method are for members.
Premium: $4.99/month or $39.99/year.
Equipment
- baking tray
- 2 bowls
- whisk or fork
- salad spinner or clean tea towels
- large salad bowl
- fine grater
- vegetable peeler for shavings
- chopping board and knife
- ridged griddle pan or heavy frying pan
- meat mallet or rolling pin
- instant-read thermometer
- tongs
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 686 kcal |
| Protein | 45.4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 25.5 g |
| of which sugars | 3.7 g |
| of which free sugars | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 44.5 g |
| of which saturates | 8.3 g |
| Fibre | 3.6 g |
| Salt | 2.48 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
6.6 g High Protein needs ≥ 10 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
Metric · 4 servings
Chicken
- 4 skinless chicken breasts (about 150 g each), thick ends gently flattened to 2 cm
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- 1.5 g fine sea salt or table salt about ¼ tsp
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
Croutons
- 150 g ciabatta or day-old crusty white bread, cut into 2 cm cubes
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- 0.5 g fine sea salt or table salt a pinch
Dressing
- 100 g mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 anchovy fillets in oil, drained, patted dry and mashed to a paste
- 1 garlic cloves, grated to a paste
- ¼ tsp mustard powder
- 30 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, finely grated
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Salad
- 500 g romaine hearts (about 2), cut into 2 cm strips
- 20 g Parmesan-style hard cheese, shaved
- 1
Bake the croutons. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Combine the bread cubes with the olive oil, grated garlic and a pinch of salt, scatter them across a baking tray and roast for 12-15 minutes, turning once partway through, until they're golden and properly crunchy right through to the middle — the croutons that give this Caesar its signature crunch. Cool on the tray so they keep their crunch.
- 2
Whisk the dressing. Whisk the lemon juice, mashed anchovy, garlic and mustard powder together, then whisk in the mayonnaise, grated cheese, olive oil and pepper until smooth and pourable. Using mayonnaise rather than a raw egg yolk gives the dressing its classic creamy body while keeping it safe to eat. Taste and sharpen with more lemon juice if you like.
- 3
Griddle the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry, rub with the oil and season with the salt and pepper. Heat the griddle pan over medium-high heat until very hot, then cook the breasts for 5-7 minutes per side without moving them until they release easily and are well marked. Check with an instant-read thermometer that the thickest part of each breast reaches 74°C before resting for 5 minutes, which lets the juices redistribute through the meat rather than spilling out when sliced.
- 4
Dry the leaves. Rinse the romaine hearts, then blot them completely dry with a salad spinner or tea towel before slicing into 2cm ribbons ready for the bowl. Any clinging water would thin out the dressing and stop it coating the leaves properly.
- 5
Assemble and serve. Toss the romaine with two-thirds of the dressing and the croutons, then divide between plates. Slice the rested chicken 1cm thick, lay it over each portion, spoon over the remaining dressing and finish with the cheese shavings and a grind of pepper. Serve at once while the chicken is still warm.
Storage
Refrigerate any leftover cooked chicken within 2 hours and eat within 3 days, reheating until piping hot (74°C throughout) if serving warm. Keep the leaves, dressing and croutons stored separately and combine only when ready to eat.
