Chicken Caesar Salad

A simple Chicken Caesar Salad recipe made with tender chicken, cos lettuce, parmesan cheese, crunchy croutons with a creamy homemade dressing.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Dinner, Lunch, Salads

Cuisine: Italian, western

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 25

Servings: serves

Calories: 346kcal

Author: Lucy - Bake Play Smile

Cost: $10

Equipment

Frying pan
Food processor, stand mixer or Thermomix

Ingredients

For The Chicken

500 g chicken breasts skinless
2 tbs olive oil
2 tbs lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
salt and pepper to season

For The Homemade Caesar Dressing

230 g (1cup) whole egg mayonnaise
45 g grated parmesan cheese
45 g (3 tbs) milk
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
30 g (2 tbs) lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 anchovy fillets see notes
salt and pepper to taste

For The Salad

1 large cos lettuce chopped (or 2 medium cos lettuce)
150 g streaky bacon diced and cooked until crispy
2 eggs hardboiled and quartered
¼ cup grated or shaved parmesan cheese
1 cup croutons see notes

Instructions

Place the chicken breasts between two sheets of baking paper.
Pound the chicken down with a rolling pin until 1cm thick.
Place the chicken into a bowl.
Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and season with salt and pepper.
Mix until combined.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat.
Cook the chicken in batches, for 2-3 minutes either side or until piping hot in the centre and cooked through.
Chop into small pieces and set aside.
Prepare the Caesar salad dressing by placing all of the ingredients into a food processor and mixing on high speed for 20 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for a further 20 seconds.
If using a Thermomix - place all of the ingredients into the Thermomix bowl. Mix for 20 seconds, Speed 8. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix for a further 10 seconds.
Chop the cos lettuce and place into a large bowl.
Cook the diced bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until crispy.
Place onto a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil.
Bring a saucepan of water to the boil.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to a simmer.
Use a slotted spoon to gently place the eggs into the saucepan (do not drop the eggs into the saucepan as they will crack).
Simmer for 12 minutes. Drain and then cover with cold water.
Peel and cut into quarters, set aside.
Add the cooked chicken and crispy bacon to the bowl of chopped lettuce.
Pour ½ cup of the Caesar dressing over and toss to coat. Add more if needed (the amount of dressing you'll need will depend on the size of the lettuce you've used).
Note: The salad should be lightly coated but not dripping in dressing. Taste and add extra dressing if needed.
Place the salad into a serving bowl or dish. Top with the quartered boiled eggs and grated or shaved parmesan.
Just before serving, add the crunchy croutons.

Notes

RECIPE NOTES & TIPS

Cos lettuce - ensure the lettuce leaves are completely dry before using. If the lettuce leaves are still slightly damp, they will become limp and the dressing wont stick. I recommend using a salad spinner to remove any liquid.
Vegetarian option - omit the chicken and bacon entirely. Or replace with cooked or smoked salmon.
Anchovies - once blended in to the dressing you cannot taste the anchovies, however it adds a distinctive subtlety to the flavour of Caesar salad. However, if you really don't like anchovies you can omit them.
Boiling the eggs - to avoid eggs cracking when hard boiling, lower them gently into the water using a slotted spoon.
Serving - add the dressing and assemble the salad just prior to serving.
Dressing - start by adding just ½ cup of the homemade dressing and coating the lettuce. Check and add more dressing if needed. The amount of dressing you need will depend on the size of the lettuce used.
The salad should be lightly coated but not dripping in dressing.
Croutons - add the croutons just before serving to ensure they stay crispy.
Storing - I recommend eating this salad as soon as it has been tossed with the dressing. You can, however, boil the eggs, fry the chicken and bacon, and make the dressing up to 2 days ahead and store in the fridge. Then assemble the salad just before serving, adding the croutons right before serving to keep them crisp and crunchy.

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