Chicken Caesar salad
It’s time for *girl dinner* and there’s no other option.
I need to have a chicken caesar salad.
This is a pub classic dish, but more often than not they’ll make a cheats dressing with loads of mayo – which is still delicious! But this is the more traditional way (don’t come for me if I’m wrong) and I’m obsessed with the flavour. Add in whatever you like to your salad, for this recipe I’ve made some garlicky bacon fat croutons and slapped in some avocado and crispy bacon bits for a bit of extra oomph.
This dish is my Mom’s fave and I always thought she was mad ordering a salad. But as I entered my late 20s. I got it. It’s not just. salad. It’s a beast.
Make sure you use the best, freshest eggs you can and then any leftover dressing will keep in the fridge for a few days. Smother some crispy chicken strips in the cheesy dressing and stick them in a wrap for a quick and tasty lunch.
I love me a chicky c.
Chicken Caesar salad
By Poppy Cooks
https://www.poppycooks.com/recipes/chicken-caesar-salad/
Ingredients
- 1 leftover roast chicken leg
- 2 heads of romaine lettuce
- 70g bacon lardons
- 1 ripe avocado
- 5 anchovy fillets
- 1 lemon
- Splash white wine vinegar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Parmesan, to taste (around 50g-70g)
- Mild olive oil, to make a thick dressing
- 2 thick slices of stale bread
- 40g chunky parmesan shavings
Metric
Imperial
Instructions
- For the dressing, in a large bowl use 2 forks to break down the anchovies into a paste. This does take awhile and a bit of effort, but it'll get there! Then you can grate in 1 clove of your garlic, squeeze in half of the lemon (you can use the other half to adjust to taste later on) and add in the dijon mustard.
- Chuck in your egg yolk and a splash of white wine vinegar. Season with a little salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Grate in a load of parmesan and mix everything together, then drizzle in your olive oil slowly to make a thick, emulsified dressing. Add in a splash of hot water if your dressing is too thick.
- Preheat a small frying pan with a drizzle of oil. Fry off your bacon lardons until golden brown and crispy, then pour the fat from the pan into a bowl. Grate in the other clove of garlic and season well with salt and pepper. Chop or tear your stale bread into crouton shapes and toss through the flavoured bacon fat.
- Airfry the croutons on 180ºc/350ºf for 10-12 minutes until golden brown, shaking halfway through.
- Meanwhile, wash your lettuce leaves and chop into rough pieces and set aside while you prep your chicken. Pick the meat off the bone into pieces, try to avoid any bits of bone or cartilage!
- Halve your avocado, remove the stone and scoop it out onto your board. Chop into large chunks and set aside. Throw your lettuce, avocado, croutons, shredded chicken, parmesan shavings and crispy bacon bits (save a few to sprinkle on top) into the bowl with your caesar dressing and give everything a good mix. Taste for seasoning and add in extra lemon, salt and pepper if needed then get stuck in!