Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

By Florence Fabricant

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
Melina Hammer for The New York Times
Total Time
40 minutes, plus 2 hours marinating
Rating
4(735)
Comments
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Depending on your appetite, this variation on a classic Caesar salad with grilled chicken makes an excellent first-course or a full-on meal. Hitting the lettuce with a little fire is an unexpectedly brilliant trick; the green leaves char and crisp and the insides become slightly tender, but you still get the satisfying crunch everyone loves about romaine. If you're a pescatarian, try it with grilled tuna, salmon or scallops.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings
  • ⅔cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4salt-cured anchovies, rinsed and dried
  • ½cup lemon juice
  • 3tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2cloves garlic, minced
  • 2pounds skinless and boneless chicken breasts
  • 2hard-cooked eggs
  • ¼cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2heads romaine lettuce
  • 4slices whole-grain bread, without crusts
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

548 calories; 33 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 44 grams protein; 1062 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small saucepan. Add anchovies and cook on low, stirring, until they fall apart and meld with the oil. Place in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic and remaining olive oil.

  2. Step 2

    Place chicken in a bowl, add ¼ cup of the olive oil dressing, turn to coat chicken breasts, cover and set aside to marinate 2 hours, longer if refrigerated.

  3. Step 3

    Separate egg whites and yolks. Place yolks in a small dish, add a little of the dressing, blend until smooth and mix in with the rest of the dressing. Stir in cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Dice whites and keep them separate.

  4. Step 4

    Light a grill. Remove any tired outer leaves from the romaine, then quarter each head vertically. Place on a large platter and drizzle cut sides with a little of the dressing. Grill romaine close to the heat source, turning clusters of leaves and any individual leaves so they wilt a little and become lightly charred. Remove. Place bread on grill and sear to toast. Remove. Place chicken on grill and cook, turning a few times and basting with the marinade until cooked through, about 15 minutes. It’s best to grill chicken away from the source of heat so it does not char.

  5. Step 5

    Coarsely shred romaine onto a large rimmed platter. Dice toasted bread and add it, along with the egg whites. Drizzle with about half the dressing. Slice the chicken about ½-inch thick, arrange it over the romaine and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve warm.

Ratings

4 out of 5
735 user ratings
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Comments

BT

How does one dice egg whites?

Maxine

I made this salad without the chicken. I removed the oil mixture, as if I was marinating the chicken and set it aside, then continued with the dressing recipe. Later, I grilled the bread, took the reserved oil mixture and brushed it on salmon fillets and grilled the salmon. I drizzled half the dressing on the romaine, grilled it, then drizzled more on the romaine and sprinkled it with more parmesan cheese and the croutons. The dinner was perfect.

Stef

I used store bought anchovy paste instead of anchovies and it was delicious!

roast not boil

I used capers instead of anchovies. Did not saute rhe capers. Loved it.

Roni Jordan

I’ve been making Caesar salads - often as the basis of a chicken salad plate - the original way for decades, and against my better instincts decided to try this tonight for my dinner. What an a—backwards way to make Caesar dressing. My chicken was moist and flavorful, but the dressing preparation with cooked egg yolks and garnish of chopped egg white was ludicrous. Too much Worcestershire, too much oil, too much lemon juice. Resurrected a decent meal, but never again.

Sally

You can make this without a grill - not an option for many apartment-dwellers! 1) halve the romaine, dip it in the dressing and put it under the broiler until lightly charred. 2) if using chicken breasts, slice them horizontally so that you get 2 thinner sections per breast. They will cook faster and take on more marinade. These can be cooked at 425F for about 10 minutes then finished under the broiler. 3) broiler again for the croutons for the win.

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