Chicken and Escarole Salad With Anchovy Croutons

Name: Chicken and Escarole Salad With Anchovy Croutons
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 1/4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs; Kosher salt and black pepper; 6 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed; 4 anchovy fillets, plus more if you like; 1/4 loaf of crusty bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups); 1 garlic clove, finely grated; 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 large head escarole or 2 heads romaine lettuce, torn into large pieces; 1 cup parsley, tender leaves and stems; Pecorino or Parmesan, for shaving; 4 large egg yolks (optional)

By Alison Roman

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 5(297)
Comments: Read comments

Think of this salad as an umami-charged version of a classic Caesar. The central difference is that the egg yolk, which is typically emulsified into a creamy dressing, is plopped directly onto the lettuces, leaving you to break it and let it mingle with the salty, garlicky, lemony dressing, which is bolstered with a bit of soy sauce. (If the whole, raw egg yolks freak you out, swap them for jammy soft-boiled eggs or crispy fried eggs.) The true reason to make this salad, though, is that it’s adorned with chicken-fat-laced anchovy croutons, made in the oven while the chicken finishes cooking. They are worth the price of admission.

Featured in: A Salad for Crouton Lovers

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1¼pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or thighs
Kosher salt and black pepper
6tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
4anchovy fillets, plus more if you like
¼loaf of crusty bread, torn into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1garlic clove, finely grated
¼cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1tablespoon soy sauce
1large head escarole or 2 heads romaine lettuce, torn into large pieces
1cup parsley, tender leaves and stems
Pecorino or Parmesan, for shaving
4large egg yolks (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium-high heat.
Step 2
Add chicken, skin-side down, and cook without moving until the pieces are golden brown and crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. Flip the chicken and continue to cook until well browned on the other side, another 5 to 8 minutes.
Step 3
Move the chicken to one side of the skillet and tilt the skillet a little so that the fat and drippings pool on one side. Add the anchovies and let them sizzle a bit to melt down. Add the croutons, along with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss them to coat in the anchovy-chicken fat.
Step 4
Place the skillet in the oven and roast until the chicken is cooked through and croutons are golden brown and crispy, 12 to 15 minutes.
Step 5
Meanwhile, whisk the grated garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.
Step 6
Place escarole and parsley in a large bowl or on a platter and dress with lemon-garlic mixture. Season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice if you like. Drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and shave some pecorino over the whole thing.
Step 7
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest a minute or two. Cut the meat off the bone and thinly slice. Place on top of the salad, along with the croutons. Top each serving with an egg yolk, if using, and more anchovies, if you like.

Ratings

5 out of 5

297 user ratings

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Comments

Perignon6 years ago

In my 30+ years as a cook and chef, I find that many people who prefer thighs over breasts in many recipes do so because they don't adjust cooking times and temps properly between breasts and thighs. To each their own, which is what cooking at home is all about, but this recipe works great with bone-in breasts. (I used Romaine hearts)

Wendy6 years ago

Regular soft-boiled eggs have a liquid yolk, which is probably not cooked enough to kill salmonella. Jammy eggs have a thicker yolk, still bright yellow, but cooked long enough to ensure bacteria are killed. Not just “cute”, but a reference to a specific Bon Appetit cooking method.

CJ6 years ago

Made this exactly as written except minus the shaved cheese at end. Couldn’t resist the anchovy chickeny croutons - and they were delicious. But I followed the advice to use chicken breasts and was reminded of how much I dislike chicken breasts. Will use thighs next time.

Sunny10 months ago

It was delicious! I was afraid it would be too bland but the chicken was very tasty & the dressing was/ lemon /soy sauce/ olive oil with garlic was really yummy.

Denny1 year ago

Was excited to make this dish, the only thing I didn’t like is that I felt like cooking the croutons in the chicken fat, overpowered them, and gave them an aftertaste. I think I would brush olive oil on them and put some salt and pepper and cook them that way..

Eli W1 year ago

Delightful! As others have noted, the schmaltzy, anchovy-y croutons are a revelation. I added some thyme to the chicken/croutons which paired beautifully. The rest of the recipe is creative but I found it unnecessary (especially the parsley). Next time I will just make the chicken/croutons and for the rest do a classic ceaser. I found the dressing was a bit too lemony and still missed anchovy, Worcestershire and more Dijon.

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