We love Caesar salad in our house. We make it often. So when we got our new Weber gas grill this summer the very first thing I made was a grilled chicken Caesar salad. By “grilled” I mean grilled chicken, grilled Romaine, grilled baguette slices, and grilled garlic in a foil pouch. Everything except the dressing and the cheese is grilled in this recipe. I love that so much of this recipe is prepared on the grill. Oh, and grilled Romaine is delicious!
Deconstructed Grilled Chicken and Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad
2 chicken breast halves
2 hearts of Romaine
Caesar dressing (see recipe below)
1 bulb of garlic, separated and unpeeled (save 1 or 2 cloves for the dressing)
Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup grated for dressing plus shaved pieces to top the salad)
1 lemons, juiced and divided (juice of 1 lemon for dressing and the juice of 2 lemons for marinade)
4 slices of rustic bread
1/8 cup olive oil (plus extra)
fresh cracked pepper
(this will make 4 entree salads)
For the Dressing
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or a combination of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
1/4 cup of a good quality mayonnaise (preferably avocado based or homemade)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice (usually one lemon will work)
1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste
1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (I use Annie’s Naturals Organic)
1/4 teaspoon of pepper
1/8 teaspoon of dry mustard
1 or 2 cloves of garlic depending on the size of the cloves and your taste
1. Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally and place in a glass dish to marinate. Add 1/8 cup of olive oil and 1/8 cup of lemon juice. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken half way through the marinated process.
2. While the chicken is marinating make the dressing. Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Heat grill to a medium-high heat. Look here is my shiny new grill!
4. Cut the Romaine hearts in half lengthwise, brush both sides of the Romaine with olive oil and set aside. Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and set aside.
5. Place the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a tightly sealed tin foil pouch. Place on the grill for 10 – 12 minutes turning the foil pouch periodically.
6. Remove the chicken from the marinade, lightly pat with paper towel so that oil isn’t dripping from the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken salt-and-pepper side down diagonally on the grill for nice grill marks. Grill the chicken about 5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees). Remove chicken and garlic to a clean platter and cover with tin foil.
7. Add the prepared Romaine cut side up to the grill. Grill the Romaine about 1-2 minutes and then flip. Grill the Romaine on the second side for an additional 2-3 minutes or until slightly charred and wilted.
7. Grill the prepared toast slices about 1 minute on each side. Bring everything inside to assemble.
8. Begin assembly by first slicing the chicken into strips.
9. Arrange even portions of the chicken on to the side of four plates. Place the grilled Romaine in the center of the plate. Add a toast slice and a clove or two of garlic. Drizzle the Romaine with some Caesar dressing. Finally, using a vegetable peeler add some Parmesan cheese shavings.
Deconstructed Grilled Chicken and Grilled Romaine Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast halves
- 2 hearts of Romaine
- Caesar dressing (see recipe below)
- 1 bulb of garlic, separated and unpeeled (save 1 or 2 cloves for the dressing)
- Parmesan cheese (1/4 cup grated for dressing plus shaved pieces to top the salad)
- 1 lemons, juiced and divided (juice of 1 lemon for dressing and the juice of 2 lemons for marinade)
- 4 slices of rustic bread, use gluten-free if needed
- 1/8 cup olive oil (plus extra)
- fresh cracked pepper
- (this will make 4 entree salads)
- For the Dressing
- 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese or a combination of Parmesan and Pecorino Romano
- 1/4 cup of a good quality mayonnaise (preferably avocado based or homemade)
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (usually one lemon will work)
- 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste
- 1/2 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce (I use Annie's Naturals Organic)
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon of dry mustard
- 1 or 2 cloves of garlic depending on the size of the cloves and your taste
Directions
- Step 1 Cut chicken breasts in half horizontally and place in a glass dish to marinate. Add 1/8 cup of olive oil and 1/8 cup of lemon juice. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and marinate for 30 minutes. Flip the chicken half way through the marinated process.
- Step 2 While the chicken is marinating make the dressing. Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and set aside.
- Step 3 Heat grill to a medium-high heat. Look here is my shiny new grill!
- Step 4 Cut the Romaine hearts in half lengthwise, brush both sides of the Romaine with olive oil and set aside. Brush both sides of bread slices with olive oil and set aside.
- Step 5 Place the remaining unpeeled garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of olive oil in a tightly sealed tin foil pouch. Place on the grill for 10 – 12 minutes turning the foil pouch periodically.
- Step 6 Remove the chicken from the marinade, lightly pat with paper towel so that oil isn’t dripping from the chicken. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken salt-and-pepper side down diagonally on the grill for nice grill marks. Grill the chicken about 5 minutes per side or until chicken is cooked through (160 degrees). Remove chicken and garlic to a clean platter and cover with tin foil.
- Step 7 Add the prepared Romaine cut side up to the grill. Grill the Romaine about 1-2 minutes and then flip. Grill the Romaine on the second side for an additional 2-3 minutes or until slightly charred and wilted.
- Step 8 Grill the prepared toast slices about 1 minute on each side. Bring everything inside to assemble.
- Step 9 Begin assembly by first slicing the chicken into strips.
- Step 10 Arrange even portions of the chicken on to the side of four plates. Place the grilled Romaine in the center of the plate. Add a toast slice and a clove or two of garlic. Drizzle the Romaine with some Caesar dressing. Finally, using a vegetable peeler add some Parmesan cheese shavings.
