Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad

Grilling time is almost here in the Midwest. A favorite of ours is grilled chicken Ceasar salad. The sunny days are few and far between the rain and thunderstorms, but they are trying. One thing is for sure, when we do have a sunny day you can always catch the smell of a neighbor firing up the grill.  This recipe can be made on the indoor grill pan as well if spring has not made its way to your area yet.  This is a fresh twist on a classic, grilling the lettuce adds a great new flavor to the dish.  There are a few things I want to note about the recipe and ingredients.

Recipe Tips

1. If you buy the anchovies in a reclosable jar you can grab one whenever you need a flavor boost and then just keep it in the fridge.  If you think you don’t like anchovies you are wrong, haha, well maybe.  It is a standard ingredient in all good Caesar salads.  Anchovy paste in a tube is a fine substitute but I think the fillets have better flavor.  I will post links to both of these ingredients at the bottom of the post if you are not familiar.
2. If you buy a wedge of pecorino romano cheese it will last a very long time in the fridge.  You can use a vegetable peeler to get the pretty curls of cheese over the salad.  Alternatively, you can use a Microplane or a box grater to grate the cheese right on the salad or any other dish for that matter.
3.  I enjoy the freshness of this salad dressing without the egg or mayo.  My husband prefers a creamy ceasar so I just made mine as the recipe states and then before I drizzled more dressing on his I just whisked a little mayo (1 teaspoon or so) into the rest of the dressing.  This way we are both happy!

Either way you like the dressing I hope you enjoy this fresh take on an old classic. Below is one more salad to add to your grilling menu this summer. Check out the Grilled Greek Salad here!

Kitchen Tools and Ingredients Noted Above (Just click below to buy them)

Anchovies

Grater

Grill Pan

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5 from 1 vote

Grilled Chicken Ceasar Salad

Course Main Dish, Poultry, Soup and Salad

Cuisine Keto, Low Carb, Quick and Easy, Summer

Servings 2 people

Ingredients

Dressing and Marinade

• juice 1/2 lemon
• 1 anchovy fillet or anchovy paste
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Chicken and Salad

• 1 large chicken breast cut through the middle for 2 thinner filets
• 1 heart romaine lettuce cut in half lenghtwise
• 1 wedge pecorino romano cheese or 1/2 cup grated

Instructions

Dressing/Marinade

• In a small to medium bowl add your anchovy and a little salt. Using the back of a spoon and the side of the bowl mash up the anchovy until it it is all broken up and looks more like a paste. Add the lemon juice, grated garlic clove, and pepper, whisk to combine. Whisk in the 4 tablespoons of oil starting slowly to form a dressing. Season with more salt and pepper if needed and reserve. Remove 1 tablespoon of dressing to a small bowl to put on the chicken.

Salad and Chicken

• Preheat the outdoor grill or indoor grill pan. Before you season your chicken, using a pastry brush, take some of the dressing from the larger bowl and brush it on the cut sides of the lettuce. Reserve for later. Do this before you do it to the chicken so you do not touch raw chicken before you touch the lettuce.
• Now take your chicken and coat on both sides with the 1 tablespoon of reserved dressing using a pastry brush. Season with a little more salt and pepper and place on a preheated grill or indoor grill pan. Cook for about 4 minutes per side until no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for at least a minute before cutting into it.
• Place your seasoned lettuce cut side down on the grill for one to two minutes to get a little char on it. Place the lettuce on a plate with a piece of chicken and more dressing. Take your wedge of cheese and shave off curls using a vegetable peeler or just toss some grated cheese over the top. Enjoy!