If there’s one salad I love, it’s this caesar salad! So delicious with a homemade dressing, refreshing lettuce, and juicy chicken. Healthy doesn’t have to be boring, so give this a try.
I went through a phase a while ago making lots of caesar salads. However, this was with store bought dressing. There’s nothing wrong with using premade dressing for convenience, but this homemade dressing is just next level!
What inspired me to make my own dressing, was simply because for some reason I could not find any premade dressings in the supermarket anymore. It was as though they all just disappeared (I think there was really only one brand and they just stopped making it). If I go out to eat I will almost never get a salad, but sometimes I get a craving for a good caesar salad. But at around $20 for a small salad, let’s give homemade a go! Can’t be that hard can it? (It’s not!).
Key Ingredients
Dressing
- Garlic: gives the dressing a nice bite. A key flavour note in a caesar dressing, but you can adjust the number of cloves to your preference if you’re not huge on garlic (or if you want even more!).
- Anchovies: is not in the original caesar dressing recipe, but is an essential flavour in the modern day favourite. Adding anchovies gives a beautiful depth and saltiness to the dressing. Make sure you get the real deal in oil, or anchovy paste if you cannot use those. You can leave these out if you really want to, but it is not advised!
- Lemon juice: cuts the creaminess of the dressing. It also aids the garlic in elevating the flavour of the caesar dressing, giving it an extra zhuzh! Fresh is preferred if you have it, but if you don’t then that’s ok too.
- Dijon mustard: adds a slightly tanginess to the caesar salad. But not only this, it also aids in emulsifying the dressing further for ultra creaminess, and binding ability.
- Worcestershire sauce: is another umami flavour boost for the dressing. If you opt out of using anchovies, you can add more of this as a similar substitute – although it won’t be the same.
- Mayonnaise: is the creamy base for this caesar salad dressing. In a lot of other recipes you may see people using raw egg yolks and oil; but, the beauty of using mayonnaise is that it simplifies the recipe even further and also tastes amazing.
- Parmesan: brings in a light nuttiness flavour. How much parmesan will depend on your preference, but I am a parmesan girly you best believe there is a fair amount in there!
Salad
- Cos lettuce: is the standard leafy green used for a caesar salad. I like to cut the thick stems out of the middle, but that’s a sensory thing for me more than anything! Cos lettuce is nice and crisp, enhancing the freshness of the salad. If you can’t get cos, then iceberg lettuce could also work.
- Chicken: typically I would go for thighs when cooking, but for a salad like this the breast is the best cut. The chicken breast is a perfect addition for bulky up this salad, it’s juicy and delicious with the dressing.
- Croutons: could be store bought or homemade. Adding croutons to a salad brings another texture in, and builds the depth of the salad.
- Parmesan: sprinkled on top too. I know there is already parmesan in the dressing, but come on, you can’t go wrong with adding some more. So good mixed in with the actual salad too.
How to make this delicious caesar salad
Form the dressing.
Start making the dressing by smashing the anchovies into a paste-like consistency. Then whisk in the garlic, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and worcestershire sauce. Then mix this together with the mayonnaise and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the dressing in the fridge.
Cook the chicken.
Slice the chicken breasts in half to create a slimmer piece of meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the chicken breasts in a pan with olive oil on a medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes each side until browned on the outside, and cooked on the inside.
Prepare the lettuce.
While the chicken is cooking, prepare the lettuce. Use a knife to cut the thick stem from the middle of the leaf. Then slice the lettuce into bite size strips.
Assemble the caesar salad.
Remove the chicken from the pan once cooked, use a knife to also cut this into bite size strips. To assemble the salad place the lettuce, croutons, and chicken in a bowl. Drizzle in your desired amount of dressing, and top with parmesan cheese. Then toss and enjoy!
Dietary substitutions
If you were wanting to make this salad vegetarian, then simply remove the chicken and the anchovies. As mentioned above, you can substitute the anchovies with more worcestershire sauce. If you’re not a fan of chicken, this is also delicious with prawns and smoked salmon!
Storage
This is a great meal prep option. Allow the chicken to cool, then place it in an airtight container with the lettuce and croutons. I suggest storing the salad dressing separately to avoid the lettuce going soggy. This should keep for 3 days in the fridge.
More chicken recipes:
- The Best Chicken Soup
- Chicken, Bacon, Pesto Pasta
- Chicken, Leek, Mushroom Pie
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken
- Chicken Roast Veggie Hash
- Caramelised Onion Chicken
Alrighty, ready for an amazing homemade caesar salad? Come on, let’s make the most delicious dressing, juicy chicken, and refreshing salad.
Caesar Salad (Homemade Dressing)
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 anchovies in oil
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup parmesan or to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 cos lettuce
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 cup croutons
- Parmesan to preference
Instructions
- Start making the dressing by smashing the anchovies into a paste-like consistency. Then whisk in the garlic, lemon juice, dijon mustard, and worcestershire sauce.
- Then mix together with the mayonnaise and parmesan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Place the dressing in the fridge.
- Slice the chicken breasts in half to create a slimmer piece of meat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the chicken breasts in a pan with olive oil on a medium-high heat. Cook for a few minutes each side until browned on the outside, and cooked on the inside.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the lettuce. Use a knife to cut the thick stem from the middle of the leaf. Then slice the lettuce into bite size strips.
- Remove the chicken from the pan once cooked, use a knife to also cut this into bite size strips.
- To assemble the salad place the lettuce, croutons, and chicken in a bowl. Drizzle in your desired amount of dressing, and top with parmesan cheese. Then toss and enjoy!
