Many of you have asked (and twittered) for Devon’s homemade chicken Caesar salad recipe. If you didn’t attend BlogLove European Marketplace Event, this chicken Caesar salad recipe will give you a taster of what we served! This recipe goes back to our coffee shop days. It is a favorite at our Table and we make it often when we want to give our guests a fresh twist on a traditional Caesar salad. We call it a Spanish Caesar, because we make it with Manchego cheese instead of Parmesan. It does not call for raw egg, but Greek yogurt (Chobani is one of our favs!) as it’s base.
Devon didn’t want to share it…it’s kind of a “Chef’s Secret” thang, a “for THE Cookbook” kinda thing….but, with a little coaxing, an ice cold beer and space to play x-box with Chris Ann’s husband, Todd, for a few hours, I got it out of him! So, please treasure it. Please make it and share it and send the love back Devon’s way. This is a gift from our Table to yours!
LoveFeast’s Spanish Caesar Salad Recipe
Dressing:
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 Tbls. whole grain Dijon mustard
1 tsp. anchovy paste
3 limes, juice of
1/2 C. Greek plain yogurt
1 Tbls. Italian seasoning
3 C. extra virgin olive oil
3 Tbls. shredded Manchego cheese
Salad:
3 heads of chopped romaine
1 C. sun-dried tomatoes (re-hydrated, meaning…pour hot water over tomatoes to cover and let sit for at least 15 min. to soften.)
1 C. cashew halves
1 C. pumpernickel croutons…or any homemade croutons
1/2 C shredded Manchego cheese
Chicken:
4 boneless chicken breast
1-2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. cracked pepper
1 Tbls. Italian seasoning
3 Tbls. white wine vinegar
(Fire up your grill!)
1. Put the garlic in a Kitchen Aid food processor and pulse.
2. Add Dijon and anchovy paste and pulse until combined.
3. Add in juice of three limes and pulse again to combine.
4. Add yogurt and herbs and pulse.
5. Turn food processor on and ever so gently, stream in olive oil, starting off with a very thin stream. Once ingredients begin to emulsify, you can increase the flow. (This part is a bit tricky and may take time to perfect. You want all the ingredients to come together without breaking. There is a way to fix it, should it happen. If so, feel free to tweet us @LoveFeast for a quick walk through!)
6. Add cheese in and pulse to combine.
7. Grill chicken breasts until no longer pink in center. (The trick to tender chicken, is not to over cook it!)
8. Let cool so you can cut the breasts. Slice the chicken into thin strips.
9. Toss chicken with salt, pepper, herbs and vinegar. Place to the side while you toss rest of the salad.
7. Toss chopped romaine, sun-dried tomatoes, cashews, croutons and cheese together. Add dressing to coat (but not soak) salad.
8. Either toss chicken into salad or serve on top of individual salads.
Serves 4-6 people
