Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Almost as popular as Chicken Caesar Salad is Shrimp Caesar Salad. Toss shrimp in some of the dressing as the chicken is in the recipe below and grill just until done. Another nice option is to grill Salmon in the dressing and serve on the side with the Caesar Salad.

For safety's sake, the raw egg has been omitted from this creamy dressing and replaced with mayonnaise and a touch of olive oil. If you would like to use raw eggs, see the recipe for Caesar Salad (no chicken) which claims to be very close to the original version of the salad and uses raw eggs and oil in the dressing.

The chicken in a chicken Caesar salad can be served either hot or cold, as both styles are common depending on the restaurant or personal choice.

• Hot Chicken: Many full-service or higher-end restaurants serve freshly grilled, warm, or hot sliced chicken right on top of the cold greens to highlight that the meal was just cooked.
• Cold Chicken: Fast-casual spots and pre-made salads often use chilled or room-temperature diced chicken so it does not heat up or wilt the crisp romaine lettuce.

Caesar Salad Dressing recipe
3/4 pound thin-sliced chicken breast cutlets, cut into bite-size pieces
4 oz crusty French bread (half a small loaf), cut into 1/2" chunks (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cups shredded Romaine lettuce
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat broiler.
2. In a food processor, make the Caesar Salad Dressing
3. Put chicken in a medium bowl and toss with 1/4 cup of dressing. Spread chicken out on a broiler pan and broil 4 to 5 inches from heat for five minutes, without turning, or until cooked through. Remove chicken from oven. Alternatively, chicken can be grilled instead of broiled.
4. To make the croutons, cut the bread into cubes, heat the 1/2 cup olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes in the oil, tossing frequently, until they're crisp and golden. Drain the croutons on a paper towel until ready to use.
5. Place romaine in a salad bowl. Add remaining dressing, chicken, croutons, and Parmesan cheese, and toss to coat.

A good Chicken Caesar Wrap can be made by leaving out the croutons and wrapping the chicken with the lettuce in a flour tortilla.

Serves 4