cold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressingcold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressingcold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressingcold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressingcold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressingcold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressing

I find myself often testing “caesar salads” in restaurants, often topped with chicken when I want a one-course quick meal, so I finally decided to make my own version that is fresh yet more filling … :)

The first ever Caesar salad was created on July 4, 1924 by Caesar Cardini at Caesar's in Tijuana, Mexico, when the kitchen was overwhelmed and short on ingredients. It was originally prepared at the table and still is in the original restaurant.

The original recipe did not have anchovies, which are a later addition, and some versions include crispy and crumbled bacon. Later modifications often added chicken to turn it onto a fuller meal as opposed to a lighter starter.

My version uses a classic caesar salad dressing but adds thinly sliced cucumber and green onions and parsley too, topped with sliced roasted chicken breast and a boiled egg. It ends up being very filling if you follow the recipe and serve it as 2 large servings and obviously less filling if you divide it into 3 or 4 smaller servings.

I’ve been very busy lately and not as present as I would like, but I’ll publish a few summer recipes here and there, when I can.

Enjoy the summer; health and happiness to all … :)

cold chicken breast & greens salad with caesar dressing

05.07.2025

2 large servings x 410 grams each

ingredients

chicken (250 grams) :

  • 250 grams (2 cups) marinated & roasted chicken breast, thin slices

eggs :

  • 55-110 grams (1-2) hard-boiled eggs, sliced in half

croutons (85 grams after baking) :

  • 100 grams (4 cups) baguette bread, cut into cubes
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
  • 5 grams (1 ½ tsp) garlic, crushed
  • 1 gram (¼ tsp) fine sea salt

salad (295 grams) : 

  • 200 grams (8 cups) romaine lettuce, washed & sliced into wide ribbons
  • 50 grams (½ cup) cucumber, very thinly sliced
  • 25 grams (¼ cup) green onion, very thinly sliced
  • 5 grams (2 tbsp) flat-leaf parsley leaves, whole
  • 15 grams (¼ cup) parmesan cheese, large shavings

caesar salad dressing (190 ml or ¾ cup) :

  • 105 ml (¼ cup + 3 tbsp) light olive oil (or olive pomace oil)
  • 22,5 ml (1 ½ tbsp) lemon juice
  • 20 grams (¼ cup) finely grated aged parmesan cheese
  • 15 grams (1 tbsp or 1 whole medium) egg yolk
  • 7,5 ml (½ tbsp) white wine vinegar
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) worcestershire sauce
  • 5 grams (1 tsp) grainy mustard
  • 5 grams (3 whole or 1 ½ tsp) anchovies
  • 5 grams (1 ½ tsp) crushed garlic (previously used for the croutons and strained)
  • 2 grams (½ tsp) fine sea salt
  • 1 gram (¼ tsp) cracked black pepper
  • optional : a dash of tabasco sauce (the green version preferably)

instructions

  • use a pre-roasted chicken breast or prepare your own (300 grams raw chicken) by brushing the chicken breast (or other chicken meat) with 1 tbsp of olive oil mixed with ¼ tsp each of salt, black pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme and brown sugar and grill on each side for 10 minutes, then let it cool down completely, slice and refrigerate until needed
  • prepare the croutons by infusing the olive oil with the crushed garlic for 30 minutes, then strain and reserve the garlic separately, add salt and pepper to the oil and brush the sliced baguette cubes with the mixture and bake at 180°C for 5 minutes on each side, then remove and let cool down and set aside 
  • prepare the salad dressing in a food processor (or with an immersion blender), combining the crushed garlic (strained from the olive oil for the croutons), the mustard, the anchovies, the egg yolk, the salt and pepper, the white wine vinegar and the worcestershire sauce and mix until smooth, then add in the olive oil slowly and keep pulsing until thicker and emulsified, then finally add the finely grated parmesan cheese and mix again and finish with the lemon juice and mix again and set aside in the refrigerator
  • *note : if your parmesan is fresh, grate it finely, then set it out to dry and crumble it up between your fingers until grainier ….
  • prepare all the rest of the salad elements, washing and slicing them and set them aside separately in the refrigerator
  • grate the parmesan coarsely to end up with large shards or shavings and set aside
  • use 2/3 of the salad dressing (125 ml) and toss with the sliced romaine lettuce and lay it out in each plate, then decoratively top with the sliced cucumbers, onions and parsley leaves and place the croutons around the edge of each plate, add the sliced chicken breast in the middle andf the hard-boiled egg slices on the side, sprinkle everything with the parmesan shavings and drizzle the remaining 1/3 of the dressing on top of everything and serve …