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Southwest Chicken Caesar Salad

My favorite classic Caesar recipe, but with some added spices and salad toppings!

Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 4
Author Laura Doerr

Ingredients

For the Caesar dressing

  • 1½ tsp anchovy paste
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 3 egg yolks
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp mayo
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan cheese
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder

For the croutons

  • 1 large piece of bread, torn about 1 cup
  • Drizzle olive oil
  • Garlic salt
  • Fresh or dried parsley

For the salad

  • 4 cups romaine lettuce chopped
  • 1 cup tomatoes chopped
  • 1 cup corn
  • 1 cup black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 chicken breasts cooked/grilled and chopped

Instructions

For the dressing

  1. On a cutting board using a large knife, smash and press together the minced garlic and anchovy paste until combined and smooth.

  2. In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks until smooth, whisk in the Dijon, mayo, Worcestershire, and garlic anchovy mixture. Whisk in the lemon juice, and while continuing to whisk, slowly stream in the olive oil. Whisk for about 1 minute. Slowly stream in the vegetable oil while whisking continuously. Whisk for another minute until smooth and dressing begins to thicken slightly.

  3. Whisk in the parmesan cheese, plenty of fresh grated black pepper, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Store in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to serve. Best made at least 1 hour ahead of time for flavors to combine.

For the croutons

  1. On a baking sheet pan, toss the torn bread with olive oil, a dash of garlic salt, and a sprinkle of parsley. Place under the broiler for 2-4 minutes or until golden brown. Watch closely as it happens quickly and can burn easily. Set aside to cool.

Salad Assembly

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine all salad ingredients. Toss with desired amount of dressing, and top with fresh croutons.

Recipe Notes

Grilled chicken adds a nice flavor to this salad, otherwise take some help from the store and use rotisserie chicken, or cooked and cubed freezer chicken that's been stove-top cooked.

This salad makes an awesome wrap too. Try grilling your wraps, yum!