Smoked Chicken Caesar Salad - Cover Image

Not one for the waist watchers, but hey, who cares … as far as we know, we only live once, and the denial of all pleasure creates the kind of stress that will kill you much faster than the occasional added calorie … that said, this does not qualify as a fattening dish by any stretch of the imagination! Moreover, outside the US, this is not a salad that many F&B outlets do well, so for the Caesar lovers out there in New Delhi, India, here is how you can tickle your taste buds at home the quick and easy way …

… Why do I call it a shortcut? Quite simply because of the use of store bought smoked chicken, rather than home cooked chicken, which unless it is a roast, is usually bland … neither baked nor poached chicken do this salad justice, and the day I decided to knock it up, I didn’t have any left-over roast chicken, so I tried this smoked one and it worked fabulously well.

Ingredients

First and foremost, gather your ingredients (IMAGE 1), then peel, wash and dry your lettuce leaves (STEPS 1 TO 4) – I have used half of one medium size iceberg lettuce which is enough for two portions – and proceed to make the Caesar mayo, for which you will first make a basic mayo and then add the Caesar ingredients.

Chicken Caesar Salad - Ingredients - Image 1
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Ingredients - Step 1
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  • 1 loaf of Rustic Rye Sourdough Bread (use whichever brand you like; this is from Defence Bakery, 34, Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024)
  • 1 packet La Carne Smoked Chicken (Available at Defence Store, 38 Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024)
  • 1 packet La Carne Imported Bacon Bits (Available at Defence Store, 38 Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024)
  • 1 x bottle John West Anchovy Fillet Bits (Available at Defence Store, 38 Defence Colony Market, New Delhi 110024)
  • 2 organic Keggs Eggs
  • 1 packet of Imported Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (any brand, available at a number of Grocery Stores or online from Foodsmith.in)
  • 1 medium ice berg lettuce for 4 portions

Basic Mayo: Yield 250g

  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 250ml sunflower oil

Caesar Mayo: 2 portions

  • 225g basic mayo
  • 1.5 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 6 garlic cloves finely chopped

Method

First prepare your Caesar additions: squeeze the lemon, grate the parmesan & finely chop the anchovy fillets and garlic (STEP 1). Then place two egg yolks in a mixing bowl (STEP 2), add the mustard & whisk (STEPS 3 & 4), and then gradually add the oil whilst whisking into a perfect mayonnaise (STEPS 5 & 6). Weigh out 225g of the mayo (STEPS 7 & 8), then whisk in the lemon juice and then the parmesan, garlic and anchovies (STEPS 9 TO 12). Reserve in the refrigerator until use.

Chicken Caesar Salad - Additions - Step 1
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Additions - Step 12
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Now, you will simply fry your bacon bits in a non-stick pan, just like I showed you with the last recipe for the potato and leek soup, except that this time, you won’t chop them into smaller pieces. You will simply fry them in their own fat until they are cooked through (STEPS 1 & 2), removing the bits that are pure fat (STEP 3).

Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Step 1
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Step 2
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Step 3
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Then slice your chicken breast (there is one two halves of one breast in each packet, and for two portions of salad, I use one half plus ¼ of the second half), then cut into thick large cubes (STEPS 4 TO 6), then toss through in the pan with the bacon & reserve (STEP 7).

Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Step 4
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Bacon - Step 7
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And the last step before building your final product is to slice and oven toast your sourdough bread, for which I ask you to refer to the ‘Baby spinach leaf salad on sourdough recipe’, in the Treat of the Week section.

For the final assembly, place you sourdough toast on the serving plate (STEP 1). Next, toss your lettuce leaves with a bit of vinaigrette (STEP 2 – approximately 3 tablespoons for 2 portions of lettuce leaves; please refer to the Hung Yoghurt Bocconcini Caprese recipe, for the sub-recipe of Vinaigrette, in the Treat of the Week section), add the bacon and chicken mix (STEP 3), and then toss with some Caesar mayo (STEPS 4 & 5 – 3 tablespoons for 2 portions of lettuce leaves), and now begin to build, as shown in the images, dropping the Caesar mayo generously on top (STEPS 6 TO 11). Garnish with micro-herbs (STEP 12) & serve (FINAL IMAGE).

Chicken Caesar Salad - Assembly - Step 1
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Assembly - Step 11
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Assembly - Step 12
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Chicken Caesar Salad - Final Image

Above: Final Image