Pan Fried Chicken Caesar Salad

This Caesar dressing was just a ‘whim’ Saturday night. I was looking through my new Food & Wine: Best of the Best Cookbook, Vol. 17 (you get good prices on these books when you subscribe to the magazine!) I decided to make the Caesar salad from Chef Roy Choi (p. 82) for a midnight salad recipe Saturday night. I don’t regret it! I just made a simple salad with lettuce, dressing, and cheese. The ingredients are all the same just the measurements are slightly off from the cookbook version. (Recipe originally from Roy Choi’s Cookbook: L.A. Son: My Life, My City, My Food.) The dressing can be made very easily, just measure and mix.

Tonight (Sunday), we had enough dressing left over to make THIS pan-fried chicken Caesar salad for dinner.  We bought some chicken. Greg grilled chicken for his salad (he’s on a health kick). I chose to pan-fry my chicken just to get it all crispy. Because who doesn’t love some crispy chicken! ;)

Here’s the Caesar dressing ingredients (and lettuce):

The sour cream is not necessary (I thought we would need it because we were low on mayo).

To make the Caesar dressing: 

First, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, extra virgin olive oil, and worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.

Then, mash the anchovies, pepper and garlic in a mortar and pestle. We pureed some chopped onion in a mini-food processor and then added the anchovy/garlic/pepper mix from the mortar & pestle.  Really they can all be thrown in the food processor to save time. After blended, whisk this mixture into the mayonnaise mixture until creamy. Set aside.

To make the croutons: 

We used a loaf of French bread, but any bread will work. Cut bread it into 1-inch cubes. Coat a large saucepan over medium heat with olive oil. Toss bread cubes in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and onion powder. Cook on medium heat tossing occasionally for about 10 minutes or until edges of bread are crisp to become AMAZING CROUTONS! Set aside. 

To make Pan Fried Chicken: 

Here’s what you need (My dog Shug PHOTOBOMBED the pic) :

Place three dishes in a row for frying — 

• In the first dish: add 3/4 cup flour & season with salt & pepper. 
• In the second dish: Whisk together an egg and a teaspoon of water.
• In the third dish: Whisk together 3/4 cup flour, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder and fresh thyme.

Heat olive oil/ghee (or one or the other) in medium saucepan. Once the oil is heated, dip chicken breasts in the first flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb mix, then add chicken to hot oil. Turn after about 6 minutes, and once the bottom is brown, turn over.

Cook chicken until white throughout (about 5-6 minutes on each side). Let cool on paper towels. Slice chicken as desired.  

Toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing at a time to coat the lettuce until all is lightly coated. Top the coated lettuce with sliced fried chicken breast, croutons, and shaved Parmesan (and you’ll want MORE dressing at the table — so good!) ;)

Pan Fried Chicken Caesar Salad

2014-12-21 19:54:44

Serves 4

Here's your new favorite homemade Caesar salad! After the chicken is pan-fried, serve with homemade croutons and shaved Parmesan on a bed of lettuce tossed in Caesar dressing. You'll want to dip anything & everything in this dressing!!

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Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

25 min

Total Time

45 min

Ingredients

1 head Romaine Lettuce (I added Spinach too), chopped

1/3 cup Parmesan Reggiano, shaved

For the Dressing

1 Tbsp. pureed onion

2 Tbsp. garlic, chopped

1 Tbsp. anchovies, chopped

1 cup mayonnaise

1 1/4 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1/2 - 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/2 Tbsp. water

2 egg yolks

1 Tbsp. onion, pureed

For the Croutons

1 loaf French bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

3/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. Onion powder

Salt & pepper

Pan-Fried Chicken

2 chicken breasts, butterflied

1/2 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp. ghee (optional)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup almond flour (optional)

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. fresh thyme, chopped

Salt & Pepper

To Make the Caesar Dressing

1. Add onion to food processor and puree. Add garlic and anchovies (optionally mashed with mortar & pestle). Puree until mixed. Mix extra-virgin olive oil, mayonnaise, worcestershire sauce, dry ground mustard, lemon juice, egg yolks, and anchovy/garlic/onion mix in medium bowl and whisk until smooth. Season with salt & pepper.

To make the croutons

1. Coat a large saucepan over medium heat with olive oil. Toss bread cubes in olive oil and season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and onion powder. *Don't crowd pan too much, two batches may be necessary. Cook on medium heat tossing occasionally for about 10 minutes or until edges of bread crisp up and become AMAZING CROUTONS! Set aside.

To make Pan Fried Chicken

1. Season chicken with salt, pepper, and onion powder.
2. Place three dishes in a row for frying. In the first dish: add 3/4 cup flour & season with salt & pepper; In the second dish: whisk together an egg and a teaspoon of water; In the third dish: whisk together 3/4 cup flour, almond flour, onion powder, garlic powder and fresh thyme.
3. Heat olive oil/ghee (or one or the other) in medium saucepan. Once the oil is heated, dip chicken breasts in the first flour mixture, then the egg mixture, and then the breadcrumb mix, then add chicken to hot oil. Turn after about 6 minutes, and once the bottom is brown, turn over. Cook chicken until white throughout (about 5-6 minutes on each side). Let cool on paper towels. Slice chicken as desired.
4. Toss lettuce with a few tablespoons of dressing at a time to coat the lettuce until all is lightly coated. Top the coated lettuce with sliced fried chicken breast, croutons, and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Notes

1. Since there's so many steps in this one, feel free to store-buy any of the parts, or exclude chicken or croutons. The dressing, cheese, & lettuce are the main components!
2. Grill or bake chicken for a lighter option!

By Whitney

Adapted from Food & Wine's Best of the Best, Vol. 17 (Roy Choi)

Adapted from Food & Wine's Best of the Best, Vol. 17 (Roy Choi)

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