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Deconstructed Chicken Caesar Salad

By Marge Perry and David Bonom

5.0

(5)

On a sheet tray roasted sliced chicken breast drizzled with Caesar dressing charred halved hearts of romaine crostini.
Photo by Marge Perry

This go-to meal, ready in less than 20 minutes, has all the elements of a classic chicken Caesar salad—but instead of tossing them together, we celebrate each on its own. We believe this is the only Caesar dressing you'll ever need. We stir in a little grated Parmesan and use it as a dip, too. Roasting romaine hearts intensifies their flavor: you get a slight pleasantly bitter note and a not-so-slight sweetness from the caramelization process. (We love the charred edges!) Small crunchy toasts make a heartier stand-in for croutons, and we cook the chicken breasts, tossed with a touch of mustard and thyme, until they just hit 160°F to ensure they are moist and tender.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Caesar Dressing:

1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained, mashed to a paste with a fork
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

For the salad:

2 romaine hearts, halved lengthwise
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 demi-baguette (about 12 inches), cut across into 12 slices
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position one oven rack 4 to 5 inches below the heat source (leave the other rack in the center of the oven) and preheat the broiler. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.

    Step 2

    Make the Caesar dressing: Combine the mayonnaise, anchovy paste, lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil.

    Step 3

    Brush the cut sides of the romaine hearts with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Place them, cut side up, on the sheet pan. Broil the romaine hearts until they are slightly wilted and lightly browned, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter.

    Step 4

    Preheat the oven to 425°F.

    Step 5

    Toss the chicken with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the mustard, and thyme. Place the breasts and the bread slices on the sheet pan and roast in the center of the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into the center of the chicken registers 160°F and the bread is toasted, 8 to 9 minutes.

    Step 6

    Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Let it rest 5 minutes before cutting it across into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the chicken and toasts on the platter with the romaine; drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the Parmesan.

Cover of the book featuring a sheet pan chicken dinner with broccoli and a cast iron pan with bok choy, radishes, and salmon fillets.
From Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day © 2019 by Marge Perry and David Bonom. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.
TagsCaesar SaladSaladAmericanChicken BreastChickenPoultryRomaineLettuceLeafy GreensVegetableParmesanCheeseDairyMainDinnerNut FreeQuickEasySheet-Pan DinnersRoastCookbooksHarper Collins

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