HungryForever

BIG CAESAR SALAD

Caesar salad is a perennial favourite in our house but with so many mouths to feed, I always have to supersize it. Adding a quickly griddled chicken breast is a simple way of making it stretch further. Coat the croutons in a little dressing before adding them to the lettuce and you’ll have explosions of flavour throughout.

Servings

Ingredients

150–200g day-old white rustic-style bread or sourdough
olive oil
50g Parmesan cheese
2 romaine lettuce or 4 baby gem lettucewashed, dried, halved and sliced
2 skinlessboneless chicken breasts, butterflied Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE DRESSING

2 free-range egg yolks
1tsp dijon mustard
1tbsp red wine or sherry vinegar
olive oil
50g tin best-quality anchoviesolive oil
2 garlic clovespeeled and finely crushed
75g Parmesan cheesegrated
Juice of 1 lemonor to taste

Instructions

Chop the bread into 2cm chunks. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season with a pinch of salt and pepper, then toss to combine.
Place a large frying pan over a medium heat, add a dash of oil and fry the bread until golden and crisp. Grate three-quarters of the Parmesan over the croutons, toss together over the heat, then transfer to a plate.
To make the dressing, put the egg yolks, mustard and vinegar into a bowl and whisk together. Slowly pour in the olive oil, whisking as you do so, until the mixture emulsifies. Finely chop the anchovies and mix with the garlic to form a rough paste. Add to the dressing and mix well. Stir in the Parmesan, lemon juice to taste, and a little splash of water.
Put the lettuce into a serving bowl, add a squeeze of lemon juice and half the dressing. Sprinkle over half the croutons and mix. Top with the rest of the croutons and finish with the remaining Parmesan.
Place a griddle pan over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts on both sides, drizzle with a little oil and cook on the hot griddle for 3–4 minutes on either side, until nicely striped and cooked through. Transfer to a plate, sprinkle over some of the remaining dressing and leave to rest for 5 minutes.
Slice the chicken into diagonal strips and serve warm, either mixed through or alongside the salad with a little extra dressing spooned over.

HOW TO BUTTERFLY A CHICKEN BREAST

The purpose of butterflying meat is to open it out to make it thinner and quicker to cook. Place the breast on a board and, using a very sharp knife, slice almost all the way through it horizontally – it should remain joined down one side. Then open it like a book, cover with cling film and flatten with a rolling pin until uniformly thin.