Most salads have a lot going on, but Caesar salads are usually plain with a tasty dressing, making them easy to whip up.
They can also be personalised, adding chicken or chickpeas if you’re vegetarian, using a homemade dressing or store-bought.
Croutons also make a tasty addition, and they can be easily made using stale bread.
James Martin’s recipe notes on BBC Good Food said: “This chicken Caesar salad has so much to celebrate; salty cured ham, juicy chicken breasts, crunchy croutons and a creamy dressing, wow.”
It serves two people and can be easily made from start to finish in around 10 minutes.
Ingredients:
For the salad:
Four slices of speck or prosciutto
Two chicken breasts
Knob of butter
Two thick slices of white bread, cubed
Two cos lettuces
For the dressing:
Two garlic cloves
75ml white wine
Two eggs, yolk only
One anchovy fillet
75g parmesan, grated
150ml extra virgin olive oil
Two teaspoons of Dijon mustard
Method:
Start by preheating the grill to high and then placing your chosen ham onto a baking sheet and under the grill for three to four minutes.
Remove it once crisp and place it onto kitchen paper to drain. Next, cut both chicken breasts through the middle, without cutting through, to form one large flat piece.
Season to taste with salt and pepper and then brush generously with olive oil. Heat a griddle pan until hot and then cook the chicken for two to three minutes on each side.
Next, heat a frying pan with some butter and then fry the bread until golden brown, removing once cooked.
Separate the leaves from the lettuce and cut them into chunky pieces. For the dressing, in a medium saucepan, bring the garlic and wine to a boil for five minutes, then leave to cool.
Combine the wine and garlic with the egg yolk, anchovy and cheese in a mixing bowl and then blend until smooth with a hand blender.
Drizzle in the oil in a thin steady stream, taking care not to add it too quickly or else it could split and curdle. Stir in the mustard and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the ham, croutons and lettuce to the dressing and toss to combine. To serve, place salad on plate, top with chicken and pour the dressing over.
