Southwestern Style Chicken Ceasar Salad

Dinner can be a salad, and still be fun! I promise! I know I am starting to get a little shaky on my healthy eating pledge, (I am not sure how much longer I can last, I have no willpower!) But this play on a Ceasar salad is zippy and exciting and makes me want to shovel salad into my mouth ☺

Crunchy romaine hearts served with grilled red onions, lime laced chicken, crispy pepitas and a zesty, spiced Ceasar dressing help to make salad sound good again… maybe even great.

Southwestern Style Chicken Ceasar Salad, Serves 4
2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 lime
½ tsp chili powder
Kosher salt and black pepper
3 Tsp vegetable oil
1 large red onion
2 Heads Romaine, (or 4 “hearts”)
1 recipe Southwestern Ceasar Dressing
½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
½ cup roasted and salted pepitas

Preheat your grill or grill pan to medium high.

Slice a red onion in half, and then peel the layers back individually and place on a plate or in a bowl. Toss with 2 tsp of the vegetable oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Lightly spray grill or grill pan with cooking spray.

Grill the onions on both sides until soft and charred.

Slice the onions into strips and set aside.

While the onions are grilling, prepare the chicken breasts on a clean plate.

Zest the lime and then slice in half.

Sprinkle the chicken generously with salt and pepper on both sides, and then sprinkle the ½ tsp of chili powder and all of the lime zest over both breasts. Squeeze one half of the lime over the chicken breasts and let marinate, up to an hour.

Grill the chicken breasts until they are just cooked through and have nice grill marks on them. (This will vary depending on the size and thickness of the chicken breasts).

When the chicken is done, thinly slice the chicken and set aside with the red onions.

Southwestern Style Ceasar Dressing
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 Tbs anchovy paste
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 egg yolk, large
1 large lemon, juiced
½ lime juiced
1 Tb finely shredded parmesan cheese
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup vegetable oil
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Combine the ingredients in a bowl, whisking in the oil at the end. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. (You can adjust the heat with the red pepper- this recipe is not spicy).

(do you see Henry in the background?)

He looks annoyed doesn’t he? Maybe I am taking too long making his salad…

To assemble the salad:

On a plate, arrange either half of a romaine lettuce head, or a whole “heart” of romaine lettuce. You can choose whether you want to serve whole leaves (as pictured) or torn/cut bit sized pieces- either way is great!

Place ¼ of the onions, and ¼ of the sliced chicken over the top of the lettuce. Pour a few tablespoons of the dressing over everything and then garnish with the finely shredded parmesan cheese and the pepitas.

Enjoy!