Chicken Caesar Salad

Worth making the dressing yourself — bottled Caesar is mostly oil and the homemade version costs you five minutes and tastes like a different dish.

Ingredients

• 4 oz chicken breast
• 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
• 2 tbsp Caesar dressing (below)
• 10 g Parmesan, shaved
• 2 tsp olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Caesar Dressing

• 3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt or mayonnaise
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
• 2 anchovy fillets, minced, or 1 tsp anchovy paste
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• Black pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until smooth. Taste and adjust the lemon and salt — anchovy and Parmesan bring most of the salt, so season last.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and cook in a hot pan with the olive oil, 5–6 minutes per side, to 165°F internal. Rest, then slice.
3. Toss the romaine with the dressing until every leaf is lightly coated. Under-dress rather than over-dress.
4. Top with the sliced chicken and shaved Parmesan.

Make-Ahead & Storage

The dressing keeps a week refrigerated and is worth making in a double batch. Dress the salad only when you eat it — romaine collapses within about twenty minutes.

Notes

The anchovy is not optional if you want it to taste like Caesar. It does not taste like fish once it's in the dressing.

Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise is what keeps this near 500 calories with a full 2 tbsp of dressing.

Shave the Parmesan with a peeler rather than grating it — the same 10 g reads as far more.