Who doesn’t like a good caesar salad on a summer day? Well, our version is perfect for lunch, as a side for dinner or a BBQ! With roasted chicken, grilled leeks and its light dressing – it is a healthier alternative to the classic caesar.
What makes a good caesar salad?
For us, it has to be the balance of flavors and textures. The crisp cos lettuce, crunchy croutons combined with the tender chicken pieces, the softly poached and grilled leeks! All well coated with a layer of grated parmesan and a generous drizzle of tangy garlic-y dressing.
What’s also great with this recipe is that you can make it your own!
- Make it a meal: Add carbs to make it a more substantial meal – pasta for a cold pasta caesar salad, quinoa, couscous or serve it with some grilled cheese sandwiches.
- Make it fruity and zesty: Add fruits for an exotic and summery touch. Apples and pears are great combinations
- Vegan options: For our vegan friends, you can substitute the chicken with grilled tofu or chickpeas! And for the dressing – use vegan yoghurt or vegan buttermilk (non-dairy milk with a squeeze of lemon juice)
You are what you eat! How important is it to know what you’re putting into your body, especially when you are eating uncooked, raw vegetables! Well for this recipe, it was an honor to partner with Beau Plan Aquaponics (BPA). They are a small and local agricultural company that are on a mission to educate and grow vegetables that have zero synthetic pesticide, zero molluscicde and zero herbicide. Go give them a shoutout for the amazing work they are doing!
Check out our Roasted butternut salad with apple and pecans, Oven-Baked Kale Chips and our Satay Chicken Lettuce Wraps also made with Beau Plan Aquaponics (BPA) produce
Caesar Salad with Roasted Chicken and Leeks
Difficulty: Easy2-4
servings30
minutes15
minutes45
minutesIngredients
- For the salad
3 slices of multigrain bread, cut into 2cm cubes
4 small leeks
1 bunch cos lettuce, washed and drained
¼ cup roughly chopped parsley
¼ cup grated parmesan
1 lemon, optional
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 roasted chicken breasts, store-bought or homemade
- For the dressing
60ml buttermilk or greek yoghurt
3 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp dried herb; parsley, tarragon or mixed herbs
1 clove garlic, grated
1 tbsp roughly chopped parsley
Directions
- For the salad
- Place the 2cm bread cubes in a bowl, drizzle generously with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss the bread cubes until they are evenly well coated, then set aside.
- Cut the leeks into 6cm sticks, then cut them in halves lengthwise, wash and drain.
- In a pot, bring some water to a boil. Blanch leeks for about 2-3mins or until tender, but still holding their shape, then drain and set aside.
- Over medium heat, toast the bread cubes in a pan/skillet, tossing them around occasionally, until all sides are evenly golden. Set aside on a plate to cool
- In the same pan/skillet, drizzle some olive oil and grill your leeks for about 3-4mins or until they are beautifully charred on both sides. Then set aside on a plate.
- For the dressing
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl, mix well and set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
- To assemble
- Lay a bed of lettuce over your serving dish
- Randomly sprinkle the roughly chopped parsley over the lettuce, followed by the leeks and croutons
- Slice your chicken breasts and lay the pieces over the salad
- Zest half the lemon over the salad, optional. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Sprinkle salad generously with grated parmesan
- Then drizzle with dressing when ready to eat! Enjoy!
Recipe inspired by Women's Weekly Food
