Balsamic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Last night was a punchy night. You know when you just feel all weird and twisty inside and out, and the only thing that makes it better is watching mindless television and eating a really delicious dinner? The dinner definitely helped. So did snuggling with my husband and watching The Voice and rejoicing over the fact that I could see ZERO cleavage on the talented but sometimes scarily dressed Ms. Christina Aguilera. Seriously girl. I could focus on your gorgeous eyes and wise counsel and not your cleavage for once. It was a refreshing change.

We savored two very savory dishes last night while we were spending some quality couch time together. The first was this amazing Balsamic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad. The second were these amazing Balsamic Braised Brussels Sprouts with Maple Bacon. Both were to die for. The salad is a snap to throw together. The Brussels are a little more work, but well worth it. More on the Brussels in their own post.

Let's focus on the salad. A bed of crisp romaine (spinach would work beautifully here too), topped with a succulent, juicy sliced chicken breast that has been marinated and grilled in sweet and acidic Balsamic Vinegar, sprinkled with salty Kalamata Olives and hearty bits of Sun-Dried Tomato. Top that with some creamy, garlic-y homemade Caesar Dressing and freshly grated Parmesan, and you have died and gone to heaven. This is a lighter take on a Caesar Salad, and is made from whole, fresh ingredients. Nothing better than that. It's also a quick dinner. If you marinate the chicken early, you can have this baby on the table in under 20 minutes. Heck yeah and fo' shizzle and all that jazz. This recipe is designed to serve four and can easily be increased to serve more.




Here are your marinade ingredients, plus a few cloves of garlic. These are pantry staples for me, so this was super-easy and fast. Grab your Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, Italian Seasoning, Fresh Black Pepper, Sea Salt and Balsamic Vinegar.

Here is your garlic. Two cloves will do just fine.

Prepare a large chicken breast. The chicken my breast came from was seriously well-endowed. It was the largest one I have ever seen! I like to butterfly slice my chicken breast. It makes it go further and reduces cooking time by a whole bunch. With a sharp knife, cut your chicken through the middle, lengthwise, until you have two thin halves of the breast. Pop them into a large dish for marinating. Sprinkle the chicken with 3-4 turns of the black pepper and about a 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt.

Sprinkle a teaspoon of the Italian Seasoning over the chicken.

Drizzle two tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil over the chicken.

Add a 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar to the chicken.

Add two cloves of minced garlic. I always grate mine with a fine hand-held grater. It's just so much easier. Thanks, Rachael Ray, for that tip! Sprinkle it right over your chicken. Give the chicken a few turns in the dish to evenly coat the meat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to grill. I would give the chicken at least twenty minutes, and up to three or four hours.

You'll prep the dressing next. I got so involved I forgot to take pictures of the process, but it's so easy that a simple explanation will do. Place the following ingredients in a food processor: Three cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of red wine vinegar, one tablespoon of olive oil mayonnaise, two anchovies (gross, I know, but it really makes all the difference in flavor, and it is pureed, so you will never know), 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, juice of one lemon, 6-8 turns of fresh black pepper, 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Pulse the ingredients together. With the motor running on low, slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil, until everything is smooth and combined. It will look like this. The pink tinge is from the red wine vinegar. Refrigerate until you are ready to dress the salad.

Heat your grill. I just used our trusty George Foreman, but an outdoor grill would give the chicken great flavor. When the grill is heated, cook the chicken until it has a nice crust on the outside and it has caramelized slightly. I always cut my chicken to ensure it is done. Don't overcook-this should be juicy.

Remove the chicken and let it rest for about five minutes to ensure the juices are absorbed and the meat is juicy and tender. After resting, slice the breasts into strips and let them cool slightly.

While the chicken is cooling, chop up some sun-dried tomatoes, I cut up six. You'll also want to pit and cut up eight kalamata olives. 

Wash and roughly chop a head of romaine lettuce. Place about 1 1/2 cups of lettuce on a plate. Top with six or seven pieces of the sliced chicken.

Add the chopped tomatoes and olives over the chicken.

Dress the salad with a tablespoon or so of the Caesar dressing, a sprinkle of freshly toasted breadcrumbs (I had some left over from the Brussels sprouts), and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Eat with reckless abandon. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Balsamic Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

(Inspired by "Eat This Not That" Grilled Caesar Salad)

(Serves four)

Ingredients

Chicken

-1 large chicken breast

-Freshly ground black pepper

-1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

-1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

-2 tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

-1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar

-2 cloves of minced garlic

Dressing

-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar

-1 tablespoon of olive oil mayonnaise

-3 cloves of garlic

-2 anchovies

-1/4 teaspoon of chili powder

-Juice of one lemon

-6-8 turns of black pepper mill

-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-1/2 cup of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Salad

-One head of romaine lettuce, washed and roughly chopped

-Six sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

-Ten kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

-Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

-Fresh breadcrumbs (optional)

1. Prepare the chicken. Butterfly cut the breast lengthwise and in half, so that the breast is thin and in two pieces. Place in a large dish and sprinkle the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a few turns of freshly ground black pepper. Add 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Drizzle two tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil over the chicken, and add 1/4 cup of Balsamic Vinegar. Grate two cloves of garlic over the chicken. Turn the chicken several times to coat it evenly. Cover and refrigerate 20 minutes to four hours.

2. Prepare the dressing. In a  food processor, combine the following ingredients: 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon of olive oil mayonnaise, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 anchovies, 1/4 teaspoon of chili powder, juice of one lemon, 6-8 turns of the black pepper mill, 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Pulse together several times. Drizzle in a 1/2 cup of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil as the motor is running, and process the dressing until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Heat grill. Cook chicken 5-8 minutes, until cooked through and outside is slightly caramelized. Remove chicken and let it rest 5 minutes. Slice and let cool several minutes.

4. Wash and roughly chop a head of romaine lettuce. Chop 6 sun-dried tomatoes, and pit and chop 10 kalamata olives. 

5. Top 1 1/2 cups of romaine with 6 or 7 slices of chicken, a sprinkle of tomatoes and olives, and a teaspoon of dressing. Add a sprinkle of fresh breadcrumbs (optional) and some freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Eat and savor every bite.