Chicken and bacon Caesar salad recipe

Instantly popular since it was created in 1924, the Caesar salad is now a summer classic. Photo / Fresh Media

If you’re planning some outdoor entertaining for Christmas, you will need to have a variety of salads to cater to all tastes. This chicken and bacon Caesar salad can be both a side to the main event or an option for a lighter meal. It’s an easy recipe to size up if you’re feeding a crowd.

Chicken and bacon Caesar salad

Serves 4

Ingredients

500g chicken breasts

8 rashers streaky bacon

1 cup croutons*

1 Romaine lettuce, core removed

4 eggs, soft- or hard-boiled, sliced in half

Salt and pepper

Dressing

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

1 small garlic clove, roughly chopped

¼ cup parmesan, grated

5 anchovies

½ cup unsweetened yoghurt

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

To serve

Extra parmesan and anchovies

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C and grease or line a baking tin.
2. Season the chicken well with salt and pepper. Wrap the bacon rashers around chicken breasts, then roast for 15-20 minutes, until the bacon is crispy and the chicken has cooked through. Set aside to cool, then slice into pieces.
3. While the chicken is cooking, make the dressing and prepare the other ingredients.
4. Add all the dressing ingredients to a blender and blend until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. To serve, arrange the lettuce on a platter. Add chicken slices, egg halves, dressing, and croutons. Scatter with some extra parmesan and anchovies.

NOTE: To make some homemade croutons for your salad, just cut 6-7 thick slices of bread into cubes and toss in a bowl with ⅓ cup olive oil, a sprinkle of mixed herbs, and a teaspoon of flaky salt. Bake on a lined tray at 200C for 15 minutes or until golden and crunchy. You can bake the croutons at the same time the chicken is in the oven.

– fresh.co.nz