Caesar Salad

H said this was the best Caesar Salad she'd ever had.

Ingredients:

6 chicken tenders, fresh or thawed

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 tsp. Kosher salt

1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

1 head Romaine lettuce

1/4 c. good quality store-bought Caesar-salad dressing

1/4 c. good quality store-bought mayonnaise

2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1/4 c. croutons, coarsely crushed

2 oz. Parmesan cheese, finely grated or chopped

Salt

Fresh ground black pepper

The Method

Place chicken tenders in a medium sized mixing bowl and add lemon juice, olive oil, Kosher salt and black pepper and toss until evenly coated. Grill over medium direct heat for 3-4 minutes per side, remove from heat and set aside.

Mix salad-dressing, mayo, lemon juice, olive oil, Worcestershire, garlic along with half of Parmesan cheese and whisk together. 


Cut lettuce in half along the center rib.  Top each half with three 3 pieces of chicken, remaining Parmesan, croutons and drizzle with dressing.  Salt and pepper to taste. 


Food for Thought
There are many great recipes you can find online or in print if you want to make your own Caesar's dressing.  I find that this yields excellent results with less labor.  When choosing Romaine (as with practically all other produce) avoid produce that appears discolored or wilted.  One additional consideration with Romaine is that the presence of strong, milky ribs should be avoided also, since this feature which commonly occurs in older produce will give the lettuce an unpleasant bitterness that exceeds the pleasantly herbacious bitterness of good Romaine, a quality which, in small doses as found in fresh heads, makes Romaine go so well with funky cheeses and other strong flavors.