Garlicky Chicken Caesar Salad

I often cook chicken for salads by pan frying chicken breast cutlets--those chicken breasts that have been sliced in half, making them easier and quicker to cook. I usually do this in a stainless steel frying pan with some olive oil and season the chicken with salt and pepper, maybe a sprinkle of garlic powder, a dash of dried oregano and a pinch of Aleppo pepper flakes. It's easy, quick and delicious.

What's also delicious is the olive oil left over in the pan: seasoned and dotted with little bits of chicken, including whatever chicken fat might have been clinging to the edges of the chicken cutlets. My husband discovered the joy of swiping a piece of bread through the seasoned olive oil and thus was born a favorite ritual whenever I make a chicken-based salad.

This Caesar salad was born from that ritual. Rather than hover around the stove with the seasoned olive oil after dinner, what if I could incorporate it into the salad itself by frying croutons in it? Chicken and croutons immediately made me think of chicken Caesar salad and the rest was easy.

Well, almost. I wanted a good dressing. Caesar dressing traditionally is made with anchovies--which I'm all for--and raw eggs--which I'm not. So I substituted mayonnaise for the egg yolk, considering that commercial mayonnaise is, after all, an emulsion of raw eggs and oil, albeit one that's been pasteurized, alleviating safety concerns about raw egg.

Caesar salad is also traditionally made with romaine lettuce, but I went with a comparatively hardier mix of baby spinach and baby kale (despite the "baby" these are more substantial greens than lettuce).

Garlicky Chicken Caesar Salad

Makes 2 dinner portions

2-4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano leaves
Salt, to taste
Pinch of Aleppo pepper flakes
2 slices of sandwich bread, crusts removed, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I used Ultimate Grains Ancient 12 Grain)
3 cups hardy mixed greens (such as baby spinach and baby kale blend)
1/4 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese (note: if grating on a microplane, you may want significantly more, like about a cup, since the microplane makes such fine shavings)

Dressing:
1 garlic clove, minced
2 anchovy fillets, rinsed of salt and patted dry
Pinch of salt
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. mayonnaise
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1. Heat 2-4 tbsp. olive oil in a medium frying pan over medium heat (I recommend using a stainless steel pan and not a nonstick pan to get better browning on the chicken). Add the chicken and season with garlic powder, oregano, salt and Aleppo pepper. Cook the chicken until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes total, turning after the first 5 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board. Allow to cool a bit, then cut into bite-size chunks.

2. Add the bread cubes to the pan and stir to coat with oil. Toast in the pan until browned, about 3 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Set the toasted bread cubes aside to cool.

3. Make the dressing: Add the garlic, anchovies and a pinch of salt to a small bowl (such as a 1-cup Pyrex measuring cup), use a blunt instrument (like the rounded end of a wooden cocktail muddler) to grind the garlic and anchovies into a paste (alternatively, do this in a a mortar and pestle if you have one). Add the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mayonnaise, salt and pepper and beat with a fork to combine. Add the 2 tbsp. of olive oil and beat with a fork until combined and thickened.

4. Combine the greens, chicken, dressing and half the parmesan cheese in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Divide between two plates, top with the croutons, additional parmesan and more freshly ground black pepper.

Basic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing

The salad dressings posted earlier this week are all great, but this is the one you really want to master. There are few salads that need more than a basic vinaigrette: a simple emulsion of oil and vinegar with seasonings. More than any other dressing, this is what I turn to for our salads on a weekly basis. It's simple, versatile, inexpensive and delicious. Let's take a closer look.

I said that vinaigrette as an "emulsion," a mixture of two liquids that don't easily blend. In fact, even after mixed, the two ingredients will not be fully integrated in the way that liquid ingredients mix together in cocktails. Rather, the whipping motion causes the droplets of the two liquids to be held in suspension. The drops are so small, that they appear to be mixed together. It's not a permanent state though. Especially with simple vinaigrettes, you'll see the ingredients separate out fairly quickly, which is why it's important to dress the salad immediately after mixing up the vinaigrette. The presence of other ingredients helps hold the mixture longer--mustard, for example, or if you want to get tricky a small pinch of soy lecithin could be used.

Here are the basic steps:

1) Combine the seasonings in mixing bowl (I use a 1- or 2-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup, which makes the dressing easy to pour when you're done). Here, I'm just using salt and freshly ground black pepper. 

2) Add vinegar and any other ingredients except for the oil and combine with a fork. Because the non-oil ingredients will mix together well, it's a good idea to mix them first. Salt, for example, will dissolve in vinegar, but it won't dissolve in oil. Almost any type of flavored vinegar will work well, especially red or white wine vinegar, regular or white balsamic vinegar and apple cider vinegar. Alternatively, you can also use citrus juices, especially lemon or lime, or a mixture of vinegar and citrus. Here, I'm only using red wine vinegar. Other common ingredients that could go in at this step include Dijon or other types of mustard, finely minced garlic or shallots, fresh or dried herbs and sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or a pinch of sugar.

3) Add the oil. You'll see that it sits on top of the other ingredients rather than immediately mixing into them like other liquids. I almost always use extra-virgin olive oil in vinaigrettes.

4) Vigorously whisk the ingredients together until they form an emulsion. This is the most important step and it's pretty cool when it's done right. As you whisk, the ingredients will mix together, but at the moment they form the emulsion, the change in the mixture is obvious. It's becomes cloudy and thicker. It's even a different color. Red wine vinaigrette, which before looked dark red, suddenly becomes a dark golden color. Be sure to whisk until you reach this point. I generally find that 70 beatings with a fork is a good point to aim for.

And you're done. The Pizza Salad recipe below uses the basic red wine vinaigrette made above. The Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad's dressing is identical except that I used white balsamic vinegar.  At the bottom, there are link to other salads that use a basic vinaigrette.

Basic vinaigrette made with white balsamic vinegar

Basic Vinaigrette

1 tbsp. flavored vinegar, such as red wine, white wine, balsamic, apple cider, etc.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Combine vinegar, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add olive oil and whisk briskly until emulsified. Serve immediately with salad.

Pizza Salad

Pizza Salad

3 cups baby spinach leaves
1 oz. sliced pepperoni, cut in half
4 oz. fresh mozzarella, sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives
2 tbsp. diced sundried tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
4 cremini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 tbsp. grated parmigiano-reggiano
Pinch of red chili pepper flakes
3 tbsp. basic vinaigrette with red wine vinegar (see recipe above)

Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl. Pour vinaigrette over ingredients and toss to coat.

Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad

Chicken and Roasted Asparagus Salad

1 lb. asparagus, woody ends broken off
Extra-virgin olive oil spray
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 lb. chicken breast cutlets
3 cups salad leaves (I used an arugula blend with radicchio)
1/4 cup white cheddar
1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
3 tbsp. basic vinaigrette with white balsamic vinegar (see recipe above)

1. Preheat oven broiler. Line asparagus up in an even layer on a baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until lightly browned, about 7 to 8 minutes, turning over at the halfway point. Remove from oven, cool, and cut into 1-inch pieces.

2. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a medium frying pan. Pat chicken cutlets dry and add to hot oil. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 5 minutes until lightly browned, turn and cook another 5 minutes until lightly browned on the other side and cooked through. Allow to cool then chop into 1-inch pieces.

3. Combine salad leaves, cheese, walnuts, asparagus and chicken in a large bowl. Drizzle with dressing and toss to coat.

Other Salad Recipes with Basic Vinaigrette
There are a lot of salad recipes on my site dressed in this manner. Here are a few highlights that illustrate the versatility of vinaigrette dressing:

Cobb Salad with red wine vinegar (i.e. the basic dressing above).
Reconstructed Hummus Salad with lemon juice and garlic.
Crispy Kale and Roasted Chickpea Salad with apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard and honey.
Smoky Waldorf Salad with apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, walnut oil and smoked olive oil.
Wilted Spinach and Bacon Salad with red wine vinegar, lemon juice and Dijon mustard.
Broiled Peach Salad with Watercress, Sugar Snap Peas and Toasted Hazelnuts with white wine vinegar and honey.
Roasted Beet and Cottage Cheese Salad with white wine vinegar, lemon juice and honey.
Agave-Mezcal Chicken and Curry Roasted Cauliflower Salad with lemon juice and fresh basil.
Roasted Beet and Carrot Salad with balsamic vinegar and honey.
Smoky Winter Salad with white balsamic vinegar, maple syrup and smoked paprika.

Lemon-Tahini Dressing

If you're not familiar with tahini, it's is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. It's rather runny, like a thin natural creamy peanut butter. It's an essential ingredient in hummus and keeps forever in the fridge.

Tahini is also good in salad dressings. When mixed with lemon juice, it transforms from a thin, oily mixture to a thick, creamy one. I'm not sure exactly how that works chemically, but it's a pretty cool transformation.

Lemon-Tahini Dressing
Adapted from Kale Salad with Creamy Lemon Tahini Dressing by Vegangela

1/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup water
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 garlic clove, finely minced
Pinch of salt

Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Pour over salad and toss to combine.

Chickpea Salad

Serves 2

3 cups baby arugula leaves
15 oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 English cucumber, sliced
1/2 yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 tomato, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
4 oz. feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup lemon-tahini dressing (see recipe above)

Combine arugula, chickpeas, cucumber, belle pepper, tomato, olives, feta and parsley in a large salad bowl. Add the dressing and toss to combine.

Blue Cheese Apple Cider Vinaigrette

I've liked blue cheese dressing since I was pretty young, which is unusual, since a lot of kids don't like blue cheese. And I was a really picky eater--it's actually rather shocking that blue cheese was my favorite salad dressing when I was about 9 or 10.

For a long time I only ever had the creamy variety. Then one day we happened upon the Blue Heron French Cheese Company in Tillamook, Oregon. Blue Heron is a wonderful place to visit. The store is filled with free samples, a deli counter with amazing sandwiches and a nice variety of Oregon microbrews. Filling up on samples one day I discovered Riverhouse Blue Cheese dressing, which is a vinaigrette blue cheese rather than the typical creamy type. I loved the tangy flavor of the dressing and became an instant devotee.

These days, I don't ever buy dressing (although I would buy Riverhouse if given the chance). However, I've sought to replicate the dressing with this recipe. You could use any blue cheese you like, although I suggest not using one that's too soft, since it's hard to crumble.

I served the dressing over a salad of bibb lettuce, carrots, celery and toasted almond slices with a few additional large chunks of blue cheese.

Blue Cheese Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Makes enough for one large or two small salads

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. sugar
Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. crumbled blue cheese

Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a 2-cup Pyrex measuring cup. Whisk with a fork until combined. Add olive oil and whisk vigorously until the mixture is emulsified. Add the blue cheese and stir to combine.

French Dressing

French dressing was the first salad dressing I ate as a child. And I only ate it on alfalfa sprouts (I know, pretty weird). Lately, I feel like I never see French dressing anymore. But I just had to make a batch when I found a recipe for it handwritten by my mom and taped inside an old cookbook that used to belong to my grandmother.

My mom's recipe makes a good-size batch that you could refrigerate and use for several salads. I've scaled the recipe down for a single bowl of salad for two or three people and made a few substitutions. French dressing is great because it has a real zip to it. I love it with crunchy vegetables like radishes. I served it over a salad of mesclun, spinach, carrots, radishes, chicken and blue cheese chunks.

French Dressing

Enough for one bowl of salad for two or three people

2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tbsp. lemon juice (1/2 lemon)
1/2 tbsp. white wine vinegar
4 tsp. ketchup
Small pinch of garlic powder
2 tsp. finely chopped onion or shallot

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk vigorously until emulsified.

Spring Salad Week 2014: Salad Dressings

It's coming. This year's unrelenting chill will soon be over, and with its departure comes the arrival of spring produce. I'm really ready for some warmer weather and the fresher taste of seasonally available vegetables like really good asparagus, fresh peas, spring onions, etc.

I'm celebrating the arrival of spring with a week focused on salads. While I've done this before, this year's unique twist is that I'm putting the focus on the dressings (don't worry, there are salad recipes and ideas this week too). You wouldn't leave home without your outfit and neither should a salad leave the kitchen without its dressing. A good dressing pulls together and highlights the flavor of salad; it shouldn't smother or overwhelm it. Without dressing, a salad is just a bowl of naked vegetables.

Today's featured dressing is a low-calorie version of America's favorite salad dressing, Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing. I've substituted zippy nonfat Greek yogurt for sour cream and mayonnaise, creating a dressing with just as much tangy flavor but with fewer calories in a whole batch than in a typical single serving of traditional ranch dressing. Later in the week, I'll share recipes for Blue Cheese Apple Cider Vinaigrette, French Dressing, Lemon-Tahini Dressing and, the mother of all salad dressings, Basic Vinaigrette. Along with those dressings, I'll also be sharing plenty of salad recipes featuring both seasonal and year-round ingredients.

To get this conversation started, here are a few tips I've picked up through the years for dressing salads. Please share yours in the comments. I'm always looking for new ideas.

1) Dress the salad in the kitchen. Serving dressing at the table allows you to provide options, but it doesn't dress the salad as well. We're likely to squirt as much dressing on an individual helping of salad as is needed to dress the entire bowl. Plus, then you end up with bites drenched in dressing and some without. Dressing the salad before it hits the table better integrates the dressing with the ingredients and better ensures you don't use too much dressing. On that note...

2) Don't use too much dressing. For most salads, the dressing should lightly coat the ingredients. Salad ingredients can have delicate flavors, and too much dressing will overwhelm them. For a large dinner salad that Chris and I will split, I usually use 3 to 4 tablespoons of dressing for the bowl.

3) Toss the ingredients carefully. For most salads, you want to be careful to not bruise the ingredients while you're tossing them with the dressing. If you're using salad tongs, which I normally do, just be careful you're not crushing everything. Some people like to toss salads with their hands, which also gives you a good feel for whether you've used enough dressing.

4) Don't dress the salad too far ahead of time. Salad dressings usually have acidic ingredients like vinegar or lemon juice that will react with the more delicate ingredients in the salad and make them wilt. If you dress your salad too far in advance and stick it in the fridge, it will be rather droopy by the time it hits the table.

5) Be creative. Salads are such an easy way to get creative in the kitchen. You don't really need a "recipe" for many salads. In fact, for several of this week's dressing recipes, I've stated what salad ingredients I tossed together, but didn't include a proper "recipe," since all you have to do is chop and combine the ingredients. Salads offer a vehicle for variety, experimentation and expression. Do you want a minimalist salad highlighting one or two key ingredients? Or a "chop" salad that uses up a bunch of stuff in the fridge? Similarly, dressings offer creative options--which vinegar to use, which seasonings, spicy or not, etc.

You'll see that for several of these tips I caveated my statements with "most" or "usually," since there are exceptions. Potato salad, for example, is fine to dress well in advance--in fact, I think it's preferable. And a kale salad can be manhandled just fine. In all things, consider what you want your end result to be and act accordingly.

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

We often turn to salad if we want or need to eat healthy, but unfortunately dressing is where the best intentions can get left in the dust. One time at a salad bar, I saw a guy who was fairly overweight and probably trying to eat healthier by having a salad douse said salad in six ladles of dressing. He might as well have ordered a steak.

Ranch dressing is America's most popular salad dressing, but it's not exactly low calorie, especially if you love to load up a salad with it.

Lacking a mortar and pestle, I turn to a Pyrex measuring cup and the rounded end of a wooden cocktail muddler when I need to grind something like garlic into a paste.

The most popular brand of  ranch dressing has 140 calories for a 2-tbsp. serving, including 14 grams of fat. In contrast, the entire recipe for the dressing below, which makes over 3/4 cup (approximately 12-14 tbsp.) has about 105 calories and 1 gram of fat (according to the myfitnesspal.com recipe calorie calculator). This is a salad dressing so guilt-free that you can put more than a couple tablespoons on your salad if you want to. And it's full of flavor too.

How did I achieve this miracle? I used nonfat greek yogurt, a pretty amazing substitute for a lot of higher-calorie dairy products. It's a great substitute for the traditional mayonnaise and sour cream in ranch dressing, adding a similar texture and tangy flavor.

Ranch is a pretty versatile dressing that can also be used as a dip for crudite or chips. I tossed together a basic salad of romaine lettuce, sliced radishes, julienned carrots and buttery herb croutons (recipe for that at the bottom of the post).

Greek Yogurt Ranch Dressing

1 garlic clove
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
1 tbsp. chopped chives
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
1/4 cup (or more) buttermilk
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper

1. Mince garlic clove and add to a small bowl or, if you have one, a mortar and pestle. Using the back of a spoon, the rounded end of a wooden cocktail muddler or the pestle, grind the garlic into a paste (if using a mortar, transfer garlic to a small bowl).

2. Add yogurt, chives, parsley, dill, buttermilk, vinegar and black pepper and stir until well combined. Add additional buttermilk if the mixture is too thick. Serve over salad or as a dip with vegetables or chips.

Buttery Herb Croutons

4 slices good white bread, such as sourdough, crusts removed and cut into cubes
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 375 F. Spread the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until dried out and lightly toasted, about 10 to 15 minutes. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat, add the bread cubes, sprinkle with Italian seasoning and toss to coat.