There are three parts to preparing this salad. The first is to make the delicious almond-crusted chicken (if you prefer a vegetarian salad, skip down to step two). I decided to crust the chicken since there are no croutons in this salad, as would be present in a classic Caesar salad.
Since I thought some crunch would be missed, I added a simple crust for the chicken. Simply grind some almonds in a food processor and mix with a few spices. Dip the chicken in a bowl with whisked egg and then dredge in the almond mixture. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking you can prepare the second part of the recipe, the special dressing. Better than the store-bought version, homemade Caesar dressing is easy to make – just blend. If you are worried about using raw egg yolk in the dressing you can substitute a tablespoon of mayonnaise instead. And of course there is the anchovy paste, which Caesar salad would not be the same without. I have been able to find anchovy paste near the canned fish in the grocery store. Also, I recently heard about an interesting twist for Caesar dressing, which is to roast the garlic first. I will definitely have to try that in the future.
The third part of the salad is the kale of course. The kale does not require too much attention, just make sure to cut the leaves off the tough stems, and chop them into thin ribbons. I’ve been trying to incorporate more kale into my diet lately because of its incredible health benefits. The kale gets massaged with the dressing, and any leftover dressing can be bottled and saved in the refrigerator for another day. Or another salad, since you will most likely be craving a repeat of this healthy and hearty recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 2 tsp herbs de provence
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 egg
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed, cut into ribbons
- For the dressing
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp spicy Paleo mustard
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tsp anchovy paste
- 1/2 tsp dried parsley
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside. Blend the almonds in a food processor until finely chopped. Add the herbs, salt, and pepper, and pulse to incorporate. Transfer to a small bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg. Dip each chicken breast first into the egg mixture and then into the almond mixture to coat both sides of the chicken. Place the chicken on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. Place all of the dressing ingredients except the olive oil into a food processor and blend until smooth. Slowly add in the olive oil to emulsify.
- In a large bowl, massage the kale with desired amount of dressing. Let sit for 4-5 minutes. Top with baked chicken to serve.