Chicken Kale Caesar Salad
For those of you who saw my insta-story, I hope you’re excited for this Kale Caesar Salad! I actually posted this YEARS ago and completely forgot about it! Then a few weeks ago, my friends asked me about it and I realized I needed to resurrect it. Why? Because it’s so. freaking. good.
I originally made this as a vegetarian salad, but then I heard about Jewel-Osco’s exclusive new Open Nature® Air Chilled Chicken. I try to limit my meat intake and when I do eat it, I like it to be really great quality. This totally fits the bill – so I added some breaded cutlets on top. The perfect combo!
Okay, but what is Open Nature Air Chilled Chicken?
Good question! This chicken is unique because it’s fed a flaxseed diet which means more omega-3’s (over 300% higher!) and 40% lower cholesterol than your typical chicken. They are also individually processed with purified air to maintain the best flavor. Oh, and no antibiotics, cage free, American Humane Certified, and no added hormones. Basically, if I’m going to eat chicken… this is what I’m looking for.
That being said, if I’m being honest, the real star of this Kale Caesar Salad is the homemade dressing. Honestly, this might be my favorite salad dressing of all time – and it’s also WAY healthier than bottled Caesar dressings you’d find in the stores. It’s bright, flavorful, and full of roasted garlic… and who wouldn’t want that?!
Instead of just baking or grilling the chicken, I wanted to cook it in a way that really compliments the salad. And then it hit me – I should bread it! My mom’s been cooking chicken this way since before I can remember and it never disappoints. If you’ve never cooked chicken this way, especially if you have kids, you have to try it. You’ll be hooked!
Have you ever made your own Kale Caesar Salad?
Dressing and all? I’ll be honest, the idea of making my own used to intimidate me too. But now that I’ve tried this, I’ll never go back!
Chicken Kale Caesar Salad
Ingredients
- [Salad]
- 1 bunch of lacinato kale
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 head of garlic
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tbsp. capers
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup toasted whole wheat breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- [Chicken]
- 1 lb air chilled chicken from Jewel-Osco
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- salt and pepper
- 1 egg
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Peel the outer layers away from the garlic and chop the top off (about 1/4 inch), so you can see the top of the raw cloves.
Place in foil, drizzle with olive oil, and seal the package tightly.
Roast for about 30-40 minutes, until the garlic is soft.
Let it cool.
3. Add lemon juice, mustard, capers, anchovy paste, salt and olive oil to a food processor. Squeeze all of the garlic out into the mixture. Pulse until smooth. Add more olive oil or lemon juice if it’s too thick for you.
4. Dress your kale! If you got a big bunch, you might use this whole batch. If not, put the leftovers in an airtight container to use on your other salads throughout the week!
Toast your breadcrumbs in a pan over low heat. Add that and parmesan cheese to your salad and toss to combine.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. Whisk an egg in a bowl.
7. Pour breadcrumbs onto a plate for easy coating.
8. Dip your chicken in the egg, then coat in breadcrumbs. Add each piece to a greased pyrex dish.
9. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping the chicken once
10. Raise the heat to broil and let the chicken crisp for about 5 minutes - but watch it, so it doesn't burn!
11. Serve on top of your salad!
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Albertsons Companies. The opinions and text are all mine.
February 1, 2018 @ 6:25 pm
That looks fantastic! Roasting garlic is one thing I’ve never done but have a feeling I’d enjoy a lot.
February 1, 2018 @ 7:45 pm
Omg roasted garlic is the best ever! You are going to love it!
February 5, 2018 @ 11:18 am
I’ve never had kale before, but this dish looks really good. I may have to give it a try sometime.