Recipe: $4.50 | Per Serving: $2.25 | Yield: 2 (+extra dressing)
Get your caesar salad fix with this awesome avocado dressing and nutrient-dense KALE instead of romaine! Plus chicken and homemade croutons, because, they're the best thing ever.
Also, hi! I'm back! After missing a post or two back in June, and getting a little overwhelmed with summer travel + schoolwork, and then discovering that Adobe canceled their Light Room subscription, I took an actual 2-month break from blogging. It was weird, but it was also necessary. Summer is so busy! I was definitely stressed and guilty about it, but at the end of the day, school has to come first right now so blogging is second tier.
I'm happy to be back! It's so weird having *nothing* to do in the evenings now that I have a 3-week break from school. We've been watching that old TV show Friday Night Lights and also battling the 2017 Poison Ivy Invasion from hell, so it's been a combination of relaxing and very, very itchy.
BUT now I can talk about this awesome salad. You may remember Avocado Caesar Salad Dressing circa 2014, and I'm bringing it back with new friends. We're doing the whole salad shebang, with homemade croutons (!!!), chicken thighs, and kale! Yes, this is a very grown-up Caesar. And it's so, so yummy!
If you can get your hands on some good avocados this year (and you're not afraid of a little anchovy), then make this!
Vegetarian: Erm, without the chicken and also maybe skip the anchovies in the dressing? Try adding ¼ teaspoon of soy sauce or vegan Worcestershire instead.
Paleo: It can certainly be - so long as you skip the Parmesan and the croutons!
Chicken & Kale Avocado Caesar Salad
Ingredients
For the Dressing:*
- 1 avocado
- 3 anchovy filets about 1.5 teaspoon anchovy paste
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice more to taste
- ¼ cup freshly shaved parmesan plus more for garnish
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil optional - you can replace with water
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- optional: red pepper flakes
For the Salad:
- 6 cups washed & chopped kale
- 7 ounces chicken thighs
- 1 Tablespoon cooking fat coconut oil, bacon fat, olive oil, ghee, etc.
For the Croutons:
- 2 slices stale whole wheat bread
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- For the Dressing: Add all ingredients to food processor (in stages if necessary) and blend until smooth and well combined, adding a little water as needed to thin it out. It will be quite thick.
- Wash the kale, chop into about ½-inch / bite-sized pieces. Drain well. Rub with a little sprinkle of salt and set aside.
- For the Chicken: Bring a large skillet to medium heat and warm your cooking fat of choice. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper on both sides, then cook for about 3-6 minutes on each side, or until cooked fully through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- For the Croutons: Chop the bread into cubes. Add the 2 Tablespoons olive oil to the pan and lightly fry the croutons. You can use any kind of cooking fat here, but I love the flavor of olive oil croutons. Ghee works really well also. Set aside.
- Compile salad by first adding a few Tablespoons of the dressing to the kale and mix really well. Divide among two large bowls and add the chicken, croutons, and optional extra cheese. Finish with a little more black pepper and/or red pepper flakes and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Leave a Reply