Chicken Salad with Lemon Dressing

The combination of precooked grilled chicken breast, lemon dressing, romaine lettuce,

red bell pepper is a way to enjoy a healthy meal in minutes. While this is similar to a

Caesar Salad, I can't claim it is one. It is similar in taste, but the lemon dressing

doesn't contain egg yolk. It is amazing how many people think the salad is named

after "Julius Caesar" but really it was named after "Caesar Cardini" who created

the salad at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico and it was prepared and

served right at the table. The original recipe for Caesar Salad did not

contain anchovies. Adding chicken and bell peppers

to this salad makes it a meal in itself.

Salad

1 (12 ounce) bag three hearts of romaine lettuce,

rinsed, torn into pieces and spun dry

1 (9 ounce) package Louis Rich grilled

chicken breast strips, cut into smaller pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or

Pecorino Romano cheese (sharper and tangy)

Lemon Dressing

3 tablespoons extra-light (mild flavored) olive oil

or your favorite olive oil for dressings

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (or less to taste)

1 1/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground Tellicherry peppercorns

Croutons

6 pieces whole wheat bread, crust removed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon butter, or more if needed

For each salad

Seasoning salt

1. In a extra-large stainless bowl, toss the lettuce, chicken,

bell pepper and cheese.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice,

Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, crushed garlic,

sugar, salt and pepper until well blended.

3. In a large fry pan, melt the butter and fry the bread

pieces until toasted.

4. At the last minute, pour the dressing over the

tossed salad and toss again.

5. Serve individual plates of salad with warm croutons.

That is what makes this salad so good. Yes, warm croutons!

Serves 6 as a small dinner salad or 2-3 as a "meal" salad.

We would love to have you print this recipe for your own use.