This is one of my favorite meals! My husband and toddler gobble it up too. I use high quality ingredients and take extra effort to make home-made croutons. But I also use bottled dressing, so it’s a trade-off. This recipe makes enough salad for 2-3 people.
Ingredients:
6 cups fresh baked sourdough bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for chicken)
1 packet dry Good Seasons Italian Dressing (only use the seasoning packet, do not make the dressing)
1 large head of Romain lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese (buy high quality cheese–I beg you not to use powdered cheese from a can!)
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
Fresh ground pepper and garlic salt, to taste
Caesar salad dressing of your choice ( I highly recommend Cardini’s Original Caesar)
Directions:
- To make croutons, pre-heat oven 425 degrees F. Toss bread cubes in a large bowl with olive oil and dry Good Seasons Italian Dressing packet. Mix until all bread is evenly coated in oil and seasoning. Spray cookie sheet with Pam and spread bread cubes evenly onto pan. Bake 5 minutes, then stir in pan. Bake another 5 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
- To make chicken, pre-heat gas grill to medium-high heat. Season both sides of chicken with fresh ground black pepper and garlic salt to taste. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Grill chicken breasts for 10 minutes per side, or until juices run clear. Remove from grill and let set 5 minutes. Cut chicken into bite-size chunks.
- To make salad, place lettuce pieces in a large bowl. Top with shredded Parmesan cheese, warm croutons, warm chicken chunks, and Caesar salad dressing to taste. Toss using salad tongs.
- (For added flavor, you can also toss in fresh crumbled bacon pieces!)
