little gem mexican caesar salad
So, I love caesar dressing; but caesar salad in it’s purest form, is not my fav. I can live without croutons, and a salad that’s only lettuce and shredded parm, just doesn’t feel like a true salad to me. I like my salads heavy. Lots of flavor, lots of texture, lots of different tastes.
So it stands to reason that my favorite caesar to make, is the mexican caesar. Like many of our favorite mexican restaurants, this caesar adds in avocado and tomato, subs crispy tortillas for croutons, and adds on marinated and grilled chicken breast for a protein.
It’s a complete meal disguised as a salad.
Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
1/3 cup avocado oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp trader joes onion salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 head red butter lettuce, or 3 heads red little gem lettuce, chopped
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and chopped
1 cup peas, blanched
2 heirloom tomatoes, halved and sliced
evoo, enough to come up to 1/4 inch of a cast iron skillet
4 siete casava tortillas, halved, and sliced in strips
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
lime quarters for last minute squeeze
Directions:
In a small bowl, whisk together avocado oil, 1 tsp salt, cumin, oregano, onion salt, and 1/2 tsp white pepper. Pour over chicken breasts and let sit 15 minutes while preparing grill.
Heat grill to high heat. Grill 7 minutes per side. Remove and let sit 5 minutes before cutting into pieces.
Fill a sauce pan with enough evoo to come up to 1/4 inch from the bottom. Once shimmering, add tortilla strips in batches, shallow frying until just golden brown. Remove and place on paper towels to drain grease.
In a large bowl, toss lettuce, tomato, avocado, and peas. Add dressing a little bit at a time, tossing until just coated. Portion onto 6 plates. Top each plate with one sliced chicken breast, a bit of parmesan then a handful of crispy tortilla strips. Squeeze of lime to finish.