Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

This is not your average chicken caesar salad. Most caesar salads consist of romaine, croutons and a thick coating of caesar dressing. Now don't get me wrong - caesar dressing is freaking delicious. I'm all about using "salad" as an excuse to consume creamy, cheesy goodness.

However, today I thought we might elevate it a bit. Enter: oven-fried chickpeas. Have you ever had a handful of these guys? They're crispy and salty almost like snacking on chips. Such an amazing alternative to the classic crouton in this salad. In fact, fried chickpeas would make for a great happy hour munchie!

Beyond the chickpeas and classic romaine, I wanted to toss in a few extra veggies - cucumbers, tomatoes, roasted red peppers, cherry peppers, and avocado. The more mix-ins, the more interesting the salad! And for an extra punch of fresh flavor, I like to sprinkle in a handful of herbs. In this case, I reached for the basil.

I was in a bit of a time crunch, so I felt a quality store-bought dressing would do us just fine. But a homemade dressing would send this salad right over the top.

Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients

For the chicken

· 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· Zest and juice of a lemon

· 1 tsp salt

· ½ tsp garlic powder

· ½ tsp dried basil

· ½ tsp dried oregano

· ½ tsp black pepper

For the chickpeas

· 15oz can chickpeas, drained

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· ½ tsp kosher salt

· ¼ tsp black pepper

· ½ tsp garlic powder

· ½ tsp oregano

· ¼ tsp onion powder

· 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper

For the salad

· 6 cups romaine, chopped

· 2 cups baby kale

· 1 english cucumber, diced

· 1 ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved

· 1 roasted red pepper, sliced

· 4 sweet cherry peppers, seeded and diced

· 2 avocados, diced

· ¼ cup parmesan, shaved

· ¼ cup fresh basil, torn

· 4-6 tbsp prepared Caesar dressing

Place the chicken breasts flat in a large gallon-sized plastic bag. Remove the air from the bag and seal closed. Using a meat mallet, pound the chicken to a uniform thickness. Add remaining ingredients to the bag with the chicken. Massage marinade into the chicken. Chill for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with paper towels. Spread drained chickpeas over the towels and dry completely. Remove the paper towels. Drizzle over olive oil and sprinkle over salt, pepper and spices. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the salad. Wait to dress until just before serving.

Remove the chicken from the fridge about 20 minutes before cooking.

Preheat oven to 450F. Roast chickpeas in the oven for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and crispy.

While the chickpeas are roasting, preheat grill pan over the stove on medium heat. Cook chicken on the pan for about 5 minutes per side or until cooked through. Rest for 5 minutes under aluminum foil.

Dice the chicken and toss into the salad along with the chickpeas. Drizzle over Caesar dressing to taste.

Serves 4

Gluten Free Friendly!