Caesar Salad with Cheese, Tomatoes, Chicken, and Croutons

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   How do you make Caesar salad with tomatoes, chicken, and croutons? Gather all the ingredients. Wash the vegetables, eggs, and lemon and pat them dry. Trim the membrane off the chicken breast, rinse it, and pat it dry. You can swap the Parmesan for any other hard cheese. Use small tomatoes — cherry tomatoes are best.

2. Step 2:

   

   Hard-boil the eggs — I cooked 2 just in case. Put the eggs in a small pot, cover with cold water, add salt, cover, and set it on the heat. Once the water boils, time 9 minutes. Then drain and cover the eggs with cold water so they peel more easily. Peel the egg. You won't need the white, but you'll use the cooked yolk for the dressing.

3. Step 3:

   

   Rub the chicken with dry spices (no salt) and brush it with olive oil. Heat a dry skillet over high heat. Lay the chicken breast in the dry pan and sear it for 2–3 minutes on one side, then flip and sear another 2–3 minutes on the other. The times are approximate — the meat should be browned and stay juicy, but not raw inside.

4. Step 4:

   

   Transfer the seared chicken to a paper towel to cool, and salt it. The meat stays very juicy and barely loses any weight cooked this way — and best of all, it's fat-free.

5. Step 5:

   

   You can use fresh or day-old bread for the croutons. I like them with fresh. Store-bought croutons work too, if you prefer.

6. Step 6:

   

   Cut the bread into cubes, drizzle with just a little oil, sprinkle with spices, and toss. Pour the cubes into a hot skillet and toast for 3–5 minutes, stirring, until they're dried out and lightly golden.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cut the cooled chicken neatly — into cubes, slices, or strips, however you like.

8. Step 8:

   

   Put all the dressing ingredients in one bowl: mustard, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and minced garlic. Add the cooked yolk.

9. Step 9:

   

   Whisk the dressing — it thickens before your eyes. If the yolk is very firm, mash it with a fork or spoon. The dressing comes out lovely and fragrant, and it goes with any meat, gratin, or other salads.

10. Step 10:

    

    Start assembling the salad. Tear the lettuce leaves by hand and spread them on a plate or in a bowl as the first layer.

11. Step 11:

    

    Grate the hard cheese on top, on the fine or medium side of a grater.

12. Step 12:

    

    Drizzle everything with the dressing and add the croutons.

13. Step 13:

    

    Cut the tomatoes — I sliced mine into rounds, but you can halve, quarter, or cube them. Arrange them around the salad in a ring. Pile the chicken pieces in the center and drizzle on a little more dressing. If the dressing is too thick, thin it with oil. The Caesar salad with tomatoes, chicken, and croutons is ready — and you don't have to be a famous restaurant chef to pull it off!