Name: Mexican Chipotle Chicken Caesar Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 2 heads of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced and washed, 12-14 cups; 3 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 1 pound; 1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro; 1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced or cubed; 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds; 1/2 cup crumbled cojita cheese, or feta cheese; 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 pound; 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika; 2 Teaspoons cumin; 1 Teaspoon sea salt; 1-2 Teaspoons olive oil; 1 egg, see notes; 1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 1 Tablespoon chipotle in adobo, or ground chipotle to taste; 1 Teaspoon smoked paprika; 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan; 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice; 3/4 cup olive oil

Description

This Mexican Chipotle Chicken Caesar Salad is a fun riff on the now classic salad. It still has a wonderfully creamy dressing but with a touch of smokey chipotle flavor with pairs so well with the juicy fresh tomatoes, crunchy pumpkin seeds, and avocado.

Ingredients

Scale

Salad Ingredients:

2 heads of romaine lettuce, thinly sliced and washed, 12-14 cups

3 cups halved cherry tomatoes, 1 pound

1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro

1 ripe avocado, thinly sliced or cubed

1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup crumbled cojita cheese, or feta cheese

Mexican Grilled Chicken:

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, 1 pound

1 Teaspoon smoked paprika

2 Teaspoons cumin

1 Teaspoon sea salt

1–2 Teaspoons olive oil

Chipotle Caesar Salad Dressing:

1 egg, see notes

1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tablespoon chipotle in adobo, or ground chipotle to taste

1 Teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/2 Teaspoon sea salt

1/2 Teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

3/4 cup olive oil

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Instructions

Preheat a grill over medium high heat until it reaches a steady temperature around 400ºF.

While the grill heats, prepare all the salad ingredients and place them in a large serving bowl.

For the chicken mix together the spices with just enough olive oil to make a paste before tossing the mixture with the chicken breasts until they’re thoroughly coated. The purpose of the olive oil is only to make the spices easier to combine with the chicken. You can leave it out, and just use spices but it’s harder to get the chicken coated evenly.

Place the seasoned chicken on the grill and grill for 8-10 minutes per side, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center. I had 2 chicken breasts weighing 1 pound and it took 20 minutes to cook.

While the chicken is grilling, make the dressing by adding the egg, Dijon mustard, garlic, chipotle, smoked paprika, parmesan, sea salt, black pepper, and lime juice to a blender. Blend the mixture on low to combine. Then with the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil, increasing the speed to 5-6 on a Vitamix. Continue to drizzle the olive oil until it’s completely gone and the dressing is emulsified and slightly thick.

When the chicken is done, remove it from the grill to slice or cube it.

Toss the salad with the chicken and dressing, or serve with the dressing on the side.

Notes

If you’re not comfortable eating raw eggs, just leave it out, and the dressing will be more like a vinaigrette. Or you can also add some quality mayo to taste to add creaminess and body to the dressing.

Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Category: Dinner
Method: Grilling
Cuisine: Mexican