Caesar salad

Name: Caesar salad
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Romaine lettuce 14.1 oz; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese shaved 1.8 oz; Stale bread homemade 5 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp; Egg yolks 1; Lemon juice 2 tsp; Lemon peel 1; Dijon mustard 1 ½ tbsp; Anchovies in oil 3 fillets; Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Chicken breast 1.3 lbs; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 5 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low
Note For the chicken version: cooking time increases to 30–40 minutes.

Listen to the recipe

PRESENTATION

Caesar salad is American by reputation and Italian by origin. It was invented in 1924 in Tijuana, Mexico, by Caesar Cardini — an Italian immigrant who ran a restaurant just across the border from San Diego. The story goes that he threw it together on a busy Fourth of July weekend when the kitchen was running low on supplies: romaine, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, and Parmesan, tossed tableside for drama. The anchovy came later, added by others, though Cardini always denied it belonged in the original.

That origin story matters because it explains why Caesar salad feels both completely American and quietly Italian at the same time. The technique is Italian — emulsifying egg yolk with oil into something creamy without cream, building flavor from a short list of strong ingredients. The setting was American. The result went global. This caesar salad recipe makes the dressing from scratch: egg yolk, anchovies, lemon, Parmesan, olive oil, whisked into a caesar salad dressing that coats the romaine. The croutons are homemade, toasted in a pan with garlic until golden. It takes twenty minutes and tastes like the distance between a bottled dressing and the real thing.

INGREDIENTS

Romaine lettuce 14.1 oz (400 g)

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.8 oz (50 g) - shaved

For the croutons: Stale bread 5 oz (150 g) - homemade; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

For the dressing: Extra virgin olive oil 4 tbsp (50 g); Egg yolks 1; Lemon juice 2 tsp (10 g); Lemon peel 1; Dijon mustard 1 ½ tbsp (20 g); Anchovies in oil 3 fillets; Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

For the version with chicken: Chicken breast 1.3 lbs (600 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Caesar salad

To make the Caesar salad first prepare the lettuce: separate the leaves from the stalk 1 and roughly chop them 2, then rinse them under running water and dry them with a salad spinner 3. Store the dry lettuce in the refrigerator, this way it will be crunchier. If you don't have a salad spinner, wash the whole leaves and dry them on a clean towel, then chop them and store them in the refrigerator wrapped in a dry, possibly spongy towel, inside a container, so that the excess moisture is absorbed.

Move on to the croutons: cut the homemade bread 4 into irregular cubes 5, then transfer them to a pan with a drizzle of oil 6.

Salt 7, pepper and toast the bread cubes over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Once golden 8, set the croutons aside. Obtain the flakes from the Parmigiano Reggiano DPO with the help of a potato peeler 9 and also set these aside.

Focus on the dressing: in a bowl, put the anchovy fillets 10, salt, pepper 11, and the grated lemon zest 12.

Add the mustard 13 and crush everything with a fork 14. Add the yolk 14 and the lemon juice 15, mixing well to incorporate them.

Now take a whisk and pour the oil in a thin stream while beating the mixture to emulsify it 16. Finally add the Worcestershire sauce 17 and mix again to blend it 18.

You're ready to assemble the salad: transfer the lettuce leaves to a large bowl 19, then add the bread croutons 20 and the Parmigiano Reggiano DPO flakes 21.

Pour the dressing 22 and mix well to evenly dress the salad 23. Your Caesar salad is ready to be served 24!

For the Caesar salad with chicken

To make the Caesar salad with chicken prepare the lettuce, croutons, Parmigiano Reggiano DPO flakes, and the dressing in the same way, then take care of the meat: halve the whole chicken breast 25 and remove cartilage and bones, then season 26 and pepper the slices on both sides. Place the chicken breasts on a hot grill 27.

Let cook for about 30-40 minutes over medium-low heat, turning the slices with the help of kitchen tongs 28; the cooking time depends on the thickness of the meat. Once ready 29 transfer the chicken breasts to a cutting board and slice them crosswise into not too thin slices 30.

Assemble the salad by combining in a large bowl the lettuce, croutons 31, Parmigiano Reggiano DPO flakes 32, and the sliced chicken 33.

Add the dressing 34 and mix well to blend everything together 35. Your Caesar salad with chicken is ready to be served 36!

Storage

Dress the salad immediately before serving — romaine wilts fast once the dressing goes on. The lettuce can be washed, dried, and refrigerated a few hours ahead; the dressing keeps in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

Tips

For the dressing: if raw egg yolk is a concern, a tablespoon of mayonnaise substitutes cleanly — the emulsion holds and the flavor is close. Anchovies can be left out, but they're what gives the dressing its depth without tasting obviously of fish — worth trying at least once before deciding. An immersion blender gives a smoother, more uniform result than a whisk if you prefer that consistency.

For the lettuce: refrigerating the leaves for an hour before serving makes them noticeably crisper — not essential, but worth doing if you have the time.

For the croutons: flavor the bread cubes with a crushed garlic clove or fresh herbs before toasting, and use the oven instead of a pan if you're making a large batch — more even color, less attention required.

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.