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Kale Chicken Caesar Salad (with a gluten free option!)

A delicious complete meal Chicken Caesar salad with avocado, croutons and Parmesan crisps. 

Course Salad
Cuisine American
Keyword easy lunch recipe, gluten-free recipe, light recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • If making Paremesan crisps yourself, please make ahead of time. You can use rotisserie chicken in this recipe or leftover roasted chicken.

Parmesan Crisps:

  • 2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Pepper, sesame seeds, garlic powder are all optional

The Caesar Dressing:

  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced or grated on microplane
  • cup mayo 
  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan, plus more to grate on top of salad
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (gluten free friends see links above)
  • 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon anchovy paste optional
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • 1 generous pinch sea salt, a few turns of freshly ground black pepper

The Salad:

  • Half a head of kale, about 4 cups, ribs removed and chopped
  • Half a head romaine, about 3-4 cups, chopped 
  • 1-2 ripe avocados, peeled and diced
  • Croutons, optional
  • Parmesan cheese crisps, store bought or make your own
  • Sliced rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken

Instructions

If making your own Parmesan crisps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place oven rack in upper third of oven. Place a silicon baking mat on a cookie sheet.
  2. Form 6-8 rows of parmesan (about 3" long, 1 inch wide) on a silicon baking mat and press cheese down a little. If using seasonings, sprinkle each row lightly with seasoning. Place in oven for five minutes or until crisps are golden. Allow to cool and become crispy.

Dressing:

  1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside

The Salad:

  1. Wash, dry and chop lettuce. Wash and dry kale, remove center 'ribs' from leaves and chop. Place prepared lettuce and kale onto a platter.
  2. Add diced avocado and croutons if using. Toss with desired amount of dressing. If you have any leftover place in the fridge for up to a week.
  3. Plate salad, add sliced chicken and parmesan crisps. Sprinkle with a little more black pepper and parm if desired and serve.