We all have had Caesar Salad and have loved it too! It is one healthy chicken salad that is filling and can be enjoyed at any mealtime. The salad gets its origin from the Tijuana region of Mexico. There is a general misconception that the salad takes its name from Julius Caesar, but it was probably made by Caesar Cardini who was an Italian born Mexican restaurateur. It was reported by his daughter Rosa that this salad was created out of necessity. When the Fourth of July rush in 1924, resulted in the lower supply of kitchen ingredients, Cardini had to make do with whatever he had, to feed himself. This is when he had put together the now famous Caesar Salad. Though there is no documentary reference to this dish earlier, it is known to appear on the menu of a restaurant in Los Angles in late 1946. Finally, the original recipe was trademarked by the Cardini family in1948.
The basic ingredients of a Caesar Salad are – Romaine lettuce, lemon juice, croutons, egg, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce and ground black pepper. But these days there are many versions to the original salad recipe that can be found online or in restaurants. It is interesting to know that the Caesar Cardini version of Caesar Salad does not use anchovies. It is also the best lowfat version as compared to the spin offs with mayonnaise and cheese. So if you are working towards weight loss, toss up the salad with its original recipe. You can follow this step by step guide to make this healthy chicken salad yourself.
You can get the dressing and ready to use ingredients to make different types of foods, off the shelf, but it feels great to start a recipe from scratch. First to prepare the croutons, the oven needs to be preheated to 350 degrees. Slice the baguette into half inch cubes and crush garlic using a knife or garlic press. Now add the crushed garlic, olive oil and some salt to the bread cubes. Coat the paste evenly on the cubes and bake these for about ten minutes to have your croutons ready. Then to make the dressing, boil one egg for forty five to fifty seconds and let it cool. Mix the lemon juice, Worcestershire, crushed garlic, mustard, capers, anchovies (if desired), salt and pepper in a bowl. Break the egg into this mixture and whisk well. Pour olive oil steadily into the bowl whisking it constantly, because if you add the oil very quickly the dressing will not come out right.
When you have this ready, you just have to make 1 to 2 inch pieces of the romaine lettuce, dice the chicken breast, into cubes, and toss in the croutons and dressing. Put some grated lowfat cheese to finish your healthy chicken salad to savor. Be it for a filling breakfast with your family or a party with friends, make Chef Cardini’s Caesar Salad and serve it chilled or at room temperature for best taste!
