These past couple of weeks I’ve been bogged down in school work leaving little time for cooking; luckily, it’s all over Saturday – I’ll be graduating – and will happily return to the kitchen to share more yummy creations with you. Now don’t be fooled, while I couldn’t make cooking a priority, I assure you that I didn’t abandon the wine (when I was writing my papers the words just seemed to flow easier!). That being said, when I did cook these past weeks, I certainly made sure it was easy peasy. I’m talking minimal dishes, quick cook time… you get it. And friends, this was amazing. Really, really good. And if you don’t have a grill, simply broil everything. We used a caesar vinaigrette rather than a creamy caesar – probably because I had so many caesar salads for lunch at work (because they’re so easy to throw together) and I was simply caesar-ed out. We also added a red bell pepper and red onion, and I tell ya what, it really added a little something-something to the salad! So, get ready to hang out outside in this beautiful spring weather with your grill, your glass of wine, and prepare yourself for an amazingly easy and delicious dinner.
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad with Bell Peppers and Red Onion:
(Serving size: 4)
- 2 chicken breasts (marinated in Italian dressing)
- 2 hearts of romaine lettuce
- 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
- 1 red bell pepper, quartered
- 1/2 red onion
- Caesar vinaigrette (we used Ken’s Light Caesar Vinaigrette)
- Olive oil, for drizzling
- Salt and pepper
Okay, let’s begin by marinating our chicken in Italian dressing. We did it for about 8 hours – but of course, simply do it for as much time as you’re able to. Then – once it’s showtime and you’re ready for dinner – preheat your grill to about 400 degrees. Next, slice your romaine lettuce in half (be sure to keep the ends intact), quarter your red bell pepper and slice your red onion lengthwise into disc-like circles, about 1/2 an inch thick. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Then, once your grill has preheated, we are going to cook the chicken, about 7 or 8 minutes on each side, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
Remove from heat and set aside until it’s cool enough to handle.
In the meantime, let’s throw our vegetables on the grill – but hold off on the romaine lettuce. Let the vegetables cook for about 3 minutes on each side, or until slightly charred.
Finally, throw your romaine halves on the grill, face down, for about a 45 seconds to one minute. The key is to have that super hot grill, so the romaine becomes charred, without getting soggy.
Next, chop the chicken into bite size pieces followed by the red onion and bell pepper.
Then, place your chopped goodies atop your romaine lettuce.
Drizzle with you caesar vinaigrette and sprinkle your parmesan cheese. Top with fresh cracked pepper, if desired.
And our choice for a delicious wine to accompany our gorgeous salad? The Stottle 2011 Elerding Vineyard Viognier. Rich fruit, notes of lemon zest with butterscotch undertones – an excellent match for this beauty.
Cheers!
