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–+ servings
Chicken Caesar salad in a salad bowl
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5 from 4 votes

Creamy Caesar Dressing & Chicken Caesar Salad

Creamy Caesar dressing comes together in the blender in just a few minutes and makes a fabulous classic or chicken Caesar salad.
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Sauces and Condiments
Cuisine: American
Keyword: creamy caesar dressing
Servings: 4
Calories: 31kcal
Author: Carolyn Gratzer Cope

Ingredients

For the dressing

  • ½ cup (118 ml) olive oil
  • ¼ cup (59 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
  • 6 anchovy fillets
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 large garlic cloves
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ¼ cup 1 ounce (30 grams) grated parmesan cheese
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

  • 12 ounces (340 grams) romaine lettuce
  • 1 pound (454 grams) cooked chicken breast
  • 2 tablespoons ½ ounce(15 grams) grated parmesan cheese
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Garlic croutons or garlic bread optional

Instructions

  • To make the dressing, place the olive oil, lemon juice, anchovies, egg yolks, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan, salt, and pepper into a blender and blend until perfectly smooth and creamy.
  • To make the salad, tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces, or cut it crosswise into ribbons (my preference). Place in a large salad bowl. Dice the cooked chicken, if using, and add to the bowl. Pour in about ¼ cup of the dressing and toss well. Sprinkle in the parmesan and some croutons if using, and toss again. Serve right away.

Notes

  1. If using a high-speed blender, you can put the garlic and anchovy filets in whole. If using a standard blender, chop them before adding.
  2. I sometimes substitute pecorino for the parmesan.
  3. If you're not a fan of anchovies, you can make this dressing without them. Substitute one teaspoon of white miso paste. To make the dressing vegetarian, use the miso substitution and a vegetarian brand of Worcestershire sauce.
  4. I prefer to use romaine hearts for this salad. The hearts are the center leaves without the outer ones, so they're crunchy and light from start to finish. If you find them too bougie, you can definitely use a regular head of romaine.
  5. My favorite way to prepare chicken for this recipe is to cook boneless, skinless chicken breasts sous vide. Or poach them if you don't have a sous vide cooker.
  6. If you like (for health reasons or to increase storage longevity), you can pasteurize the egg yolks with a sous vide cooker. Refer to the section in the post above for instructions.
  7. If made with raw egg yolk, dressing should be used within 24 hours of preparation. If not using right away, store in an airtight container in the fridge. If made with pasteurized yolks, dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
  8. If you have leftover salad, store it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Romaine lettuce will retain its crispness quite well during that time.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 31kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 220mg