Best sides with Grilled chicken

Confession: This was the first time I’d made Caesar salad in my married life.

Which is quite silly, because I adore Caesar salad. Whenever we eat out and there’s a choice between house and Caesar salad, I ALWAYS choose Caesar. It’s pretty hard to mess up.

Then I thought, why not combine the wonderful flavors of grilling with this classic salad? It turned out to be an excellent fusion of flavors. The grilled croutons were simply amazing. There’s just nothing quite like the smokiness that grilling imparts to food.

But enough explanation. Let me show you how to make this scrumptious salad!

First, you’ll want to marinate your chicken for maximum tastiness. Here’s what you’ll need: olive oil, vinegar (I know I’m mixing cultures by using rice vinegar, but it’s what I had on hand!), salt, garlic, and the juice of a lemon.

Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and pour over chicken breasts in a shallow-ish dish. Put the chicken in the refrigerator and marinate for 2–8 hours.

Meanwhile, about an hour before the chicken in done marinating, place 2 tablespoons of minced garlic in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Cover and set aside.

When the chicken is almost done marinating, it’s time to whip up the dressing! Look at the layers of flavors here: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, Parmesan, salt, garlic, an egg yolk, anchovies, mustard, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.

If you’re worried about using raw eggs, you can leave out the yolk. I coddled my egg in boiling water for 1 minute. This was good enough for me because I was using a local, organic egg. When using raw eggs, it’s important that they’re fresh and good quality.

Okay, I’m done preaching.

Place the anchovies, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and lemon juice in your blender and blend it all together. Then with your blender running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Add the salt and pepper, Parmesan, and yolk. Blend until smooth.

Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Now it’s time to prep the croutons! Slice a crusty loaf of French bread in half lengthwise. Brush both sides of each half generously with the prepared olive oil and garlic mixture.

Time to get grilling! Cook the marinated chicken on medium-high heat for about 6–8 minutes per side, or until done (chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 170ºF).

After you flip the chicken the first time, lay both halves of the French bread on the grill. Cook for about 2–3 minutes per side, or until nice grill marks appear.

Back inside, slice the (cooled) bread into cubes. Try not to eat ALL of the croutons before serving. It will be difficult. Transfer the croutons to a bowl and sprinkle with sea salt and toss.