Diabetes-Friendly Chicken Caesar Salad
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 2, 2019
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Salad
2 ounces whole-wheat baguette, cut into 1-inch pieces (⅔ cup)2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil ¼ teaspoon garlic powder Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all visible fat3 romaine lettuce hearts (18 ounces), cut into ½-inch piecesDressing
⅓ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup plain 2 percent Greek yogurt 4 teaspoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon water 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 anchovy fillet, rinsed and minced to paste1 small garlic clove, minced3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese PepperBefore You Begin
We prefer a whole-wheat baguette to make the bread crumbs in this salad, but you can substitute hearty whole-wheat sandwich bread in a pinch.
Instructions
- For the salad: Pulse bread in food processor into coarse crumbs measuring 1/8 to 1⅖ inch, about 10 pulses. Combine crumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic powder, and pinch pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until crumbs are crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan. Set aside to cool.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown and registers 160 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- For the dressing: Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, water, mustard, Worcestershire, anchovy, and garlic in large bowl until combined. While whisking constantly, drizzle in oil until completely emulsified. Stir in Parmesan and season with pepper to taste. Add lettuce and gently toss to coat. Divide salad among individual plates, sprinkle with bread crumbles, and top with chicken. Serve.
Yield
Serves 4Ingredients
Salad
Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
Dressing
Ingredients
Salad
Dressing
Why This Recipe Works
This recipe was developed for our Complete Diabetes Cookbook. Tasters found that the flavor of fat-enriched mayonnaise gave them the classic creamy notes they wanted, but an all-mayo dressing was a nutritional no-go. Luckily, we found a healthy ingredient that bulked up our dressing, and gave it a pleasant tang and extra body: Greek yogurt. With those two ingredients as our base, along with the classic flavorings of Caesar dressing, we emulsified in olive oil for richness, and had a dressing that tasters declared as good as the full-fat original. We simply seared the chicken in olive oil, letting the natural browning provide intense chicken-y flavor. Instead of choosing a low-fat crouton, which tasters found dry and flavorless, we created a pangrattato, or garlicky bread crumb topping. The crumbs found their way into every part of the salad, bringing crunch with them—and as a bonus we used much less bread than needed to make croutons. Now we had a healthy, delicious chicken Caesar salad that no one would suspect of skimping on a thing.
Before You Begin
We prefer a whole-wheat baguette to make the bread crumbs in this salad, but you can substitute hearty whole-wheat sandwich bread in a pinch.
Instructions
- For the salad: Pulse bread in food processor into coarse crumbs measuring 1/8 to 1⅖ inch, about 10 pulses. Combine crumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, garlic powder, and pinch pepper in 12-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until crumbs are crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in Parmesan. Set aside to cool.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with 1/8 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until golden brown and registers 160 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice chicken crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices.
- For the dressing: Whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, lemon juice, water, mustard, Worcestershire, anchovy, and garlic in large bowl until combined. While whisking constantly, drizzle in oil until completely emulsified. Stir in Parmesan and season with pepper to taste. Add lettuce and gently toss to coat. Divide salad among individual plates, sprinkle with bread crumbles, and top with chicken. Serve.
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