Description
Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad Sandwiches are made with kale in place of boring romaine lettuce and are layered up with bacon and parmesan cheese on crusty ciabatta bread. They make for a great lunch or light dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
For the grilled chicken:
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken picked from a roast or rotisserie chicken
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic powder
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Caesar dressing:
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp minced Italian parsley
- 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup light mayonnaise
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 2 tbsp)
- 1 tsp anchovy paste
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the sandwiches:
- 5 oz baby kale
- 8 oz thick-cut bacon, cooked crisp
- 1 loaf ciabatta bread
- Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- If you need to cook your chicken: Heat the grill to high heat; once hot, reduce the heat to medium-high. Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sprinkle a small pinch each of garlic powder, salt, and pepper on both sides of the chicken. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side until the internal temperature reaches 165 ° F. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow it to rest on a plate for 5 minutes. Slice into strips.
- Meanwhile, make the dressing. Pulse the garlic and parsley together in the bowl of a food processor until finely minced. Add the remaining ingredients and a couple cranks of black pepper to the bowl. Process until well blended.
- Toss the kale with half of the dressing, adding extra dressing if desired; set aside. (You can refrigerate any extra dressing for about 2 weeks.) Slice the ciabatta lengthwise through the center and then into 6 equal-size pieces. Top the bottoms of the bread with the dressed kale then add some chicken, bacon, and shaved or grated Parmesan cheese to each sandwich. Serve while the chicken is still warm.
Notes
heavily adapted from The Barefoot Contessa at Home by Ina Garten
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Inactive Time: 0 hours
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Category: panini, sandwiches, toasts, wraps
- Cuisine: American
Boy, do I hear you……. loud and clear!
Good/evil is right!! LOL!
Unfortunately I am always on the losing end of my battle. 🙁
I do always start out with good intentions, but then…..lookout…cupcakes!?!
Yes, please, I’ll take two!
This sandwich looks very tasty, plus it has kale, which I happen to like.
I’m never one to completely give up, so healthy eating is on my plate again.
Thanks!
Pinned!
It’s good to know I’m not alone – the battle is tough (yes, especially when there are cupcakes around) but it’s about forging on and keeping a positive attitude, isn’t it?
Dear Girl, its disappointing, but be kind to yourself. I have done the same. You have a lot of sisters who are holding each other hands. On the positive side, hey hey this is a wonderful summer sandwich. I was doing some deck sitting this afternoon, admiring my handiwork in my garden and feeling virtuous that I had done it. This sandwich would have hit the spot.
Thanks, Laurel! Creativity is key since I refuse to eat frozen diet-friendly meals. 🙂
This sandwich is delish. I made it for dinner Monday night…. then ate another one for lunch yesterday! Thanks for sharing 🙂
You’re welcome – great to hear that you loved it!