Meal: Lunch or Dinner  
Dietary Type: Omnivore 
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 4

The Dish
Grilling fans rejoice—we have a fantastic salad for you to try. Grilled pesto-caesar marinated chicken (that’s right, the dressing in this recipe plays two roles) and grilled croutons (a great way to use up those bread crusts). These two taste-making ingredients are topped over an Italian caprese version of a caesar salad. A combo of romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, and some pine nuts for added crunch. 

This salad is a great option for lunch or dinner, and will have the whole family asking for more. The dish can be turned into a vegan or vegetarian delight with some slight modifications too.

The dressing can be made days ahead of time (keeps for about 2 weeks, refrigerated), and the chicken can be marinated and cooked ahead of time for even easier prepping. 

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. (680 g) boneless skinless chicken breast

Pesto-Caesar Dressing: 
10-12 (7 g) basil leaves 
1 tablespoon (10 g) pine nuts 
2 garlic cloves, peeled 
1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil 
1/2 lemon, juiced 
1 teaspoon (5 ml) dijon mustard 
1 teaspoon (5 ml) Worcestershire sauce 
1/2 cup (170 g) yogurt or mayonnaise 
pinch of salt and pepper 

Croutons: 
2-3 slices whole wheat bread 
2 teaspoons (10 ml) extra virgin olive oil 

Salad:
1 head (300 g) romaine lettuce, cut into bite-sized pieces 
2 cups (350 g) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 
1 cup (170 g) mini mozzarella 
1 tablespoon (7 g) pine nuts 
5-6 basil leaves, roughly chopped 

Preparation 

• Combine pesto-caesar dressing ingredients together in a food processor (basil, pine nuts, garlic, oil, lemon juice, dijon, Worcestershire, and yogurt/mayo). Blend until smooth and season to taste with salt and pepper. 
• Place chicken in a sealable container or zipper bag and pour over half of the salad dressing to marinate the chicken. Refrigerate chicken for 1 hour or up to overnight. 
• Preheat grill to medium high heat. 
• Brush bread slices with oil and place on the grill. Grill for 1-2 minutes or until toasted, remove from the grill and set aside to cool before chopping or tearing into bitesize pieces. 
• Place marinated chicken on the grill and cook for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until thoroughly cooked. Remove from the grill and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing. 
• Place salad ingredients (romaine, tomatoes, mozzarella, pine nuts, and basil) in a large bowl and toss to combine. 
• Serve salad topped with chicken and drizzled with dressing. 

Vegetarian and Vegan Modifications: Feel free to remove the chicken from this recipe all together for a vegetarian or vegan alternative. Tofu, also, marinates and grills very well in this recipe. Substitute vegan Worcestershire sauce.  

Gluten Free Modifications: Switch out the whole wheat bread for a gluten free alternative.