Crispy Chicken Caesar Salad

Caesar dressing

• 1 garlic, finely grated
• 15 ml lemon juice
• 2 anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp white miso (shiro)
• 40 ml mild olive oil
• 40 ml neutral oil
• 20 g Sbrinz AOP, finely grated

Garlic croutons

• 120 g day-old sourdough, torn into bite pieces
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 garlic, smashed
• 0 to taste salt, a pinch

Chicken cutlets

• 2 chicken breasts, butterflied and pounded to ~6 mm
• 40 g plain flour
• 1 egg, beaten
• 80 g panko
• 20 g Sbrinz AOP, grated, mixed into the panko
• 0 for frying neutral oil, ~1 cm depth
• 0 to taste salt

Salad and finish

• 200 g cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 romaine hearts, split lengthwise
• 1 tbsp capers, patted dry
• 2 tbsp shallots, thinly sliced
• 0 for the pickle lemon juice, a squeeze, plus a pinch of salt
• 0 to taste Sbrinz AOP, shaved, to finish
• 0 to taste lemon zest, grated, to finish
• 0 to taste black pepper

Dressing (make first, chill)

1. 1

   Finely grate 1 garlic clove into 15 ml lemon juice and leave to steep at least 10 min to tame the raw bite.

   10m

   Egg-Yolk Emulsion (Caesar & Mayonnaise)
2. 2

   Mash 2 anchovy fillets to a paste in the lemon-garlic, then whisk in 1 egg yolk, 1 tsp Dijon, 1 tsp Worcestershire and 1 tsp white miso.

   2m
3. 3

   Combine 40 ml mild olive oil and 40 ml neutral oil and add in a thin thread while whisking (or use an immersion blender) until thick and glossy.

   3m

   Add the oil slowly — drops at the start — or the emulsion splits. Cutting the olive oil with neutral oil keeps it from turning bitter under the blender.

   Egg-Yolk Emulsion (Caesar & Mayonnaise)

   Tip: All extra-virgin olive oil turns bitter under the shear of an immersion blender.

4. 4

   Stir in 20 g finely grated Sbrinz AOP. Loosen with water a teaspoon at a time and adjust salt last — miso and anchovy already bring salt. Chill.

   1m

Croutons

1. 5

   Tear 120 g day-old sourdough into bite pieces and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil, a smashed garlic clove and a pinch of salt. Bake at 200 °C for 10–12 min until gold and crisp; discard the garlic.

   12m200 °Covenbaking tray

Chicken

1. 6

   Butterfly 2 chicken breasts and pound to ~6 mm. Season both sides with salt.

   5m
2. 7

   Set three trays: 40 g flour; 1 beaten egg; 80 g panko mixed with 20 g grated Sbrinz. Coat each cutlet flour → egg → panko, pressing the crumb on. Rest 10 min on a rack.

   10m

   Three-Stage Breading

   Tip: Resting the breaded cutlet sets the coating so it doesn't shed in the pan.

3. 8

   Shallow-fry in ~1 cm neutral oil at 175–180 °C, about 2–3 min per side, until deep gold and 72 °C internal. Drain on a rack, not paper.

   6m175–180 °Cfrying panwire rackinstant-read thermometer

   Pull the chicken at 72 °C internal. Drain on a rack — paper traps steam and softens the crust.

   Shallow-Frying

Salad and assembly

1. 9

   Halve 200 g cherry tomatoes, toss with a pinch of salt and drain 10 min in a sieve.

   10m

   Salting and Draining Vegetables
2. 10

   Split 2 romaine hearts lengthwise. Brush the cut sides with oil and char on a screaming-hot dry pan ~60–90 sec — keep the core raw. Cut into wedges.

   3mhighcast-iron or heavy pan
3. 11

   Fry 1 tbsp capers (patted dry) in a little hot oil until they burst and crisp; drain. Steep 2 tbsp sliced shallots 15 min in lemon juice with a pinch of salt for a quick pickle.

   3m
4. 12

   Toss the romaine in most of the dressing. Plate, slice the cutlets over the top, scatter the 200 g drained tomatoes, the croutons, fried capers and pickled shallots. Shave over more Sbrinz, grate over lemon zest and finish with black pepper.

   3m