CHIPOTLE CAESAR SALAD

Sometimes a salad is just THAT good, so as soon as I tried the Mexican Caesar salad from Fresh & Co I knew I needed to make it at home and immediately. This salad is everything you want in a bowl - you’ve got crunch from the tortilla chip “croutons” and crisp romaine lettuce, creaminess from the avocado and the oh-so-addicting chipotle pepita caesar dressing, with juicy pops of chicken and corn, this is a salad you’re truly going to love!

Serves 3-4.

Ingredients:

For the Chipotle Caesar Salad:

• 2 heads romaine lettuce

• 1 large roma tomato, diced

• ½ cup frozen corn, defrosted

• ¼ cup crumbled cotija cheese

• 1 avocado, sliced

• ½ cup tortilla chips, crumbled (or fried tortilla strips)

• 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs

• 1 tbsp avocado oil

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp onion powder

• ½ tsp smoked paprika

• Salt to taste

For the Chipotle Caesar Dressing:

• 2 tbsps pepita seeds 

• ½ cup plain greek yogurt

• 2 tbsps mayonnaise

• 1 chipotle in adobo

• 2 tsps dijon mustard

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1-2 anchovy filets

• 1 tsp worcestershire sauce

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• Juice from 1 large lemon

• ½ tsp fresh cracked black pepper

• Salt to taste

Directions:

For the Chipotle Caesar Salad:

• Season the chicken thighs with garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt and toss until well coated. 

• To air fry, preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees. Once preheated, add the chicken to your air fryer and drizzle with avocado oil. Cook for 12 minutes, then flip and cook for 4-5 minutes longer or until cooked through. 

• To pan fry, preheat a pan or cast iron to medium high heat and drizzle in the avocado oil once hot. Add in the chicken and cook for 5 minutes, then flip and cook 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.

• Once the chicken is cooked, transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before cubing.

• Chop the romaine lettuce into bite size pieces and add to a bowl. Cover with cold water and add some ice to keep crisp while you work on your dressing.

• Meanwhile, make your chipotle caesar dressing by adding the pepita seeds, greek yogurt, mayonnaise, chipotle in adobo, dijon mustard, olive oil, anchovies, worcestershire, garlic, and lemon juice to a blender. Blend until smooth, then season with salt and pepper. Taste to adjust.

• Drain and dry the romaine, then add to a large bowl with the tomato, corn, cubed chicken, tortilla strips, cotija, and avocado. Drizzle with some dressing at a time and toss until evenly coated. Serve and enjoy!