A friend passed along this recipe to me recently when I was saying I was craving a dairy free Caesar salad with a healthy twist; cue Rachael Ray’s Sesame Caesar with Grilled Chicken. I like that she adds a Middle Eastern twist to it with tahini, coriander and cumin, using a tahini paste addition in the dressing.
Her version is topped with a grilled chicken with a light rub, though you can omit the protein for vegetarian (you can also omit the egg yolk from the dressing) or you can top with grilled shrimp or fish using the same rub below.
I love finding small variations to recipes that allow those of us with food allergies, or who make certain food choices, to still enjoy those foods which we love from our past. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- For the Spice Rub:
- 1 tablespoon ground sumac or paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/3 palmful
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4 inch
- EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
- Sea salt and pepper
- For the Dressing:
- 1 large clove garlic, grated or pasted plus 1 clove split to rub salad bowl with
- 3 tablespoons tahini paste
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 organic egg yolk, optional
- Juice of 1 large, ripe lemon
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 rounded teaspoon anchovy paste
- Coarse black pepper, to taste
- About 1/3 cup EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- About 1/2 cup grated Pecorino cheese, optional (omit for Kosher)
Instructions
- Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Dress chicken with EVOO, salt and pepper; coat chicken all over with rub and cover.
- Let stand 1 hour.
- Cook chicken in a hot cast-iron pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat.
- Rub the inside of the salad bowl with the split garlic clove.
- In the salad bowl, whisk tahini with water to loosen then add egg yolk if using, lemon juice, Worcestershire, anchovy paste, pepper, EVOO and cheese, if using.
- Add lettuce to the bowl and toss to combine.
- Top with sliced grilled chicken.
For those of you visual learners, here are the instructions with images from the Rachael Ray site included:
Combine rub ingredients in a small bowl. Dress chicken with EVOO, salt and pepper; coat chicken all over with rub and cover. Let stand 1 hour.
Cook chicken in a hot cast-iron pan or outdoor grill over medium-high heat.
Rub the inside of the salad bowl with the split garlic clove. In the salad bowl, whisk tahini with water to loosen then add egg yolk if using, lemon juice, Worcestershire, anchovy paste, pepper, EVOO and cheese, if using.
Add lettuce to the bowl and toss to combine. Add pita chips or croutons, and top with sliced grilled chicken.