Whoever said salads are boring obviously never tried these Chicken Caesar Crouton Cups. I use white sandwich bread baked inside muffin trays and flavored with garlic butter and Italian seasoning. Once cooled and crispy, I fill each cup with some Caesar salad mix made from a toss up of cooked chicken, thin slices of romaine lettuce and an authentic anchovy, Caesar dressing.
To make Chicken Caesar Crouton Cups, you will need the following ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 300 °F.
In a small bowl, whisk 1 stick of melted butter with 2 cloves of grated garlic and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning until combined.
Use a rolling pin to flatten out 12 slices of bread then trim and remove the crusts from all so that each slice is about a 3-inch square. Brush both sides with the prepared garlic butter and then press one slice into each of the cups of a 12-cup muffin pan, covering the base and up the sides.
Bake in the preheat oven for about 20-30 minutes until golden then cool in the pan for about 15 minutes before removing to cool on a rack until lightly crisp.
Use a vegetable peeler to cut 12 curly Parmesan slices and set aside. With the remaining piece of Parmesan, finely grate onto a plate until you have about 3 tablespoons and set aside too.
On a chopping board, mound 3 chopped anchovies, 2 cloves of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of salt then using a chef's knife, mash the ingredients until well combined and a paste forms.
In a mixing bowl, whisk 1 large egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard until combined then gradually add ⅓ cup of vegetable oil, working drop by drop, drizzling while mixing until combined and the dressing is thick and creamy.
Add the anchovy and garlic paste and the 3 tablespoons of grated Parmesan to the lemon dressing and stir until combined and smooth. Season with salt, to taste.
In a large mixing bowl, toss 4 cups of thinly sliced lettuce with 1 cup of cooked and finely chopped chicken and half of the prepared lemon dressing then add more dressing as needed.
When ready to serve, spoon some of the salad mixture into the crouton cups and top with a slice of Parmesan curls. Enjoy!
This Chicken Caesar Crouton Cups recipe is not the healthiest salad you’re going to eat this summer but definitely one the tastiest. If you’re like me and post everything online then share some of your posts with us by using our online hashtag #cookmerecipes.
