A special chicken Caesar salad with super tasty caramel coated grapes
Ingredients
- For the rosemary croûtons
-
- 2 slices spelt loaf
bread, sliced into thin croûtons - 2 tbsp
olive oil - 2 sprigs
rosemary, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 2 slices spelt loaf
- For the spicy pecans
-
- 125g/4½oz
butter - 150g/5½oz
brown sugar - two pinches
cayenne pepper - 300g/10½oz
pecans - 50g/1¾oz
egg white, beaten until frothy
- 125g/4½oz
- For the chicken Caesar salad
-
- 1 whole
chicken - 1
carrot, cut into chunks - 1
celery stick, cut into chunks - 1
onion, peeled and cut into chunks - 1 sprig
thyme - 1 sprig
rosemary - 2
garlic cloves, peeled and smashed - 1
Cos lettuce, roughly chopped - 1
Little Gem lettuce, roughly chopped
- 1 whole
- For the dressing
-
- 1 bulb of
garlic, top cut off - 1 sprig of
rosemary - 1 tbsp
olive oil - 2 free-range
egg yolks - 1 tsp
Dijon mustard - 2 tsp
white wine vinegar - 300ml/10fl oz
rapeseed oil salt and freshly ground black pepper - 2 tbsp
buttermilk - 2 tbsp
crème fraîche - 2 tbsp
honey - 50ml/2fl oz
rapeseed oil
- 1 bulb of
- For the crunchy grapes
-
- 10g
black sesame seeds - 10g
fennel seeds - 10g
sunflower seeds - 10g wasabi peas
- 20g/¾oz puffed rice cereal
- 10g shelled
pistachios - 50g/1¾oz
sugar - 100g/3½oz red seedless
grapes - 100g/3½oz green seedless
grapes
- 10g
Preparation method
-
For the rosemary croûtons, preheat the oven to its lowest setting.
-
Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet and drizzle over the oil and sprinkle over the rosemary. Place in the oven for 1-3 hours, or until golden-brown and crisp.
-
For the spicy pecans, preheat the oven to 160C/325F/Gas 3
-
In a large ovenproof frying pan, melt the butter with the sugar to make a caramel. Add the cayenne pepper then fold in the pecans. Gently fold in the whisked egg whites until all the nuts are coated.
-
Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for 25 minutes, stirring two or three times, or until the nuts are crunchy.
-
For the chicken Caesar salad, in a large pan add the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, thyme, rosemary, garlic and enough water to cover the chicken. Bring to a simmer on the hob and cook on a medium heat for 50 minutes to an hour.
-
Leave to cool in the liquid. Once cool enough to handle, tear the meat from the carcass and set aside.
-
To make the dressing preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6. Place the whole bulb of garlic in aluminium foil with a sprig of rosemary and cover. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
-
Place the egg yolks, mustard and white wine vinegar in a food processor and blend. Gradually add the rapeseed oil until you have a smooth mayonnaise then season with salt and pepper.
-
For the crunchy grapes, crush together the seeds, wasabi peas, puffed rice cereal and pistachios. Put the sugar in a hot pan and when it dissolves, add the fresh grapes and the seed mixture. Stir it quickly to coat the grapes then set aside.
-
To finish the dressing, in a bowl add the buttermilk, crème fraiche, honey and cooked garlic pulp. Whisk in a little oil and add the mayonnaise.
-
To serve, in a large glass bowl add the Cos and baby gem lettuce, spicy pecans, crunchy grapes, croûtons, chicken and mix.
-
Pour over the dressing and toss to coat.
James Martin recipes from Saturday Kitchen
Less than 30 mins preparation time
Over 2 hours cooking time
Serves 4
