Cheaty Chicken Caesar Salad with Soft Eggs and Pancetta
Photography Yuki Sato.
A speedy twist on the classic Caesar. We’ve loaded ours with all the extras to make one of our favourite bistro salads.
Serves: 6-8
INGREDIENTS
1 cooked chicken (we used a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
2 baby cos, leaves separated
6–8 large soft-boiled eggs (see Cook’s note)
100 grams pancetta, fried until crispy
parmesan for shaving
1 can anchovies, to serve, optional (we used Ortiz)
CAESAR DRESSING
3/4 cup good-quality egg mayonnaise
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon each Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard
1-2 dashes Tabasco sauce, or more for a spicier version
sea salt and ground pepper
1 tablespoon milk, optional
CRISPY PARMESAN AND MUSTARD CRUMBS
1 small sourdough loaf, crusts cut off
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon habanero mustard, or mustard of your choice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup freshly grated parmesan
sea salt and ground pepper
METHOD
Pull the meat off the chicken, discarding the skin and bones, and shred into pieces.
Scatter the lettuce leaves over a large serving platter and top with the chicken. Halve the eggs and nestle into the leaves then top with the pancetta and shave over as much parmesan as desired.
Drizzle over some of the dressing, serving the rest separately, and scatter over the Crispy Parmesan and Mustard Crumbs. Serve with the can of anchovies, if using.
CAESAR DRESSING: Put all ingredients, except milk, in a deep jug and blitz with a stick blender until smooth (or use a small food processor). Season well with salt and pepper. If you would like the dressing a little thinner, stir in the milk.
CRISPY PARMESAN AND MUSTARD CRUMBS: Line a large baking tray with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Rip the bread into roughly 3cm pieces. You need 3-4 cups of crumbs. Stir the oil, mustard, garlic and parmesan together in a large bowl. Add the bread, season well with salt and pepper then gently turn and scrunch together with your hands so all the bread is well coated. Tip onto the prepared tray and spread out to a single layer, scraping over everything left in the bowl. Bake for 5 minutes then give them a stir and cook for another 5 minutes, repeating this until the crumbs are deeply golden. Cooking time depends on the size of the crumbs. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for two to three days but they are best served on the day of making.
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We start by sharing what’s on the dish team’s radar, what we’re watching, listening to and reading. Harry Butterfield puts a twist on his Nonna’s agnolotti, Malissa Fedele reminds us of the importance of fibre, and Phoebe Holden fulfils a long-held dream, sitting down with Yotam Ottolenghi. Autumn is an abundant time, we make the most with pumpkin, kūmara, cabbage, cauliflower, feijoas, apples and pears. We’re dishing up dinners for two, including a Chicken Dumpling Lasagne, alongside easy weeknight meals. We honour our mums, revisit timeless classics, and add a little baking challenge. This issue, we encourage you to slow down, to enjoy writing your shopping list, and spending time in the kitchen. Because even when life feels relentless, there’s always space to share something delicious.