Yep. Another salad with fruit in it. I’m determined to make you all love them as much as I do!
I’ve been dying to make this particular salad ever since my trip home to Mallorca last month.
Mum, Gary and I went out to explore Pollensa, and popped down to the Port for a tapas lunch. We shared a dish of croquetas, some pan con tomate… and a salad just like this one.
I’ve always loved Caesar salads, but honestly, this one is just next level.
Crisp green lettuce, soft avocado, sweet peach, crunchy breaded parmesan chicken, and that creamy, indulgent Newman’s Own Caesar dressing…
Who said salads have to be boring!
I’m working with Newman’s Own this month, creating four super simple, super yum, summer salad recipes, perfect for sharing with family and friends.
The brand was actually created by Hollywood film star Paul Newman in the 1980s. He started out making giant vats of dressing to share with his neighbours as Christmas presents, but as soon as he realised their popularity, he set up Newman’s Own and donated 100% of the profits to charity.
Since then, the company has donated over 2.8 million pounds to UK charities, and over 495 million US dollars worldwide, which is an INSANE amount of money!
So if you buy the dressing, you’ll be doing your good deed for the day, AND you can reward yourself with a helping of yummy peach, avocado and crispy chicken Caesar salad.
Sounds like a pretty good deal to me!
So a couple of things you need to know about this salad:
First of all, leave the avocado until the very end of the process. Avocado discolours quickly so if you crack it open too early in the proceedings, it will start to turn a very unattractive shade of brown. (Learned this one the hard way!)
On a more practical note: avocado is quite soft, so if you throw it in with the rest of the ingredients, it will just get smushed when you toss it with the dressing.
I used panko breadcrumbs for the coating on the chicken. These are Japanese breadcrumbs, which give a really excellent crunch. They’re pretty easy to find in any regular supermarket (I got a big bag in Sainsbury’s for £1.80), but you can use regular breadcrumbs instead if you prefer.
And finally: the lettuce. You want proper robust leaves that will stand up for themselves. Cos (romaine) is ideal, iceberg is fine (but a bit tasteless in my opinion), but stay far away from soft butterhead leaves.
The Newman’s Own Caesar dressing is made from a blend of parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil and garlic, and it’s quite thick and creamy. So you need to make sure your greens are up to the challenge!
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1 tbsp grated parmesan cheese grated
- Salt + pepper
- 1 head of lettuce (I used cos/romaine, washed and dried)
- 2 peaches (fresh, not tinned!)
- 1 handful of cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 2 tbsp Newman’s Own Caesar Salad Dressing*
- 2 tsp grated parmesan cheese (for serving - optional)
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Turn the oven on to 200 degrees (Celsius, fan-assisted). Line a baking tray with tin foil.
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Crack the egg into one shallow bowl. Put your flour in another shallow bowl. Then in a final bowl, put the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and some cracked black pepper.
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One by one, dip the chicken breasts first in the flour, then the egg, and finally the breadcrumbs and parmesan mix (pat the crumbs down on the chicken to make them stick properly). Make sure every part of the chicken is coated in each step, before moving on to the next bowl.
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Once the chicken breasts are covered in breadcrumbs, lay them side by side on the baking tray. Pop them in the oven for 15 minutes, then carefully turn them over, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until golden and cooked through (cut into the chicken to make sure it’s fully cooked: it should be all white on the inside, with no traces of pink). Once you’re sure the chicken is done, let the breasts rest on a board, then slice each one up diagonally.
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Cut the root off the lettuce, chop it roughly, and pop it into the big salad bowl. Slice your peaches in half, discard the stone, and chop the flesh into small, bitesize pieces. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Add it all into the bowl.
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Drizzle the Caesar Salad Dressing over the lettuce, peach and tomatoes. Then using two spoons (or your hands!), toss until everything is lightly and evenly coated in the dressing.
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Slice the avocado in half and scoop out the flesh. Chop it into bitesize pieces, and scatter over the salad, then layer your chicken slices over the top.
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Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan, and serve immediately.
*This post is sponsored by Newman’s Own.
MORE SUMMER SALAD RECIPES:
New Potato and Roast Vegetable Salad with Italian Dressing
