Chipotle Chicken Caesar Salad

This Chipotle Chicken Caesar Salad recipe is a real winner for those warm summer evenings when firing up the grill feels like second nature. It’s the kind of dish that’ll have the whole neighborhood asking for seconds, especially when it’s cooked on the El Dorado Santa Maria Grill! So grab your apron and let’s get cooking!

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For recipe video visit: https://www.atbbq.com/

Learn more about the Yoder Smokers El Dorado Santa Maria here: https://www.yodersmokers.com/

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 each (1 lb) Chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup Sweetwater Spice Ancho Chipotle Bath
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning
  • 2 heads Romaine lettuce, 8 cups chopped
  • 2 cups tortilla chips, crumbled
  • 3/4 cup Cotija cheese, crumbled
  • 2 avocados, sliced

    • CAESAR DRESSING
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
  • 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp anchovy paste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 tbsp chipotle in adobos chiles, minced
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce, from the can of chipotles
  • 1/2 tsp-ish Cattlemen’s Grill Road House, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place the chicken breasts in a zip top plastic bag. Add the Sweetwater Spice Bath to the bag. Add the water to the bag. Massage. Let sit in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
  2. Fill a charcoal chimney starter with lump charcoal. Light a fire starter underneath and let it get hot until the coals at the top are red. Dump the coals into a concentrated area of the fire bed of the Yoder Smokers El Dorado Santa Maria Grill. Add a couple of handfuls of hickory wood chips to the coal bed.
  3. Halve your heads of Romaine lettuce and remove the leafy ends. Char half the lettuce on the grill, just to get color, but not until it wilts. Slice to your desired size.
  4. Remove the chicken from the brine/marinade and season lightly with Cattleman’s Grill Road House Seasoning.
  5. Grill the chicken over direct heat until lightly charred, adjusting the height of the grates as needed. Remove when the internal temperature reaches 155ºF.
  6. Make the Chipotle Caesar Dressing. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk. Keeps in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  7. Dice the chicken.
  8. Place the sliced, charred and fresh Romaine in a large bowl. Add just enough Caesar dressing to coat. You may only need 3/4 of the dressing, but dress as desired.
  9. Transfer the dressed lettuce into bowls. Serve salads topped with crumbled tortillas chips, cotija cheese and sliced avocado.