Grilled Chicken Caesar with Bacon Herb Parmesan "Croutons"

I like making salads.  I really like salads that have a lot of little viddles with them. Somehow it doesn't seem much like a salad.

This recipe is a Rachael Ray recipe out of one of her cook books.  It was good. Relatively easy...the best part was the "croutons".

This recipe does take some planning so be sure to read the entire recipe.

Grilled Chicken Caesar with Bacon Herb Parmesan "Croutons"
Recipe from Rachael Ray

Serves 4

• 1/2 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 slices bacon, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 T Fresh flat leave parsley, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 8 thin chicken breast cutlets
• 2 T Dijon mustard
• 1 T Worcestershire sauce
• 3 Romaine lettuce hearts, roughly chopped
• 3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Preheat your oven to 400F. Preheat your grill at the same time.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat with 1 T of oil.  Add the chopped bacon and cook until really crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bacon to a plate lined with a paper towel.  NOTE:  I bought precooked bacon and used it. It seemed to work just as well.

In a small bowl, combine 1 cup of the grated cheese with the chopped parsley and cooled bacon.  Mix to distribute the bacon and parsley evenly.  Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper. Pour the cheese mixture out onto the center of the baking sheet and with your fingers, spread out the cheese in an even and very thin layer.  Give the pan a little shake to help you even it out.  This way you will have a lacy web when the cheese melts. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 3-4 minutes, turning the pan midway through.  WATCH the cheese.  4 minutes goes fast.  NOTE:  mine took longer than 4 minutes. At 4 minutes I kept checking the cheese every 30 seconds or so.

While the cheese is baking, prepare the chicken and Caesar dressing.

In a shallow dish combine half of the chopped garlic, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper and a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.  Add the chicken cutlets and toss completely coating them.  Place the chicken on the hot grill and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. Remove from the grill.

In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining chopped garlic, remaining lemon juice, the Dijon mustard, the Worcestershire sauce and lots of freshly ground pepper.  Whisk in about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil.  Add the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan and stir to combine. In a salad bowl combine the lettuces and the hard boiled egg (I chopped mine up). Dress with the Caesar dressing.

To serve, slice the chicken into thin strips and divide among the 4 plates.  Top with the salad that's already dressed. Gingerly remove the Parmesan from the pan, pulling on the corners of the parchment paper to help lift it up and out. With your hands, crack the baked cheese into "croutons" into 1 to 2 inch pieces. Garnish the salad with the croutons and serve.