Kale Caesar salad with roast chicken

I know that kale recipes are huge on the Internet, but here in South Africa, we tend to catch on to food trends a little late! For raw kale, I think it needs to be generously coated with a flavour-packed dressing with lots of acidity to help break down the texture slightly, and my new all-time favourite Caesar dressing is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe that has become a staple in my house – this dressing turns any green leaf into a taste sensation. I also use a ready-roasted rotisserie chicken, because it’s another staple item in my house.

Credit: Sam Linsell

• serves

  2-4

• prep

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 12 cups (1 large bowl) loosely packed torn kale, silverbeet (rainbow chard) and baby spinach leaves (I use mainly kale leaves, and remove the veins)
• 2 cups homemade croutons
• ½ roast or barbecue chicken, meat sliced
• shaved Parmesan, to serve (optional)

Caesar salad dressing

• 110 ml Greek-style yoghurt
• 3 tsp red wine vinegar
• 6 anchovies in oil, drained
• 3 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1½ tbsp basil pesto
• 3 tsp lemon juice
• 40 g Parmesan, grated
• 45 ml olive oil
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

To make the dressing, place all the ingredients in a small food processor and process to combine. Alternatively, if you are making it by hand, grind the anchovies to a paste, then combine with the remaining ingredients (see Note).

Place the kale, silverbeet and spinach in a large bowl, pour over the dressing and toss to coat. Allow to stand for 3 minutes to slightly soften and wilt the leaves. Add the croutons and toss to coat.

Tip the salad onto a serving platter or large bowl and top with the sliced roast chicken. Scatter with shaved Parmesan, if desired, and serve.

Note

• The dressing makes enough for one big salad, but I generally just use what I need and keep in the fridge for a week or so. Adapt the quantities depending on how many mouths you want to feed.

Recipe from Drizzle & Dip by Sam Linsell, with photographs by Sam Linsell.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.