Chicken Caesar Ciabatta Sandwiches
You won’t believe how easy it is to make caesar dressing from scratch. And it tastes 1000x better too!
I’ve been on a sandwich kick lately, mainly because it’s so easy to make, it’s perfect lunch food without giving you food coma and it’s entirely customizable. That’s how I created the Egg Salad BLTA Sandwich. But with this chicken caesar salad sandwich, no customization/adaption was needed. The recipe is absolutely perfect as is.
The caesar dressing was wonderfully creamy with that refreshing hint of tanginess. And the toasted ciabatta bread was the perfect type of bread for this sandwich, giving you such a wonderful crunch and softness in every bite. The only teeny tiny change that I made was that I also tossed the romaine lettuce leaves in the caesar dressing, which ends up giving you a double dose of creamy caesar goodness.
Jason, who I’ve never seen eat a caesar salad in the span of the 3 1/2 yrs that we’ve been together, devoured this sandwich like there was no tomorrow. You can’t beat that!
So here’s how you make this:
Let’s first start with the caesar dressing. We’ll combine the anchovies, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, to taste. If the dressing is too thick, add a little bit of water to thin it out.
Then let’s take some fresh romaine lettuce leaves and give it a good toss with a bit of the dressing we just made.
Next we’ll cook up some chicken breast in a skillet. I like to get the thin sliced ones from Trader Joe’s since they cook up real fast, about 3-4 minutes.
Once the chicken is cooked through, let it rest for about 5 minutes before you slice it across the grain.
And finally, toast up some ciabatta bread, slather on some of that awesome caesar dressing, add the romaine lettuce, sliced chicken, shaved Parmesan and an extra drizzle of caesar.
Chicken Caesar Ciabatta Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 1 cup romaine lettuce leaves
- 1 pound boneless, skinless thin sliced chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 ciabatta rolls, toasted, for serving
- ¼ cup shaved parmesan, for serving
For the caesar dressing
- 8 anchovies
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Splash of Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To make the caesar dressing, whisk together anchovies, garlic, mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire, salt and pepper, to taste, in a small bowl. If the dressing is too thick, add water as needed.
- In a small bowl, combine romaine lettuce with 1/2 tablespoon caesar dressing; set aside.
- Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook, flipping once, until cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Let rest 5 minutes before slicing across the grain.
- Serve sandwiches on ciabatta bread with romaine lettuce, chicken, Parmesan and caesar dressing.
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Just use a anchovy paste instead of Fresh anchovies. It’s a lot easier and is the same thing it’s just mashed up for you already. I make Caesar dressing from scratch all the time and I always use that.
If I am using anchovy paste instead of actual anchovies, what amount do I use for this recipe? Thanks!
Can you tell me where is the best place to buy or find anchovy’s. What brand or type do you use? Can’t wait to try your sandwich. I have a fear of anchovy’s and the wrong one will ruin my day.
I actually purchase mine from Trader Joe’s. Do you have one near you?
I really enjoy your recipes and follow you on Facebook …. Those who nitpick are bored. You do a great job and are appreciated! Thank you!
Just tried out this recipe tonight. You’ve got yourself another WINNER!!!
question; i imagine you dice up the anchovies really small? would it be ok to puree everything together in a food processor? or is it better just to whisk it all?
You can certainly use a food processor but I just find it much easier to whisk everything together.
I really want to try this today but don’t want to load up the baby in the car with all the pouring rain and go to the store just to get anchovies. I’m not opposed to them, obviously I know they’re in the really good Caesar stuff but is there a HUGE difference in taste if I leave them out?
Yes, the anchovies make quite a bit of difference. They are actually the main star in flavor for the dressing.
*hand blender, not band blender
That sandwich looks yummy mmmm. I’d just like to point out though that the dressing really isn’t from scratch if you’re using store-bought mayo lol. It is SUPER EASY to make mayo from scratch, though. To alter your dressing recipe, all you really need is some oil instead of the mayo (vegetable oil works well) and an egg to emulsify it. Blend it together with the dressing ingredients you list (I like using a band blender) and voila, ceasar dressing that is actually from scratch.
Sicily, I understand what you are saying but I’d also like to point out that the term “scratch” can be interpreted a little differently. I used it strictly in terms of not using bottled caesar dressing.
I can’t rate it yet as I haven’t made it but just wanted to reply here and say that this is from scratch and not everyone wants to use raw eggs in their Caesar and also mayo provides a thicker consistency. To each his own, but this is from scratch rather than a bottle and I appreciate the recipe: It looks delicious.