by Mark s stephens

Created on: August 04, 2011   Last Updated: August 05, 2011

A truly great Caesar salad needs truly great ingredients and that is what this recipe gives you an easy way to make possibly one of the tastiest salads you will ever try.  With the added bonus of eating the best and crunchiest croutons you will ever try.  Now this is a big boast but I back up every word.

This recipe is one of my favorite meals just calling it a salad does not do it justice this is just one of many superb meals my mother cooked for myself and my brother and sister.  To this day when we have a meal at each others houses we cook meals inspired by a wonderful mother and great cook.

To make this salad you do need a little preparation time but believe me it is worth every second.

List of Ingredients

1/ 2lbs of chicken legs and thighs skin on.

2/ 1/2lb streaky bacon (smoked) my preference.

3/ 2-3 day old loaf of Ciabatta or similar bread.

4/ Ingredients for marinade.  3 cloves of garlic, 1/2 cup of good olive oil, red onion, balsamic vinegar, 2 lemons, sugar, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce.

5/ A head of crispy lettuce.

6/ 4 large eggs soft boiled.

7/ 1 ripe avocado.

8/ Freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

9/ Homemade or shop bought mayo

Method.

First of all dice your onion finely and put in a large bowl crush your garlic cloves add this then pour your 1/2 cup of olive oil and thoroughly mix.  Now  finely grate the peel of one lemon and the juice of two lemons to the mix now add two or three tablespoons of Balsamic vinegar and one teaspoon of sugar.  With a good splash of Worcestershire sauce and salt and pepper for seasoning the marinade is done.

Get your chicken legs and thighs and with a sharp knife cut slits in the skin and add to the marinade and makes sure you thoroughly coat the chicken.  Leave in a refrigerator for at least half an hour to allow the flavors to permeate the chicken.

Now the fun can start cut your stale bread into 3/4 - 1ins thick slices then cut into four do enough to completely fill a roasting dish then take your chicken out of the marinade and place on top of the bread.  Now pour the remaining marinade over the chicken you can also add a little more olive oil and lemon juice at this stage if you wish.  Now put in a preheated oven gas mark 4 180 deg C or 350 F.  Cook for thirty minutes then put your streaky bacon on top of the chicken cook for a further ten or fifteen minutes or until the bacon is crispy.

Now remove your roasting dish and separate the bacon and chicken break up the bacon and with a fork remove the meat and skin off the chicken and add to the bacon now mix with two or three tablespoons of mayo and give it a good mix.  Tear your lettuce into good sized chunks and peel and dice your avocado remove the bread from the roasting dish and toss in the salad now add your chicken and bacon cut your boiled eggs in half and lay on the salad allowing the yolk to run finish off with grated Parmesan and a little more olive oil now you are done enjoy.

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