Date Night Dinners: Caesar's Victory

9/12/2014 tringel 0 Comments

Brenden and I are opposites in a lot of ways, but one thing we have in common is our love for chicken caesar salad. So our dish for the week was a no brainer after we stumbled upon this chicken caesar recipe. I mean what is better then chicken caesar salad? Chicken caesar tortellini! Now, if you love chicken caesar salad as much as we do, you may be a little skeptical. But, one bite of this dish and you will be a believer.



This recipe gives you a burst of flavor compared to the typical caesar salad. The caesar dressing is not simply drizzled on or thinly coating the lettuce leaves, it is marinating the chicken and coating the dish so that each bite is filled with the tangy goodness that caesar dressing is. The fragrant shallot, garlic, and basil give each bite a bit of extra depth. When you taste the dish it is not the mere crunch of lettuce dripping with caesar, but the merriment of the caesar coming to life, compliments of the added components. And the tortellini, I mean can you really go wrong with adding the cheese filled pasta goodness to anything?


Needless to say, we were very happy with how this recipe turned out, and it will definitely become a repeat offender in our line up of meals. In fact, there was not one thing we would change to the recipe at the moment. I was excited to have yummy leftovers for lunch, and tried to savor each and every bite (and crumb) of this dish. And even though we wouldn't change a thing, who is to say there isn't more variation to spice up this spin on a traditional dish. You could leave out the chicken and add veggies for a vegetarian take, or chill the dish to make it more of a pasta salad. The options are limitless. Let me know what inspires you to change your chicken caesar salad.

Chicken Caesar Tortellini
Recipe adapted from lifesambrosia.com, Caesar Chicken Tortellini

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup your favorite caesar dressing
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb rainbow tortellini
• 1 small shallot, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place the chicken breasts between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound until about 1/4 thick, so it cooks evenly.
2. Place the chicken in a bowl and pour 1/4 cup of the caesar dressing over top the chicken and spread.
3. Flip the chicken over, pour another 1/4 cup of caesar dressing over top the chicken and spread until fully coated.
4. Let the chicken marinate in the dressing for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
5. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
6. Cook the marinated chicken for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through.
7. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and all the chicken to cool until able to handle.
8. While the chicken is cooling, cook the tortellini according to package directions.
9. Once chicken is cool, slice into bite sized pieces.
10. In the same pan you cooked the chicken, heat the shallot, garlic and basil for about 2 minutes, just until fragrant.
11. Return the chicken pieces to the pan to reheat.
12. Stir in the pasta.
13. Toss everything together to coat and mix. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of caesar dressing and season with salt and pepper if desired.
14. When everything is heated and combined, serve and enjoy.