The fun part is how each meal are planned around “grilling”. Ingredients picked at the grocery store is done with careful consideration on the possibility of grilling.
I’m quite aware how boring this all might sound to you. But oh gosh, I’m trying to grill it all before autumn hits.
While we are on the grilling subject, its time for a confession. I was so bad at grilling. I’d often undercook or burn foods on the grill. Frustrated, I even gave up grilling for a span of time — two summers to be exact.
Yikes!
In Malaysia, grilling is very uncommon. Precious times are wasted in horrendous traffic, trying to get home as quick as one can get, to put food on the table and nurture the family. Grilling is considered as an expensive, time consuming and privileged lifestyle.
Slowly but surely we’ve crept back into grilling and so far, it has been fun. We are definitely not born with grilling skills and I think this is a skill that requires patience, investment of time and quite a handful of trial and errors.
That being said, in no way I’m endorsing that we are now pro grillers. As some of you are aware, there’s still a lot of hardworking that needs to be done in the baking department. And if that wasn’t enough, grilling is also thrown in. Le sigh. The trials and turbulences in a food-blogger’s life.
Wow. So many confessions in one post? Let’s refocus on this recipe, shall we? 😀
This is my take on a classic caesar salad, but grilled and done with a ton of modifications. No croutons, parmesan or creamy caesar dressing in sight. Let’s just say this is an inspiration from caesar salad, but is done healthier and upped in the flavor department with all the grilling.
Oh how much I love you, summer 🙂
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp spanish paprika
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- a sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 peach
- 2 bunch of romaine lettuce, halved lengthwise
- 1 avocado
Lemony Thyme Dressing:
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp capers, chopped
- 1 spring of fresh thyme
Directions:
- Marinate thinly sliced chicken breasts with salt, spanish paprika, black pepper, fresh thyme and lemon juice for a few minutes while prepping the rest of ingredients.
- In a small mason jar, add all of the ingredients for dressing. Put the lid on and shake until dressing emulsifies.
- Brush some cooking oil on the grill before preheating it on medium-high.
- Halve a peach and avocado. Drizzle some cooking oil + a pinch of salt and black pepper on halved avocado, peach and romaine lettuce before throwing it on the hot grill.
- Grill veggies for a minute.
- Remove grilled veggies onto a huge platter and throw on marinated chicken breasts. Cook for 3 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of sliced meat or until meat is fully cooked. Remove meat on a foil and wrap to rest and keep it warm.
- Slice and chop veggies + meat to desired size or shape for the salad. Dump it all into a huge bowl. Give the dressing a little shake before drizzling it over chopped salad.
- Serve immediately or at room temperature.
I experimented with different plating. The finely chopped presentation above goes well if you want to serve this as an appetizer or a side. But if this is the main course, roughly chop everything to bite size pieces.
And now, I’m off to have more grilled salad for lunch. Have a great week, friends 🙂
What are you very good at: grilling? baking? or both?
Comments on this entry are closed.
This is my kind of salad! Love that you grilled everything, including the lettuce!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) recently posted..peach bundt cake with brown sugar glaze
Laura — thank you!! have been grilling everything in sight lately. loving it 😀
Beautiful and appetizing! I wish I had a BBQ.
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa — thanks! you can definitely try broiling or pan-fry? it would definitely work 🙂
I could, I guess. But firstly, I would need to make paneer… 😉
Rosa — you are referring to today’s post I guess. this was for grilled lettuce peach salad 🙂
Oh, I’m so sorry! I got mixed up… 😉 And yes, I could very well pan-fry the peaches…
MMMMM,!!!A lovely tasty grilled salad, Kiran! I love it too!
Sophie33 recently posted..Home-made vanilla almond milk & Vanilla almond carob coconut maca smoothies, All Vegan + Gluten-free! 🙂
Sophie — thank you, friend 🙂
My favoriete herb, Lemon thyme would go so well in here too!
Sophie33 recently posted..Home-made vanilla almond milk & Vanilla almond carob coconut maca smoothies, All Vegan + Gluten-free! 🙂
Sophie — mine too! love it!
Oh lovely! I think I definitely prefer your version of a grilled caesar, and your grilling skills look pretty perfect to me!
Maria | Pink Patisserie recently posted..Almond Cream Puffs
Maria — thanks love!
A perfect and healthy salad. I haven’t gotten to grilling a lot and I don’t know why, but I am enjoying looking at your grilled goodies.
Ash — thanks so much, friend!
I’ve never grilled lettuce, but we grill all the time, even in the middle of a Canadian winter. We have to make sure to have a path through the snow to the BBQ! In summer I like to grill because it avoids heating up the kitchen – we grill meat and veggies, but also pizza and I’ve done my Thanksgiving Turkey on the grill as well. We love it!
Giulia recently posted..A Cape Cod Vacation
Giulia — you guys are adventurous during winter and thanksgiving grilling 😀
i love grilled fruits and the plate looks wonderful..I am not a grill person myself but enjoy watching it.
dixya| food, pleasure, and health recently posted..Fitness Friday : Announcement
Dixya — grilling definitely takes a lot more practice. but if you have the time to learn, go for it 🙂
i haven’t grilled much since i live in an apt and not in Sunny Florida! Haha! why will you miss grilling, isn’t the temp nice there?
these days i’m loving peach! they are so juicy!
honeywhatscooking recently posted..Banana Bread Protein Pancakes + Warm Butter Maple Syrup
Nisha — perhaps, it was only nice when you visited Miami a few weeks ago. But its been pouring down rain every day for a few weeks now. not the weather for grilling these days 😉
This is such a pretty peach salad, Kiran! So summery, fresh and full of color!
Georgia — thank you so much!
I’m not the best at grilling (I tend to leave it to my dad!) But you’ve inspired me to keep trying. This salad looks so very delicious, my friend! Thank you for sharing!!
Monet recently posted..Lemon Rosemary Pound Cake AND Stitch and Saw Giveaway!
Monet — aww, thanks a lot sweetie! i’m sure you’d be a pro at grilling in no time. keep trying!
You make the prettiest salads, darling!
Ashley — lol, thanks a lot sweetie 🙂
That’s gorgeous variation of the classic Cesar’s salad.
Great idea to grill the veggies and combine them with peaches, they add such a delicate flavor!
Daniela recently posted..Summer Fruit Parfait with Homemade Granola Topping
Daniela — thank you! grilling definitely makes it so much more tastier 🙂
So beautiful Kiran. I have never thought to grill those two for a salad but it would work so well.
Cass @foodmyfriend recently posted..Hummus – Hommus – Hommous?
Cass — thanks my dear 🙂
Love the styling! I love grilled peaches, so good especially with coconut ice cream and raw nut butter.
Veganmiam — thank you! ditto about grilled peaches 🙂
definitely something I would love to try!
cquek recently posted..2013年8月27 Penang Char Koay Teow
Cquek — and you need too! so so good 🙂
Such a great sounding salad, nothing quite compares to the flavour of something on the grill does it?
Kathryn recently posted..blackberry galette with olive oil pastry
Kathryn — thanks and ditto!
I love this grilled salad! The peaches must taste so much more sweeter, yum!!!
Asmita recently posted..Eggplant Masala- “Sindhi Style”
Asmita — thank you and yes it does 🙂
It looks wonderfull! I like the ingredients you put togheter and the different way you decided to cut them. Grilled food is so tasty…. Ok, I like everything in this recipe :-))))
TThank you and nice to meet you,
Giovanna – Gourmandia
Giovanna — thank you so much and so nice of you to drop in with such a sweet comment 🙂
that dressing looks amazing, i’ve never thought to use capers in dressing before! genius.
Lan | morestomach recently posted..vegan indian feast
Lan — thank you so much! capers sure add a ton of flavor 🙂
OOh – love the grilled lettuce! I would never have thought of it!
And that avocado must have been all sorts of wonderful!
I would have loved to taste this grilled ceasar sald!
Shashi @ http://runninsrilankan.com recently posted..Peanut Butter, Chocolate, Oat Cookies!
Shashi — thank you so much! the possibilities are endless when it comes to grilling 🙂
Im a better griller (is that a word ? 🙂 ) than baker. I just find myself enjoying savory foods than sweet. I love grilled lettuce for salads and I’ve seen a lot of fruit grilled – but I’ve never tried it myself. I think I will before the summer ends.
Archana @ FeedingThefoodie recently posted..Peas Pesto Crostini
Archana — yes, that’s a word 😉
I have been thinking of grilling some peach for my salad but never thought of grilling the lettuce…sounds good
Love the clicks and styling as usual dear 🙂
Shema | LifeScoops recently posted..Soft Wheat Naan / Indian Flat Bread
Shema — thank you so much! don’t over think, just do it 🙂
Kiran, this salad looks amazing! The grilled peaches look pretty delicious against the lettuce and chicken.
Nik@ABrownTable recently posted..easy south indian chicken curry
Nik — thank you so much!
This salad looks perfect! Like summer on a plate! I am so jealous of your grill – I live in an apt in NYC, so no grilling for me 🙁 I will have to try your recipe using a grill pan!
Cate @ Chez CateyLou recently posted..Peach Yogurt Bread with Cinnamon
Cate — thanks so much! don’t be jealous. truth to be told, I’m jealous of your living in a NYC apt. My dream 🙂
A grill pan would definitely do the job.
A beautiful contrast of greens and fruit. I don’t particularly like creamy dressing so the olive oil-based dressing looks great to me.
Daniela @ FoodrecipesHQ recently posted..Best of Italian Flavors in a Simple Dish: Piennolo Tomato Sauce
Daniela — me too! i can’t stand creamy dressing unless it’s avocado or yogurt based healthy dressing 🙂
Can’t get enough of summer salads! This looks absolutely delish!
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Sweetheart Cabbage Salad with Red Currants
Angie — it’s never enough! thanks 🙂
My husband absolutely hates grilling and I have a track record of burning myself, so we grill much less than I’d like. :/ But this salad looks totally worth it!
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies recently posted..Garden Update | My Garden of Shame
Kiersten — practice makes perfect! i’m still learning too 😉
I know grilling outdoor is easier when compared to the extensive labor in the kitchen, atleast I felt that way. Summer seems to be over here in Northeast too, last few days, its pouring and feels gloomy :(. Nice clicks, but loved the 3rd picture the most.
Shibi — thank you so much! for me, grilling is more labor intensive. I’m pretty quick in the kitchen 😉
Love this grilled salad. When it comes to the grill my hubby is the expert, not me.
Wizzy recently posted..This is why I am not a vegetarian.
Wizzy — thank you so so much, my dear 🙂
Grilling lettuce is such an original idea! I have never seen it anywhere else. I don’t have a grill but will try it one day on my grill pan. The whole salad looks fabulous!
Sissi recently posted..Cold Vegetarian Bibimbap (Korean Rice Salad)
Sissi — thank you but grilling lettuce has been around for a while 😉
Your photos are exemplary for this delicious salad, I love peaches in salad especially 😀
Cheers
CCU
CCU recently posted..Guest Post #8: Ensaymada Buns
CCU — awww, thanks so much friend 🙂
I recently started to make salads from scratch from home and I m so ready to try this dressing next time. Sad that I dontbown a grill as yet.
Tanvi@SinfullySpicy recently posted..Everyday Chicken Curry
Tanvi — fresh salads are the best and I’m going to miss it during winter. A grill pan would do wonders too 🙂
Grilled fruit is so great, isn’t it? And I love to grill lettuce. You couldn’t have fooled me that you’re not an expert griller – everything looks wonderful! Thanks so much.
john@kitchenriffs recently posted..The Blue Hawaii Cocktail
John — not fooling you, but thanks for the compliment my friend 🙂
LOVE grilled lettuce and with the peaches? What a perfect pairing!
This looks so good and healthy… though I am a vegetarian but I think grilled tofu or paneer in place of chicken breasts would taste good too.
Lovely stylinf esp. in last photograph!
Rekha recently posted..Dahi Vada or Dahi Bhalla Chaat
Rekha — thank you so much and yes, grilled tofu, paneer or even mushrooms would be great vegetarian options here 🙂
TSM — thank you 🙂
Love the idea of grilling lettuce and peaches for a salad! What a great summer treat it is! Beautiful photos and crisp colors, as usual. Pinned!
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com recently posted..Honey cake, with cooked flour frosting – Medovik tort
Julia — thank you so much, my dear 🙂
What a beautiful salad! I love all that smokey flavor and the grill marks on the peach and lettuce. Delicious Kiran! 🙂
Anne ~ Uni Homemaker recently posted..Potato Leek Soup with Dill and Bacon
Anne — thank you so much, friend 🙂
THIS IS JUST THE SALAD WE WANTED FOR THE WEEKEND,FRUITY AND GRILLED TO PERFECTION,AMAZING CLICKS AS ALWAYS:-)
Kumar’s Kitchen recently posted..Crispy Good Herbed Cauliflower Fritters With A Twist
Kumar — thank you so much 😀
This grilled salad looks sooo good. I am inspired to indulge myself into grilling veggies and fruits more often 🙂
easyfoodsmith recently posted..DIY – Home Made BUTTER
EFS — thank you and yes, you should. it’s just that good 😀
GRILLING. Don’t get me started 😉 This summer was the first time I grilled peaches, and I absolutely wish I’d started earlier! I usually can’t control myself and eat them straight off the grill, but I could probably exercise enough self control in order to make this beautiful salad.
Irina @ wandercrush recently posted..Cherry Nectarine Almond Crumble & Birthday Beaching
Irina — haha! if there’s peaches around, i guess grilling can still happen. autumn has to wait, if you ask me 😉
I’m not much of a griller but I do appreciate those who are. Although I’ve been known to grill up some lettuce and fruit as well!
Sylvie @ Gourmande in the Kitchen recently posted..Nectarine Parfaits with Walnut Crumble and Lemon Cashew Cream (Raw, Vegan, Paleo)
Sylvie — anyone who can grill lettuce or fruits, is a griller in my opinion 😉
So summery an beautiful looking. Sad that summer is ending for you happy happy that it is starting for us!!
My Kitchen Stories recently posted..Moroccan Lamb Meatloaf
Tania — thanks and enjoy your summer. so jealous 😉
Grilling is fun! In Japan we rarely grill. It’s kind of impossible to grill outside when most people live in condo in the city (people complain about smoke you know…). So I’m so fortunate to be able to enjoy grilled food here. And so easy (because it’s my husband’s job)! 😀 I love your salad, and photography is beautiful!
Nami | Just One Cookbook recently posted..Spring Mix Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing
Nami — thank you and I hope my husband takes on the grilling responsibilities more in the future. he’s been escaping with all the work travel recently 😉
Ohhhh. You beat me to grilled lettuce. I’ve been thinking aboput it all summer. GREG
sippitysup recently posted..Flattened Chicken Breasts
Greg — oh, i did not. you certainly have the time. it’s still officially summer after all 😉
I love grilling and grilled stuff, I just don’t get around to doing it much. We even have two grills, one charcoal and one gas, but we still don’t do it enough. My husband thinks he’s the grill expert, I think I’m better ( I don’t overcook) 🙂
I think my baking skills exceed my grilling ones, but they’re ok.
Love your version of the Caesar! Looks very light and refreshing.
Nazneen
Coffee and Crumpets recently posted..Roasted Green Chilli, Corn and Black Bean Salsa
Nazneen — thank you! i think our way of eating and prepping foods is definitely not so much of “grill-worthy”, so I can relate to your qualm about grilling in general. hope you guys get to squeeze in more effort to grill, soon 🙂
This gorgeous salad is making me wish I had a grill! Beautiful.
Cookie and Kate recently posted..Kapow! Lemon-Parsley Bean Salad and Hummus
Kate — thanks for dropping into my humble space!! thank you so much for your sweet comment. A grill pan would work wonders too 🙂
Saw this on instagram but hadnt had a chance to swing by the blog.. Looks so delicious!! Love the grill marks.
Mr. & Mrs. P recently posted..Nutella Tres Leches Cake
Christy — thank you so much for taking the time to comment 🙂
Oh gosh, I love this!
Cquek — haha! me too 😉
That salad looks great. I esp love the dressing and the addition of capers in it:)
Vishakha recently posted..A timeless ritual: Ghugni
Vishakha — thank you so much 🙂
I also have to confess never tried my hand on grilling and another lovely dish from you 🙂
Maria recently posted..Cheese Pav Bhaji Juhu Beach Recipe – Mumbai Cheese Pav Bhaji
Maria — thank you! and you should try grilling, at least for fun 🙂
If its goodbye grilling to you then its welcome grilling to us, its spring here and this one is a keeper specially now that I am increasing my salad intake.
Raymund recently posted..Guest Post : Greg from Rufus Guide featuring Apple Cobbler
Raymund — i’m so jealous! enjoy spring and soon to be, summer 😀
healthy salad…nice presentation
Gayathri Ramanan recently posted..BUTTER BEANS DRY CURRY WITH COCONUT | BUTTER BEANS PORIYAL
Gayathri — thank you so much 🙂
BEAUTIFUL combination lovely! I adore lemon thyme, and those grill marks make everything look so much more delicious… charry, smoky goodness. I’ve started to love grilled lettuce. I never thought about cooking it prior to 6 months ago but it really works! Great post beautiful xx
laurasmess recently posted..Slow-roasted Lamb with White Wine, Lemon and Herbs
Laura — thank you so much, my dear 🙂
Now this salad is flat out making my stomach grumble! It looks so good 😉
Patty recently posted..Heirloom Tomato and Cheddar Pie
Patty — thank you so much! time to go and gobble, my friend 🙂
Your speaking my language! YUM! 🙂
Tamara — thank you 😀
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