Everything IS better on the grill.

A few weeks ago, while watching America's Test Kitchen, they had a recipe for Grilled Caesar Salad...but it was different than what I thought it would be. I mean, I have made Caesar Salad with grill chicken before...but this version called for you to grill the romaine lettuce.   

Interesting, and something I filed away as a possible for the summer.

Except, summer(or at least spring) has come early for us in the Northwest, so wanting something lighter for dinner Sunday, I decided to give the Grilled Caesar Salad a try.

It's not very tough.  I marinated some chicken thighs in Italian dressing, then grilled them. After that, since the grill was hot, I sliced up a baguette, and liberally coated it with garlic butter, then made some croutons on the grill, before finally doing the lettuce.  You just take a head of romaine, and split it lengthwise.  Then brush it with olive oil, and sprinkle it with salt and pepper before throwing it on the grill...not long, somewhere between 3-5 minutes a side.

Once grilled, you bring them inside and chop them up 'salad size', about 1-2 inch strips, and toss them with some dressing.  Throw in the croutons and chicken, and some nice shaved parmesan...and YUM.

My confession is that I didn't make a dressing from scratch, but I did jazz up a store bought one with a little extra oil, some lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. 

This will certainly be made again as we DO get into summer.