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A winter salad menu

Caesar with chicken (and lots more).

Chicken Caesar salad and hot artichoke dip (served here with crostini, but also tasty in a wrap with the salad) make a flavorful meal.Photograph by Jim Scherer/ Styling by Catrine Kelty/James Scherer

TIP White anchovies make a great Caesar topper, but stick to the oil-packed canned ones for the dressing.

 CAESAR SALAD WITH CHICKEN

Serves 4

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons sugar

4 split bone-in chicken breasts

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

1½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

5 oil-packed anchovy fillets, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

⅓ cup grated Parmesan, plus ⅓ cup strips shaved with a vegetable peeler

3 romaine hearts, large leaves halved

8 garlic crostini (recipe follows), bro

In a large bowl, dissolve ⅓ cup salt and the sugar in 6 cups water. Submerge the chicken, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Rinse and dry thoroughly.

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With the rack in the center position, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon oil, sprinkle with pepper to taste, place in a baking dish, and roast to an internal temperature of 160 degrees, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to rest, about 15 minutes. For each breast, remove skin, remove meat from the bone in 1 piece, bias-slice the meat, and return to the pan, keeping each breast together.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in the remaining oil and the grated Parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Reserve about half the dressing and set aside. Add the romaine to the remaining dressing and toss well.

On each of 4 serving plates, arrange a portion of the salad and sprinkle with pepper. Fan out 1 sliced chicken breast per serving and drizzle with a portion of the reserved dressing. Sprinkle each with the crostini pieces and shaved Parmesan and serve at once.

ken up

HOT ARTICHOKE DIP

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Makes about 2½ cups

Cooking spray

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 9-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts, cooked and drained

Salt and pepper

2 medium shallots, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 8-ounce block cream cheese, at room temperature

⅓ cup sour cream

1 cup finely grated Parmesan

½ teaspoon finely grated zest and 1 tablespoon juice from 1 lemon

¾ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

½ cup chopped fresh parsley

Garlic crostini (recipe follows), for serving 

With the rack in the center position, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a small baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon butter until melted and bubbling subsides. Add half the artichoke hearts and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown, about 3 minutes; scrape into a bowl and set aside. Return the skillet to medium-high heat, add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and heat until melted and the bubbling subsides. Add the remaining artichoke hearts, shallots, and ¼ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until shallots are softened, about 2½ minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 40 seconds, and transfer mixture to a food processor.

Process the mixture with cream cheese, sour cream, all but 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, hot pepper sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper to a uniform puree. Add the reserved artichokes and the parsley, and pulse just to incorporate, about 4 1-second pulses (take care to leave the dip chunky). Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary.

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Scrape the mixture into the baking dish, sprinkle with the reserved 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and bake until lightly browned, about 35 minutes. Rest the dip for about 5 minutes and serve with crostini.

GARLIC CROSTINI

Makes 24

24 ¾-inch-thick bias-cut slices from 1 baguette

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 or 3 garlic cloves, peeled

Kosher salt

With the rack in the center position, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange baguette slices on baking sheet, brush with oil, and bake until just starting to turn light gold, 10 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, swipe each slice with garlic, sprinkle lightly with salt, and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

CHICKEN CAESAR AND ARTICHOKE WRAPS

Makes 4

4 10-inch pieces lavash, sandwich wraps, mountain bread, or soft flour tortillas

1⅓ cup Hot Artichoke Dip

½ recipe Caesar Salad With Chicken, not plated

Lay the lavash on a work surface, top each with ⅓ cup artichoke dip spread evenly, leaving about a 1½ inch border. Layer a portion of the salad and sliced chicken in the center of each one. Fold the wraps, tucking as you go, and serve or pack.

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