Making the unique dressing for this caesar salad can be quite time consuming, as it requires eggs, anchovies, and a slew of other ingredients. But, in this Lazy Caesar Salad we’re only using a handful of ingredients to make a stunning salad that’s a very tasty homage to the original for when you’re short on time.

There’s been much debate about whether caesar salad is Mexican or Italian as the dish was created by Caesar Cardini, a chef from Italy, at his restaurant in Tijuana. The first version of this amazing salad was said to have been a slapdash creation thrown together during a rush when the place was low on ingredients and prepared table-side to compensate for the hasty recipe. Having been created by a chef, it’s no wonder the dressing is kind of complicated to make.

But, this dressing isn’t creamy or complicated and that’s one thing I love about this recipe. It’s bright, tangy, and blends perfectly with the chicken and cheese and croutons that give this salad its signature flavor and texture. And this dressing does that without eggs or mayo. It comes together in only minutes and that’s another thing to enjoy about this dish- it gets food on the table in an incredibly short amount of time. You get the wonderful flavor but without the intricate process.

Instead of using anchovies in the dressing, we’re adding a generous splash of Worcestershire sauce instead. Many people don’t know it, but this sauce contains anchovies and they are part of what gives it that deep umami flavor that goes so well in so many dishes. Here they stand in for the anchovies of the original.

To make the dressing a bit more acidic add more lemon juice. To make it sweeter add a bit more honey. You can add a bit of garlic or even a pinch of red pepper as you like. This dressing is all about personal tastes. Maybe one of the best things is that you know exactly what’s going into the dish.

Using some leftover chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken makes this salad just about as easy as you could want.

Truly I don’t think I’ve ever made an easier salad and I love that I don’t have to go to a restaurant, buy any bottles of dressing, or spend a lot of time to get this yummy classic on the table in minutes. Some might call it lazy, but I call it fabulous.