Make Your Next Chicken Caesar Salad in a Mason Jar

Margaret Minnicks is a health-conscious person who researches the health benefits of foods and drinks.

Beautiful Salad in a Jar

Have you ever heard of making a chicken Caesar salad in a Mason jar? It turns out that it's a quick, easy, and convenient way to assemble a salad at home and take it to work or school for lunch.

You might wonder why someone would prefer to make any kind of salad in a Mason jar—especially since a glass jar is potentially breakable as well as being much heavier to transport than lighter plastic containers, such as Tupperware.

Why a Mason Jar Might Be Preferable to a Plastic Container

1. The beautiful ingredients can be seen through the glass container.
2. The Mason jar evokes feelings of nostalgia for days long gone, when these containers were often used as drinking glasses or instead of plastic containers.
3. Using the Mason jar can be a change of pace for those who want to switch things up. Plastic containers may be much lighter, but many of them end up being discarded instead of recycled or reused. However, there may be days when the heavy and breakable Mason jar will not be the container of choice.
4. The Mason jar might spark a conversation when your coworkers or friends see your creatively assembled salad.
5. Even though most people eat their salad the same day they take it to work, it could stay fresh in a Mason jar much longer. Salads stored this way could stay fresh for up to 5-7 days in the refrigerator.

Keep in mind that even though the salad is made and stored in the jar, it should be transferred to a bowl for easy consumption.

A Mason Jar

Before we talk about the salad, let's first talk about its unusual container. Most people know about Mason jars and have used them sometimes in their lives. Housewives in the South use them for canning and preserving. So, how is a Mason jar different from any other jar?

First of all, the word "Mason" should start with a capital "M" because it is the name of a person. The container is named after its inventor, John Landis Mason. He invented and patented the glass container in 1858 for the purpose of home canning and preserving food.

The jar comes with a top made of a rubber lid and a metal ring to fit over the mouth of the jar to create a hermetic seal. The bands and lids of the jars are sold separately. The bands are reusable, but the lids should be used only once for canning. The glass Mason jars and metal lids are still used today for canning. They are also good containers for holding tea and other beverages.

In the United States, you can purchase Mason jars with two different mouth sizes. It all depends on what you are going to use the jar for. The jar is sold in different sizes, including cup, pint, quart, and half-gallon.

There is a reason you don't see Mason printed on the container. Instead, you might see other names printed on some Mason jars or no name at all. Mason jar is the generic term. However, the most common brands in the United States include Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest. While Mason invented the glass jar, it was these companies that developed the jars into what they are today.

The purpose of the glass jar for this article doesn't require as much attention for canning. It is used as a ready-made container for a chicken Ceasar salad that will be eaten soon after it is made instead of making it in the summer and canning it to be eaten in the winter.

Now that you know some background information about the Mason jars, and that all types of foods and drinks can be put inside it, let's make and put the chicken Caesar salad in it.

How to Make the Chicken Caesar Salad

When you make the salad in a bowl, it can be put in the container in any order. It should take you about 15 minutes to make the salad in the Mason jar. Make sure the ingredients are layered and not tossed. Put the dressing in first so the salad won't get soggy when you transport it from your kitchen to your office's refrigerator. Be careful not to turn the jar upside down. When you are ready to eat your salad, you can pour all the ingredients into a bowl, mix it, and eat it with a fork.

Since you are not making the salad for the entire family, the ingredients should be small enough for just one serving.

Ingredients

• 2-4 tablespoons Ceasar dressing
• 5 oz. grilled skinless diced chicken breast
• 1/4 cup croutons (optional)
• 4 tablespoons (1 oz.) shaved or shredded Parmesan cheese
• 3 cups thinly chopped romaine lettuce
• Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. First, pour in the Caesar dressing so it will be on the bottom.
2. Add diced chicken breast.
3. If you are using croutons, add them next.
4. Add Parmesan cheese.
5. Fill the rest of the jar with romaine lettuce. Feel free to push the lettuce down to pack the jar.
6. Sprinkle with Kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste.
7. Screw on the lid and refrigerate the salad in the container until it is ready to be served.

Nutritional Facts

These are the nutritional values for this healthy and delicious one-serving salad:

• Calories: 450
• Protein: 61 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
• Saturated Fat: 9 g
• Cholesterol: 180 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 7 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Natural Sugar: 2 g
• No Added Sugar
• Sodium: 850 mg

Other Salads in a Mason Jar

Now that you have the hang of it, do not hesitate to use a Mason jar as a container for other salads, such as a Cobb salad and a taco salad. You can also use Mason jars for fruit salads and layered desserts. Not only are the foods delicious and good to eat, but they are also beautiful when seen through the glass jar.

Comments

Corliss on July 09, 2019:

Thank you Sister Margaret, you put a big smile on my face. This is a very refreshing article, perfect timing. I often take salads to work, but never considered a glass container, nor the order of the ingredients. Great food for thought...

Love and Blessings, Sister Corliss