This Grilled Chicken Caesar sandwich is everything you love about the classic salad

Grilled chicken sandwiches can be a hit-or-miss experience. And when the cut of chicken is a boneless, skinless breast, it's often a miss.

And that "miss" usually translates into overcooked, dry, tough protein. Not really what most of us are looking for inside our sandwiches.

Since I need all the grace I can get when it comes to grilling the perfect piece of poultry, I usually opt for chicken thighs when I'm looking for something in the boneless, skinless category.

No matter how you cook it, dark meat is much more forgiving because it's naturally moist and tender — even if it's left on the grill for a minute or two longer than necessary. I also think the nooks and crannies of a boneless thigh grab the flavor of any sauce or marinade better than breasts do.

For those reasons, it's my cut of choice for this week's recipe, Grilled Chicken Caesar Sandwich.

A deeply flavorful marinade is made with anchovies, garlic, lemon juice and olive oil. I know the mere mention of anchovies can lead some people to take a pass on a recipe. But let me assure you, the anchovies give this sandwich, as well as most Caesar salads, a deep, umami flavor, not a strong, fishy one.

Half of the marinade is applied to the chicken thighs, which are grilled until cooked through and lightly charred in spots. (The charring gives the chicken a pleasant crunch inside the sandwich.)

The other half of the marinade is mixed with a little mayonnaise, giving it the expected creaminess of a Caesar salad dressing. The dressing is used to coat crisp romaine lettuce, which is piled onto the bun along with the chicken, red pepper (roasted on the grill alongside the chicken) and a generous amount of shaved Parmesan.

Everything you love in a Caesar salad, conveniently, and deliciously, tucked into a toasted sandwich bun.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Note: A deeply flavorful anchovy-garlic-olive oil mixture plays dual roles as a marinade for the chicken and the base of a Caesar dressing for this sandwich version of the iconic salad. From Meredith Deeds.

• 4 anchovies, mashed to a paste

• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated

• 3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

• 4 large skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 1/2 lb. total)

• 1 large red bell pepper

• 4 brioche, ciabatta or focaccia buns

• 2 tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1 1/2 cups torn romaine lettuce leaves

• 1/4 c. shaved Parmesan

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the anchovies, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, mustard and pepper. Pour half the mixture into a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Place the chicken into a shallow bowl and pour half of the anchovy mixture over the top. Turn to coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, up to 1 hour.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for cooking over medium-high heat; lightly oil grate.

Place the red bell pepper over direct heat. Cook, turning frequently, until all sides are charred. Transfer to a bowl and cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let steam for 5 minutes. Using a knife, scrape the charred skin off the pepper. Remove stem and seeds and cut into 4 sections.

Grill chicken, turning halfway through, until deeply browned and cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, grill the buns, cut side down, until lightly toasted, about 30 seconds. Transfer to platter with chicken.

Mix the reserved half of the anchovy mixture with mayonnaise. In a medium bowl, toss the romaine lettuce with the 2 tablespoons dressing. Brush remaining dressing on the cut sides of buns.

Assemble sandwiches inside the toasted buns with chicken, lettuce, red bell pepper and Parmesan.

Meredith Deeds is a cookbook author and food writer from Edina. Reach her at meredithdeeds@gmail.com. Follow her on Instagram ­at @meredithdeeds.