This tandoori chicken Cobb salad is how you do a Cobb salad if you're obsessed with Indian seasoning! There is Tandoori spiced chicken, cumin black pepper fried bacon, kachumber, cilantro buttermilk dressing, and of course buttered naan croutons!
Its like taking your typical Indian takeout line up and flipping it into a Cobb salad! And it's so so good. Maybe even better!
What's in this salad?
- Tandoori Chicken - an easy marinade and quick bake (make some extra for the lunches the next day!)
- Cumin Black Pepper Bacon - turkey bacon fried with black pepper and cumin seeds, super smokey!
- Kachumber - a classic Indian side salad made with chopped cucumbers, tomatoes, onions and seasoned with salt and toasted cumin seeds
- Spicy Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing - a creamy, spicy, tangy dressing made with buttermilk, fresh cilantro and a serrano pepper kick! It's almost like chaas disguised as a dressing!
- Buttered Naan Croutons - grab your favorite store bought brand. I usually pick up either these or these when I'm shopping.
So I know it seems like a lot of ingredients but everything comes together really quickly. There isn't any item that takes longer than 10 minutes of hands on time and that's including the tandoori chicken!
The chicken is a super easy and quick marinade of Indian spices like garam masala, turmeric, garlic, and tandoori seasoning mixed with a bit of lemon juice and Greek yogurt. I like to get the chicken thighs marinating in the morning and toss them in the oven to bake right before dinner. Just place them on a sheet pan (lined with foil or parchment paper for easier clean up) and set the timer for 35 to 45 minutes. You can flip them once if you want.
The buttermilk dressing, kachumber and other veggies (salad greens, avocado) are a simple chop of veggies. I like to whisk together the ingredients of the dressing and let it chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour before so the flavors have time to develop.
Just as you're ready to serve this Tandoori Chicken Cobb salad, heat up a couple of pieces of bacon and some naan on a skillet. Serve it as a build your own salad or display the entire salad on a big platter!
Veggie Options: Switch out the chicken and bacon for these delicious options instead: Roasted Spiced Cauliflower, Crispy Baked Curry Potato
Tandoori Chicken Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Tandoori Chicken
- 2 lbs chicken thighs boneless, skinless
- 1 teaspoon Tandoori seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
Spicy Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 serrano pepper finely diced
- 1 garlic clove grated
- ¼ teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- salt & pepper to taste
Cumin & Black Pepper Bacon
- 4 slices of turkey bacon
- ¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
- black pepper
- cooking oil
Kachumber
- 1 tomato chopped
- 1 cucumber chopped
- ½ red onion finely diced
- salt and roasted cumin powder to taste
Additional Salad Ingredients
- romaine lettuce chopped
- 4 eggs hard boiled
- 1 avocado diced
- 2 naan or flatbreads warmed, buttered and cut into squares
Instructions
Tandoori Chicken
- In a large bowl combine all of the spices, lemon juice and Greek yogurt. Stir together to make a paste. Add chicken thighs to the bowl and toss the chicken in the paste to coat with the seasoned yogurt. Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Preheat oven to 425°, line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place chicken pieces onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Chop chicken into bite sized pieces for salad.
Spicy Cilantro Buttermilk Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
- Set aside in the refrigerator before serving with the salad.
Cumin & Black Pepper Bacon
- Heat a frying pan to medium high heat, add a drizzle of cooking oil to the pan. Carefully add bacon to the pan, sprinkle black pepper and cumin seeds on bacon. Cook for 1 minute.
- Flip bacon slices and sprinkle black pepper and cumin seeds on the other side of the bacon. Cook to desired crispiness. Remove from heat and chop into small pieces, set aside for salad.
Kachumber
- In a bowl, combine diced tomato, diced onion, diced cucumber. Add salt and roasted cumin powder to taste. Set aside to serve with salad.
Salad Assembly
- Layer lettuce on a serving plate, arrange chicken, kachumber, bacon, avocado, and eggs over the greens. Serve with chilled buttermilk dressing
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