Description

This hearty dinner salad is a healthy, tasty, and easy weeknight dinner option. Opt to make your own marinated, grilled chicken and Catalina-Style French dressing – both lower in fat and sugar – or take a few shortcuts to save time.

Ingredients

Scale

For the chicken marinade:

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, split in half lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
¼ cup chicken broth
⅓ cup lower-sodium soy sauce
⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
2 packets sweetener of choice or 2 tablespoons brown sugar or honey
1 package Italian Dressing Mix (I used Good Seasons)

For the Catalina-Style French dressing:

1 large clove garlic
⅓ cup light vegetable oil
⅓ cup chicken or vegetable broth
½ cup low-sugar ketchup
¼ cup white vinegar
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup sweetener of choice (I used a 1:1 sweetener blend, like Swerve) or ¼ cup honey or brown sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worchestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated black pepper

For the Cobb salad:

1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 small head of iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce, torn into pieces
1 ½ cups quartered cherry tomatoes
4 grilled, marinated chicken breasts
8 strips bacon, cooked very crisp and crumbled
4 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
1 small red onion, diced
½ English cucumber, diced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
Freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

Start with the marinade and chicken.

Add all of the marinade ingredients, except the chicken and sliced onion, to a large Mason jar or bowl. Use a whisk or an immersion blender to blend until fully combined.

Toss in the chicken and sliced onion to a ziplock bag. Pour in the marinade, zip the bag and allow to marinate for at least an hour or up to overnight.

On a grill over medium heat, grill the chicken, about 3-5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Use a sharp knife to cut into a thick part of the meat to ensure that is opaque all the way through. Remove from heat, cover with foil and allow to rest.

Make the marinade.

Pour all of the ingredients into a large Mason jar. Use an immersion blender to blend the ingredients until thickened. Alternatively, you can whisk all of the ingredients together, except the oil. Once all the other ingredients are combined, while whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until the dressing is emulsified. Refrigerate. This will keep in the refrigerator for a little over a week.

Assemble the salad,

On 4 large salad plates or bowls, make a bed with the torn lettuce leaves.

Arrange the tomatoes, chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, onions, cucumber, and feta cheese over the lettuce.

Grind the black pepper over each portion, to taste.

Serve with the dressing on the side.

Prep Time: 30 minutes + marinating time
Cook Time: 10 minutes + marinating time
Category: Starters, Main Course
Method: Blend, Grill, Toss
Cuisine: American

Keywords: dinner salad, salad recipes, healthy recipes, healthy meals, weeknight meals, weeknight recipes