Easy Keto Cobb Salad with Creamy Yogurt Dressing
Healthy Keto Cobb Salad Recipe Healthy and delicious keto cobb salad is low-calorie (low-carb, obviously), gluten-free, very tasty, and full of flavors. This salad is made with fresh romaine lettuce greens, sautéed chicken breast, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled feta cheese. The best thing about this cobb salad is it can be…
Healthy Keto Cobb Salad Recipe
Healthy and delicious keto cobb salad is low-calorie (low-carb, obviously), gluten-free, very tasty, and full of flavors. This salad is made with fresh romaine lettuce greens, sautéed chicken breast, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled feta cheese. The best thing about this cobb salad is it can be prepped ahead, which means it comes together quickly whenever you want to eat it! This equally means that you can always have a cobb salad ready to go!
Cobb salad, like most salads, is versatile; when it comes to the ingredients, they can be as plentiful or as little as you want them to be! For instance, my beetroot and feta cheese salad and spring mix salad. The former has many ingredients when compared with the latter that has only four! Also, a cobb salad can be made of whatever you want! The bottom line is that you make it the way it will serve you and the way you will enjoy it! Relatively, if you are looking to eat healthier, lighter aka, low-calorie and low-carb, you will love this keto cobb salad recipe.
What is A Cobb Salad?
According to Wikipedia, “a Cobb salad is an American main-dish garden salad that typically includes chopped greens, tomatoes, and bacon, chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, chives, blue cheese, etc.” To my understanding, you can easily use any type of greens to make a cobb salad. Though the standard greens for a cobb is lettuce, you do not have to stop there! The same goes with the protein, the standard protein for a cobb salad is chicken. However, I have had the shrimp cobb salad and salmon cobb salad. When it comes to food, I always say, get excited and be creative!
Difference Between a regular Cobb Salad/ Keto Cobb Salad
The difference between the regular cobb salad and the keto cobb salad is that the classic cobb salad doesn’t shy away from carbs or sugar. For instance, its chicken could be breaded, and that doesn’t matter. Also, the salad may contain corn as part of the ingredients, and that doesn’t matter. On the other hand, Keto Cobb salad stays off carbs, sugar, and vegetables that aren’t keto-friendly!
INGREDIENTS FOR KETO COBB SALAD
Lettuce:
One of the most popular greens used in most cobb salads is lettuce. Thankfully lettuce is excellent for sleep and great for the bone! Lettuce equally has high moisture content and therefore can keep you hydrated. Relatively lettuce is an excellent source of folate, fiber, and iron. Though you can use any other green to replace lettuce in this salad recipe, I think lettuce makes cobb salad COBB. Feel free to use iceberg lettuce or romaine lettuce!
Chicken breast:
Chicken cobb salad is wildly famous as most cobb salads chose chicken as the primary source of protein. I think this is because chicken breast is readily available! On the other hand, shrimp cobb salad and salmon cobb salad are equally a thing and worth exploring! I enjoy my keto cobb salad with chicken breast; make sure to season the chicken well. I seasoned this chicken with Spice Tribe’s Mama Manje alongside salt, pepper, and Maggi.
Avocado:
This is one of my favorite fruits, rarely do I eat any type of salad without avocado! My only complaint is that one serving size of an avocado is only 1/3 ( aka one-third) of an avocado. And that’s too small if you ask me. Anyways, avocado is a nutritious fruit comprising tons of vitamins and minerals! Surprisingly (well, not), an avocado has more potassium than a banana.
Additionally, avocado has excellent healthy monounsaturated fatty acid, aka the good high-fat food. By the same token, avocados are loaded with fibers and powerful antioxidants and lower in carbohydrates.
Cherry Tomatoes:
Tomato originated in South America. Technically a fruit, tomatoes are a good source of antioxidants and vitamins K, C, and some minerals such as potassium and folate. Tomatoes are famously known to promote skin health, heart health and decrease the instances of certain cancers.
Hard-Boiled Eggs:
First of all, eggs are inexpensive and readily available! Second, eggs are excellent sources of choline, selenium, vitamin D, B6, B12, zinc, iron, and copper. Finally, eggs are one of the highest quality proteins. Also, it is essential to note that eggs improve good cholesterol and contain antioxidants that promote eye health! Hard-boiled eggs are a great addition to this healthy keto cobb salad!
Purple Onions:
Generally, onions are fantastic because they belong to the allium family, like garlic, scallion, etc. Purple or red onion is sweet and flavorful; it is equally known to be anti-bacterial and can promote digestive health as it acts as a prebiotic. Aside from the medicinal powers of purple onions, it equally adds beautiful color to this keto cobb salad recipe! I don’t think white onions would do the same justice to this salad.
Feta Cheese:
I used feta cheese because that was what I had on hand. You can use blue cheese or cheddar. Chick Fil A’s cobb salad comes with sharp cheddar cheese. I think any cheese would indeed work with this keto cobb salad recipe! Fortunately, feta cheese equally great health benefits.
Feta cheese contains more calcium than many other kinds of cheese; WOW! Did you read that? And just in case you are wondering, calcium helps the body to maintain healthy teeth and bones. Did I hear you say, “MORE FETA PLEASE?”😊
HOW TO MAKE A KETO COBB SALAD
- Make the chicken; mix the ingredients for seasoning the chicken, season, and marinate for 30 minutes; you can also sauté immediately. Sauté the chicken with the EVOO and set aside. If you have a leftover chicken (or meat), that might work as well.
- Boil the eggs, and set them aside.
- Cut and wash the lettuce leaves, then use a salad spinner to dry all the excess moisture. Make sure to dry the moisture from your greens if you desire a perfect keto cobb salad. If you do not have a salad spinner, wash the lettuce leaves before cutting, dry thoroughly with a paper towel, and then cut/chop into the desired size.
- Wash and cut/slice the remaining vegetables – reds onions, halve the cherry tomatoes or leave them as whole if too small, finally cut the avocados.
- Cut the bacon into bites and as well as the hard-boiled eggs into desired sizes.
- Plate/assemble the salad; start by layering the plate with lettuce, adding everything, and finally top with feta cheese.
Keto Cobb Salad Dressing
What is the best dressing for a Cobb Salad? Personally, I think a creamy dressing is best for any cobb salad; after all, the creamier, the better. Do you agree? For this keto cobb salad, I made a creamy yogurt dressing. The ingredients for the yogurt dressing include Greek yogurt, sour cream, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a little monk fruit to counter the lemon juice.
Cobb Salad Vs. Chef Salad
Each time I make cobb salad, my son would say, “thank you, mommy, for making this chef salad.” Okay, you are welcome, baby, but this is actually a cobb salad. I would typically say. So, I feel that even though I am writing about cobb salad today, it is equally important I learn about chef salad. As I am still wearing my researcher hat.
First, a cobb salad and a chef salad are similar because they are both salads. Second, chef salad may include whatever ingredients the chef has available. In other words, it can differ from chef to chef! Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a cobb salad contains more ingredients than a chef salad (well, that’s what research says). Equally important to remember is that both salads are famous and undisputedly satisfying!
Keto vs. Low Calorie
Does keto cobb salad equal low-calorie cobb salad? NO! In reality, not all keto cobb salad is low-calorie; Keto simply means KETOGENIC, low carbohydrate diet, and high protein and healthy fat. Some keto recipes may have very high calories; however, this very keto cobb salad has lower calorie.
Keto Cobb Salad Recipe FAQs:
Okay, friends, for this question, we head over to Wikipedia again. One version of the story claims that cobb salad was invented in 1929, and the other version claims it was created in 1937. Nevertheless, all the stories about the invention of cobb salad point down to Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, and in honor of the owner Robert Howard Cobb! So, irrespective of how this salad came about, I am grateful it saw the light of day. And when you make this keto cobb salad, you will understand!
Most cobb salad recipes are not keto; however, you can easily make them keto! Start by paying attention to the ingredients, do not include high-carb foods or sugar when creating yours.
The carbs content of any salad would differ depending on theingredients. For example, this very keto cobb salad recipe has about 12.7 grams of carb per serving.
Yes, you can totally meal prep this keto cobb salad, and the best way to do this is to prep the ingredients separately. To meal prep this salad, first, make the chicken ahead, set it aside. Second, prep the greens and set them aside in a separate clean container. Third, boil the eggs, peel them, and set them aside. Fourth, cut/slice the onions and store them away as well. Finally, for avocado, peel and cut them when you wish to use them. This is because avocado can quickly turn brown.
Are Keto Cobb Salads Low-calorie?
First of all, the calorie of any particular salad is typically determined by the number of ingredients and servings. Having said that, most cobb salad recipes are generally not low-caloric recipes, but you can change that as you decide on what to add or not add to your salad. At the same time, this keto cobb salad recipe is low-calorie at only 431 calories per serving.
Are there special tools for making a Cobb salad?
No, there aren’t any special tools for making a cobb salad. I think a salad spinner is necessary. However, you can still make this salad without one! Equally, this is a big salad, so ensure a big bowl to assemble the salad. Alternatively, prep and store the ingredients separately and assemble them when you want to eat!
How to Store Leftover Keto Cobb Salad
Here’s the thing: salads are better stored individually. So, the tip here is not to mix/assemble everything from the onset. The best way to properly store a leftover salad is to prep and keep the ingredients separately so that you only make the quantity you need whenever you wish to serve. But, again, remember this is something you do initially, not as an afterthought.
For the salads that are already mixed store leftover tightly closed in a clean, dry container. I wouldn’t leave this for more than 24 hours.
Variations/Substitutions
- Some protein substitutions may include ham, turkey, shrimp, salmon, oysters, cod. I am sure you can use any other meat or fish to substitute with chicken for a cobb salad.
- And if you are vegan, some plant-based “meaty” non-meat substitutions include eggplant, mushrooms, cauliflower, jackfruit! There are so many choices!
- In the event that that you want to sub some of the vegetables, cucumber, celery, or broccoli would all be a great addition to the keto cobb salad. Equally, olives are an excellent replacement for cherry tomatoes if you do not fancy tomatoes.
- Traditionally, a cobb salad mainly uses lettuce as the type of green (iceberg or romaine); however, I am sure any other one would work if you do not have lettuce. For example, such as kale, spring mix, arugula, or spinach, any of these greens can sub lettuce in this keto cobb salad recipe!
- Finally, you can use any cheese and still enjoy this salad; I used feta cheese primarily because that was what I have on hand! Alternatively, you can substitute feta cheese for blue cheese, goat cheese, cheddar cheese, or any other choice of cheese! Chick Fil A, famously uses sharp cheddar cheese on their cobb salad!
To sum up, feel free to use what appeals to you; after all, you will eat it. Make your salad to please no one else but you!
Tips for Making the Best Keto Cobb Salad
- If possible, prep everything ahead of time and assemble the salad whenever you need it!
- Do not bread the chicken; obviously, Chick Fil A gets away with this because their salad isn’t keto cobb salad, and they make breaded chicken new every day. On the other hand, breaded chicken typically doesn’t quite look and taste good after 24 hours. So, in other to make your chicken last longer (especially if you are meal prepping), DO NOT BREAD THEM!
- Make sure the bacon is crispy; no one wants soggy bacon in salads; also, use a paper towel to soak off excess oil from
- Ensure the greens dry/crisp! No room for wet leaves in a salad!
- Season the chicken well; bland chicken (protein) does no one no good!
- Add low-carb salad toppings; the more toppings, the better. Ever heard the saying that the more, the merrier? Well, yes!
- Finally, be creative, do not be afraid to switch things around; add the keto-friendly veggies you enjoy, and ignore the ones you don’t want! Cheers to making more keto cobb salad recipes!
Easy Keto Cobb Salad with Creamy Greek Yogurt Dressing
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Chopping
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Healthy and delicious keto cobb salad is low-calorie (low-carb, obviously), gluten-free, very tasty, and full of flavors. This salad is made with fresh romaine lettuce, sautéed chicken breast, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and crumbled feta cheese. The best thing about this cobb salad is it can be prepped ahead, which means it comes together quickly whenever you want to eat it! This is the low-carb meal prep salad recipe you are looking for; easy, breezy, and tasty! Definitely a must-try!
Ingredients
3 Chicken Breasts (slice each one into two making 6 chicken breasts)
10 cups of lettuce (or about 2 heads of lettuce; you can equally mix lettuce with other greens)
1/3 of onions
5 hard boiled eggs
1 cup of cherry tomatoes
3 bacon
2 avocados
½ cup of feta cheese
Ingredients for seasoning the chicken
1 – 2 tablespoons of EVOO (for sautéing the chicken)
1 teaspoon of Mama Manje Haitian spice blend (from Spice Tribe)
Salt to taste
Black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 – 1 Maggi cube
For the Dressing:
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup of light sour cream
1 lemon (squeezed)
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
2 Teaspoons – 1 tablespoon of Monk fruit (optional)
Instructions
- Make the chicken; mix the ingredients for seasoning the chicken, season every part of the chicken and allow marinating for 30 minutes; you can also sauté immediately if in a hurry. Sauté the chicken with the EVOO and set aside. If you have a leftover chicken (or meat), that might work as well.
- Boil the eggs, crack and remove the shells, and set aside.
- Cut and wash the lettuce leaves, then use a salad spinner to dry all the excess moisture. Make sure to dry moisture from your greens if you desire a perfect keto cobb salad. If you do not have a salad spinner, wash the lettuce leaves, dry thoroughly with paper towels, and then cut/chop into the desired size.
- Wash and cut/slice the remaining vegetables – reds onions, halve the cherry tomatoes or leave them as whole if too small, finally cut the avocados. Avocados can turn brown easily, so always cut when you are about to use them.
- Cut the bacon into bites and as well as the hard-boiled eggs into desired sizes.
- Plate/assemble the salad; start by layering the plate with greens (lettuce), then add every other ingredient – chicken, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, onions, avocado, and finally top with feta cheese.
How to Make the Salad Dressing:
Add all the salad dressing ingredients into a bowl, squeeze the juice of a whole lemon, mix, taste, adjust if necessary.
Monk fruit is optional; add it to taste. I typically add about 1 tablespoon.
Notes
Keep eyes on the chicken when sautéing them because they can easily burn as a result of paprika.
Monk fruit is optional though I highly recommend it. This is because it balances out the taste.
Make sure to dry all moisture from the greens. If you do not have salad spinner use an ink free dye-free paper towel to dry them.
Check out the “variations/substitutions” sections for ideas on how to get more creative with this salad.
More Low-Calorie (Low-carb) Salads to Try:
Spring Mix Salad: Keto, low carb, gluten-free, and easy to make Spring mix salad recipe requires only four ingredients. Perfect for a healthy lunch or weeknight dinner.
Berry Spinach Salad: This is the low-carb salad you didn’t know you need. The best part is that this salad is read in 10 minutes, the perfect way to use the berries and spinach! Serve with your choice of protein, or keep it vegan as-is.
Red Cabbage Taco Salad: If you are looking for a low-carb Taco, I got you. This Red Cabbage Taco recipe is what you need; it is keto-friendly, gluten-free, very tasty, and nutritious! The best part is that it is easy to make!
Here’s some more:
- Shrimp Lettuce Wraps.
- Beetroot and Feta Cheese Salad.
- Shredded Beet Salad.
- Sweet Potato Avocado Bites.
- Chicken and Carrot Stir-fry.
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Thanks for stopping by!
Kechi!
Wow, what an easy and time-savvy recipe! Thank you for sharing, I’ll definitely include this in this week’s meal plan.
Thanks Maria, glad you like it! Keep me posted when you do make it!😊
I love the idea of a keto cobb salad, and this sounds delicious and perfect for summer! Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Maryanne! Glad you like this!
Loved this salad — so easy to whip up and very satisfying!
Yes, Michelle, super easy!
That creamy yogurt dressing totally sends this salad over the top! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
You are welcome, Jessica!🙏🏾😊
Oh wow! This salad is perfect for bbq weekends we often have. Everyone is bound to love this salad. So much flavor and very tasty! Can’t wait to try this lovely salad!
Hope you guys like it, Beth! Yes, so much flavor indeed!