Chicken Tikka Salad

Name: Chicken Tikka Salad
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Ingredients: .75-1 lb chicken breast; 2 Tbsp tikka masala paste (*see notes); 3 Tbsp lemon juice; 3 Tbsp plain yogurt; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 Tbsp milk (*any kind); 8-10 cups romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 large heads of romaine); 1 bell pepper, diced; 1 10 oz canned chickpeas (rinsed & drained); 1 cup cherry tomatoes; ⅓ cup red onion, thinly sliced; ½ tsp curry powder; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp pepper; ¼ tsp cinnamon; 1 tsp olive oil; ¼ cup plain yogurt; 1 Tbsp tikka masala paste; 3 Tbsp cilantro; 2 Tbsp white vinegar; 1 Tbsp honey; 1 garlic clove; ¼ cup olive oil; 2-4 Tbsp water (add as needed to thin sauce, do not add at once! )

Bailey

5 from 2 votes

May 15, 2023

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Chicken Tikka Salad is an Indian inspired salad with full, well rounded flavors and texture. You will love this change up, it’s unique and mouth watering good. This recipe is easy to whip up and easily customizable as far as the veggies go. I am a big sucker for Indian flavors.

Plate with a green bowl with lettuce and tikka chicken inside.

Why Make Chicken Tikka Salad
Ingredients Needed
For The Chicken Marinade
For The Salad
Tikka Masala Vinaigrette
Recipe Variations
How To Make This Recipe
Recipe FAQ’s
Recipe Pairings
Other Salad Recipes You Will Love

Why Make Chicken Tikka Salad

This salad has all the big flavor of tikka masala but its a lightened up salad version with juicy marinated chicken and a tikka masala vinaigrette. The flavors in this salad are bangin! You will feel not only satisfied but fully nourished with this crunchy fresh salad. By far a new weeknight favorite for the family. The topping options are endless and you can customize with your favorite veggies.

Ingredients Needed

For The Chicken Marinade

Chicken Breast. Boneless skinless chicken breasts is great for this recipe, you can also use chicken thighs if you’d like.

Tikka Paste or Sauce. This is sold in the international aisle. There are several brands and variations. This is the one I used, but please use what you can find, you can also use Tikka simmer sauce. The paste is more concentrated which I like as it gives off more flavor.

Yogurt. Full fat, plain yogurt works best. The probiotics in the yogurt keep the chicken tender. You will also need a little for the Tikka Vinaigrette.

Milk. This is a traditional ingredient in tikka masala. For this recipe it’s used to thin our the marinade for the chicken.

Lemon. This adds a citrus balance and it helps to tenderize the chicken a bit.

For The Salad

Romaine Lettuce. You can use any lettuce of choice, I prefer romaine for this, it’s crunchy and it really grabs all the dressing well.

Cherry Tomatoes. Sliced, roma or cherry tomatoes for topping.

Chickpeas. I use canned chickpeas for easy of use and time. Give them a good rinse.

Green or Red Bell Pepper. This is optional, but I love the crunch and always love bell peppers with Indian foods.

Seasoning. Curry powder, cinnamon, salt, pepper.

Red Onion. This adds a little bite and aromatics to the salad.

Tikka Masala Vinaigrette

Lemon.

Olive Oil. Neutral in flavor.

Cilantro. Fresh cilantro for flavor and color.

Tikka Paste. Simmer sauce will also work.

White Vinegar. For the Vinaigrette flavor.

Honey. You can also use maple syrup. This brings all the flavors together.

Garlic. Fresh garlic for aromatics in the dressing.

Yogurt.

Recipe Variations

Tikka Pasta. Red curry paste will work if you cannot find Tikka paste or sauce. Red Curry paste will also work if you want to make this dairy free.

Yogurt. You can use sour cream instead if needed for both the marinade and the Vinaigrette.

Romaine. Mixed greens or spinach will work. You can also serve this dish over rice if needed.

Bell Peppers. You can use jalapeños for a spicer bite, or roughly chop onion and roast it a bit.

How To Make This Recipe

Step One. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes, smaller is fine, just be sure they are all the same size. In a large bowl whisk the tikka paste, yogurt, lemon and milk. Make sure the tikka paste is mixed in well, you may need to use a fork to mash any chunks. Add the chicken to the bowl and marinate for 10 minutes – 24 hours (any time in between is great). Keep the bowl covered and in the fridge for the duration of marinating.

Step Two. Preheat oven to 375º. Drain and rinse chickpeas, add them to a baking tray with diced bell peppers. In a small bowl mix seasonings. Drizzle 1 tsp olive oil over the veggies and then sprinkle the seasoning, rub in so everything is evenly coated. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes until the peppers are softened *keep an eye on them, oven temps vary greatly*

Step Three. Dice up all the other salad toppings, tomato, onion, romaine. Set aside. In a large skillet heat up 1 Tbsp oil on medium heat, add in the marinated chicken. Cook the chicken for about 10-14 minutes, turning a few times for an even cook or until it’s no longer pink and 165º internally.

Step Four. While the chicken is cooking, blend up the dressing and set aside. Once the chicken is finished cooking, assemble the salad. Start with romaine, add onion, tomato, chickpeas/pepper mix, chicken and drizzle with dressing. Enjoy!

Blue bowl with romaine and chicken, tomatoes and a fork.

Recipe FAQ’s

What is Tikka Masala

Tikka Masala is a dish consisting of typically roasted marinated chicken chunks in a spiced sauce. The sauce is usually creamy and flavorful from yogurt and indian seasoning.

Is this dish spicy?

No, Tikka masala is pretty mild in spice and can be enjoyed by any heat preference level.

Can I marinate chicken overnight?

Yes! If you can, marinated the chicken overnight in a bowl with plastic cover in the fridge.

Recipe Pairings

This salad is filling and great on it’s own, but I love to pair it with my homemade Garlic Rolls or Crispy Fries on the side.

Other Salad Recipes You Will Love

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