Cobb Salad
intro
A hearty, iconic chopped salad loaded with smoky bacon, tender chicken, creamy avocado, and tangy blue cheese, tossed in a bright red wine vinaigrette.
Ingredients
Steps
Cook crispy bacon
Place a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat (175°C/350°F). Arrange 120 grams of thick-cut bacon in a single, unstacked layer. Cook 4-5 minutes per side until deep golden and fully crispy, then transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain for 5 minutes. Chop cooled bacon into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces.
Sear seasoned chicken
Leave 15ml (1 tablespoon) of rendered bacon fat in the skillet, maintaining medium heat (175°C/350°F). Season the 220g boneless, skinless chicken breast on both sides with 1g (1/4 teaspoon) kosher salt and 0.3g (1/8 teaspoon) black pepper. Sear 6-7 minutes per side, until internal temperature reaches 74°C/165°F. Transfer to a cutting board, rest 5 minutes, then dice into 1cm (1/2 inch) cubes.
Hard-boil eggs
Bring a small saucepan with 500ml (2 cups) of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Use a slotted spoon to gently lower 4 large eggs into the boiling water, reduce heat to medium to hold a steady gentle boil, and cook exactly 9 minutes. Drain immediately, then submerge eggs in an ice water bath for 5 minutes to stop cooking and loosen shells. Peel cooled eggs, then chop into 1cm (1/2 inch) pieces.
Whisk vinaigrette
In a small glass mixing bowl, combine 45ml (3 tablespoons) red wine vinegar, 5g (1 teaspoon) Dijon mustard, remaining 2g (3/4 teaspoon) kosher salt, and 0.7g (3/8 teaspoon) black pepper. Slowly stream in 80ml (1/3 cup) extra-virgin olive oil while whisking constantly for 30 seconds, until the dressing is fully emulsified, glossy, and smooth.
Prep salad base
Spread 300g (4 cups) of washed, thoroughly dried chopped romaine lettuce in an even layer across a large 30cm (12 inch) serving platter. Pat diced Roma tomatoes and diced avocado lightly with paper towel to remove excess surface moisture that would make the salad soggy.
Arrange salad toppings
Arrange prepped ingredients in neat, parallel, evenly sized rows across the romaine base: diced chicken, chopped bacon, chopped egg, diced tomato, diced avocado, crumbled blue cheese, and thinly sliced red onion. Drizzle half the vinaigrette over the salad, and serve the remaining dressing on the side for guests to add as desired.
Tips
2.Cut all protein and vegetable toppings to a uniform 1cm (1/2 inch) size to ensure every bite has a balanced mix of flavors and textures, the signature of a classic Cobb salad.
3.For faster weeknight prep, cook bacon, chicken, and hard-boiled eggs up to 3 days in advance, store in sealed containers in the fridge, and assemble the salad right before serving.
OMG this cobb salad is SO good! I made it for our family dinner last night and everyone went back for seconds. The ratio of toppings to greens is perfect, no sad sparse bites here. Even my super picky 7 year old ate all his veggies without complaining. Total game changer for weeknight meals!
I prepped all the components separately on Sunday and this salad kept perfectly for quick work lunches all week! I stored the dressing on the side and tossed it right before eating, zero soggy greens. Saved me so much money on takeout salads this week, 10/10.
Really solid cobb salad recipe! I swapped the blue cheese for feta because that’s what I had in the fridge, and it still slapped. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is I wish the recipe had a note on how long to hard boil the eggs for that perfect jammy yolk, mine came out a little overdone. Otherwise super tasty, easy to throw together.
Brought this to my neighborhood block party potluck last weekend and people were hounding me for the recipe before I even set the bowl down! I doubled the recipe because we had a big crowd, and there was barely a handful left by the end of the night. Such a crowd pleaser.
Macro-friendly, packed with protein, and actually tastes good? Sign me up. I’ve been eating boring grilled chicken salads for months to hit my protein goals and this feels like a cheat meal without wrecking my numbers. Added extra avocado because avocados are life right now.
It was fine, pretty standard cobb salad. I felt like the dressing was a little too tangy for my taste, so I added a tiny bit of honey to mellow it out. Cook time was accurate though, super easy to make even for someone who barely cooks like me. Probably won’t be my go-to cobb but it was edible.
Just finished making this for a quick lunch and wow, I’m blown away by how flavorful it is for how little effort it takes! I used leftover rotisserie chicken from last night’s dinner so it came together in literally 10 minutes flat. Why have I been buying overpriced deli cobb salads this whole time?!
My kids loved it! I was worried the blue cheese would be too strong for them so I served it on the side, and they loaded up their salads with bacon, egg, avocado, and chicken like little champs. We had this with some crusty garlic bread for a perfect summer dinner on the patio.
Made this on the smoker side burner while I was doing ribs for the game, and it was the perfect fresh side to cut through all the rich smoked meat. I added a little smoked paprika to the chicken while it cooked to give it that extra smoke flavor, paired so well with the ranch dressing. Would definitely make again, just wish I’d made more because my friends devoured it before I got a second serving.
I made this fully vegetarian by swapping the bacon for coconut bacon and the chicken for crispy chickpeas, and it was incredible! The base recipe is so versatile, you can swap in whatever proteins you like and it still tastes like a classic cobb. 10/10 for flexibility.
Great recipe, super straightforward! I will say, if you’re making this for a picnic, don’t toss the dressing in ahead of time like I did. I dressed the whole bowl before leaving for our hike and by the time we got to the picnic spot the lettuce was a little wilted. Still tasted amazing, just learned my lesson for next time.
Just whipped this up for a quick solo lunch while working from home and I’m already planning to make it again for my book club next week! The homemade red wine vinaigrette? Chefs kiss. I never thought to put a little Dijon in cobb dressing before, that’s the secret ingredient I was missing all these years.
Wait why did I sleep on cobb salad for so long? This recipe made me a convert. I added some pickled red onions I had in the fridge for a little extra zing, and it paired so perfectly with all the rich toppings. My roommate walked by, stole a bite, and demanded I make a bowl for him too.
Made this for a casual date night in with my partner and it was so much better than getting takeout! We paired it with a crisp white wine and spent the whole night picking toppings off the platter while we watched a movie. So easy, no fancy skills needed, felt fancy without the effort or the price tag.
Made this for Sunday football watch party with the guys and even the most carnivore-obsessed dudes in the group were raving about it. I grilled the chicken instead of pan cooking it for that extra char, and threw on some extra hard boiled eggs because eggs are cheap and delicious. Zero leftovers, that’s how you know it’s a hit.
Really solid base recipe! I used turkey bacon instead of regular pork bacon to cut down on saturated fat, and it was still really tasty. The only note I have is that the recipe says it takes 30 minutes total, but it took me closer to 45 because I had to cook the chicken, boil eggs, and chop all the veggies while chasing my toddler around. Still worth the time though, will make again.
Dude this salad slaps. I threw it together after my morning surf sesh, used pre-cooked bacon and pre-chopped lettuce from the grocery store to make it even faster, and it was the perfect post-workout meal. Refreshing, filling, doesn’t leave me feeling bloated like a big burrito does after surfing. 10/10.