Cobb Salad Recipe

5 from 1 vote

This Cobb Salad Recipe is packed with crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, salty bacon, eggs, cheese, and the freshest herb dressing. It’s the kind of salad you’ll actually CRAVE!

Prep Time25

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Salad

Cuisine: American, Healthy

Keyword: cobb salad, Cobb Salad Recipe

Servings: large servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $9.25

Equipment

Small blender
Grill or grill pan, optional

Ingredients

Herb Vinaigrette Dressing (See Note 1)

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh cilantro or fresh basil
2-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil best quality
Salt and pepper

Optional Grilled Chicken Addition (See Instruction #1)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts plus 1/3 cup of dressing

Salad

8 cups green leaf lettuce coarsely chopped
2 to 3 hard-boiled eggs peeled and diced or sliced, see note 2
1/3 cup cooked and crumbled bacon 6–7 slices
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame or sweet peas
2/3 cup grape tomatoes halved
1 large avocado diced
1/2 cup corn see note 3
1/2 cup goat cheese or feta or blue cheese

US - Metric

Instructions

Optional Recipe Shortcuts: Skip the chicken, use rotisserie chicken, or use leftover grilled chicken. Use store-bought hard-boiled eggs. Use microwave bacon.
Make The Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients plus 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper to a small blender. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust with more salt, pepper, or sugar as needed. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before serving.
Optional Grilled Chicken: Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make 4 thinner pieces. Add chicken to a large plastic bag and pour in 1/3 of the dressing. Seal the bag, pressing out the air, then knead the dressing into the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours. Don’t marinate longer than 4 hours. To Cook The Chicken: Remove chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Grill chicken over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until it reaches 160°F. Remove chicken from the grill, tent with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Slice or chop into bite-sized pieces.
Prep The Salad: Peel and dice or slice the hard-boiled eggs. Cook and crumble or finely dice the bacon. Cook edamame or peas according to package directions, then drain and cool. Halve the tomatoes and dice the avocado. Prep the corn (note 3).
Assemble: Add lettuce to a large bowl or platter. Layer the cooled chicken, if using, eggs, bacon, edamame, tomatoes, avocado, corn, and cheese on top. Drizzle with dressing right before eating, adding as much as you like. Don’t dress any portion you plan to save, since this salad doesn’t store well once dressed.

Notes

Note 1: If adding grilled chicken, make the full dressing recipe and use 1/3 of it as the chicken marinade. If skipping the chicken, you can halve the dressing recipe or make the full amount and store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Note 2: Bring a pot of water to a boil. Gently lower in fridge-cold eggs, reduce heat to a gentle boil, and cook 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Transfer eggs to cold water for 10 minutes, then crack and peel under water, starting at the base.

Note 3: To grill corn on the cob, see my Elote post for detailed directions. Let it cool, cut it off the cob, and add to the salad.

Storage: Store the salad, dressing, and toppings separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Only add dressing to the portion you’re eating right away so the lettuce stays crisp. If using avocado, slice it fresh right before serving.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information does not include the optional grilled chicken or the 1/3 cup dressing used as marinade.

Nutrition