This delicious Cobb Salad recipe is one of my favorite salads ever! Packed with fresh ingredients and bold flavors, it’s a satisfying main dish salad for hot summer days!
This Cobb Salad is not only a big salad, but it’s also a delicious salad that’ll leaves you satisfied and refreshed. With the combination of fresh ingredients and a homemade or ranch dressing, it’s a perfect balance of flavors and textures!
It’s a flavorful and well-balanced dish, combining protein, fresh veg, and creamy textures. I love how this simple recipe captures the essence of the original Cobb Salad, which was created by Bob Cobb, of the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood.
Feel free to mix and match ingredients to make it truly your own. Keep the leftovers in an airtight container with a tight-fitting lid, and enjoy it the next day as a side salad or a quick lunch.
Key Ingredients
Romaine Lettuce (or Iceberg): This forms the foundational base of the salad, providing a crisp and refreshing texture. Romaine offers a slightly more robust flavor, while iceberg delivers a classic crunch.
Hard-Boiled Eggs: These add a creamy richness and are a significant source of protein, contributing to the salad’s satisfying nature.
Crispy Bacon: The salty, smoky flavor and crunchy texture of bacon are quintessential to a Cobb salad, providing a delightful contrast to the other ingredients.
Juicy Tomatoes (Grape or Cherry): These offer bursts of sweetness and acidity, adding freshness and a vibrant color to the salad. Their smaller size makes them easy to eat.
Avocado (Optional but Recommended): Ripe avocado contributes a creamy, buttery texture and a mild, slightly nutty flavor that complements the other ingredients beautifully. It also adds healthy fats.
Green & Red Onions: These provide a sharp, pungent bite that cuts through the richness of the other ingredients, adding layers of flavor and a bit of zing.
Shredded Chicken (Rotisserie, Breast, or Tenderloin): This is the primary source of lean protein, making the Cobb salad a substantial and filling meal. Using pre-cooked chicken like rotisserie offers convenience.
Crumbled Blue Cheese (or Cheddar): Blue cheese offers a tangy, pungent, and creamy element that is a signature flavor in Cobb salad. Cheddar provides a milder, sharper alternative for those who prefer it.
Cobb Salad Recipe Dressing (Simple Vinaigrette): A well-balanced vinaigrette, like the olive oil and red wine vinegar-based one provided, ties all the diverse flavors together with its acidity and herbaceous notes. It adds moisture and enhances the taste of the individual components.
Tips & Tricks for the Best Cobb Salad
Make it Ahead (Partially): You can cook the bacon, hard-boil the eggs, chop the vegetables (except avocado), and make the dressing ahead of time. Store them separately in the refrigerator and assemble the salad just before serving for the freshest results.
Lettuce Prep is Key: Ensure your romaine lettuce is thoroughly washed and completely dried. Excess water will dilute the dressing and make the salad soggy. A salad spinner is your best friend here!
Perfectly Cooked Eggs: For consistently perfect hard-boiled eggs, follow the timing in the instructions precisely and always use an ice bath to stop the cooking. This prevents the dreaded green ring around the yolk and makes peeling much easier.
Crispier Bacon Every Time: Baking bacon in the oven is a fantastic method for even cooking and less mess. Using parchment paper or paper bags helps absorb the grease. Don’t overcrowd the baking sheet for optimal crisping.
Tomato Selection Matters: Use the ripest grape or cherry tomatoes you can find for the best flavor. Halving or quartering them allows their sweetness to distribute throughout the salad.
Avocado Timing: Avocado browns quickly once cut. If you’re prepping ahead, wait until just before assembling the salad to slice or dice it. A squeeze of lemon or lime juice can help slow down browning.
Onion Intensity Control: If you find raw red onion too strong, you can soak the slices in cold water for about 10-15 minutes before adding them to the salad. This helps to mellow their sharpness. Make sure to drain them well before using.
Chicken Convenience: Rotisserie chicken is a fantastic shortcut for this recipe, saving you cooking time. However, feel free to use leftover grilled or baked chicken breast or tenderloin for a more personalized touch.
Cheese Choices: Don’t be afraid to experiment with cheeses! While blue cheese is traditional, a sharp cheddar, creamy Gorgonzola, or even crumbled feta are delicious too.
Dressing Freshness: Homemade dressing tastes best when freshly made. If you’re making it ahead, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You may need to whisk it again before serving as the oil and vinegar can separate.
Assemble Strategically: The classic Cobb salad presentation with ingredients arranged in rows is visually appealing. However, if you prefer, you can gently toss all the ingredients together (except the avocado and dressing) just before serving. Add the avocado last to prevent it from getting mashed.
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Fresh Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 1 romaine lettuce head 6-9 cups chopped
- 4 eggs hard boiled
- 6 bacon slices
- 1 1/2 cups tomatoes chopped
- 1 hass avocado large, or 2 small
- 1/2 cup green onion chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
- 1/4 cup chives chopped (optional)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the Eggs:
- Place the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan.
- Cover the eggs with cool water by about an inch.
- Bring the water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.
- Once boiling, remove the pan from the heat, cover it tightly, and let it stand for 10-12 minutes (for hard-cooked yolks).
- Immediately transfer the eggs to an ice bath (a bowl of ice water) to stop the cooking process and make them easier to peel.
- Once cooled, peel the eggs and chop them into quarters or roughly chop.
Cook the Bacon:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or paper bags (as you prefer for absorbing fat).
- Lay the bacon strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the bacon is crispy. The exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon.
- Once cooked, remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease.
- Once cooled, crumble or chop the bacon into1 bite-sized pieces.
Prepare the Vegetables:
- Wash the romaine lettuce thoroughly under cold water. Pat it dry or use a salad spinner to remove excess water. Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces.
- Wash the grape or cherry tomatoes and halve or quarter them, depending on their size.
- If using, carefully peel the avocados. Pit them and slice or dice them into bite-sized pieces. To prevent browning, you can toss the avocado with a little lemon juice if preparing ahead of time.
- Trim the green onions and chop them finely.
- Peel the red onion and thinly slice it or chop it finely, as desired.
Prepare the Dressing:
- In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinaigrette), Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and sugar.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Whisk or shake well to combine.
- Taste the dressing and adjust seasonings as needed.
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large salad bowl or individual plates, arrange the chopped romaine lettuce as the base.
- Arrange the remaining salad ingredients in neat rows or sections over the lettuce. This is the classic presentation of a Cobb salad. You can arrange: chopped hard-boiled eggs, crumbled bacon, halved/quartered tomatoes, sliced/diced avocado, chopped green onions, sliced/chopped red onion, shredded chicken, and crumbled blue cheese (or cheddar).
- Sprinkle the chopped fresh chives (if using) over the top.
Serve:
- Serve the Cobb salad immediately with the prepared dressing on the side, allowing individuals to dress their own salads. Alternatively, you can lightly drizzle some of the dressing over the salad just before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
About Juliea
Juliea Huffaker is the creator of Farmhouse Harvest, and dedicated to teaching from-scratch cooking, sourdough baking, gardening, and food preservation. With over 25 years of hands-on experience she has preserved hundreds of jars of produce, mastered the art of meats and sourdough baking, and nurtured a thriving organic garden. Her recipes and articles have been featured across the web. And she’s passionate about inspiring others to embrace a simpler, self-sufficient life style.
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