How to make a Cobb Salad with Chicken and Bacon - The Food Charlatan (2024)

I have been eating salad nonstop lately! I don’t know if it’s just summertime or what. Maybe it’s the inevitable entrance into my mid-30s. My body is trying to help me out by making me crave healthier things, so that I don’t die young. Thanks, body. Way to self-preserve. You knew I ate way too much Peach Cobbler last week.

How about that summertime comin’ at us though, right? Are you feeling it? We’re feelin’ it. 106 degrees on Memorial Day, feelin’ it. Gah! Give us a break, Sacramento! My parents just got back from a trip to Minnesota, where they canoed the boundary waters (which is now on my bucket list btw, have you done it? Pictures look gorgeous!) Anyway they said it was still pretty chilly there. Sometimes I forget that the rest of the country has actual, like, seasons. I’ve been wearing shorts for months. Don’t hate me.

I hope everyone had a lovely Memorial Day! I learned that Memorial Day is meant specifically to honor fallen soldiers, while Veteran’s Day is meant to celebrate all those who have served in the military. Did you know? I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know that!

We had a little lesson with the kids to teach them about why it’s important to serve your country, and sang patriotic songs at the piano. It was fun! I love American holidays. It’s always nice to sit back and appreciate how dramatically our lives have been impacted by the profound principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of press. ‘Merica!

This is the Best Cobb Salad Recipe…loaded with all the good stuff!

Well if you are hoping for a detox salad to recover from your weekend of indulging, you are out of luck. Today’s recipe is LOADED. Cobb Salad delivers, man. If you have any people in your life who don’t think salad can be a meal, make them this Cobb Salad and prove them wrong. This is the salad that is literally made of all the ingredients that you are hunting for in a regular salad. Bring on the bacon and eggs.

What’s in a Cobb Salad?

What makes a Cobb salad a Cobb salad, anyway?

Here are all the things you need to make sure your salad has all the classic ingredients! You need them all. No, really.

• Greens: Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, watercress, or a combination. I usually toss in some spring mix, too.
• Chicken: should be grilled or pan-seared
• Bacon: make it crispy, please.
• Hard Boiled Eggs: perfectly cooked with a tender (but not soft) yolk
• Tomato: garden fresh is best. Or so I hear. Can someone please come teach me how to garden, I kill everything.
• Avocado: lots and lots.
• Green onions or chives.
• Roquefort Cheese: I can never find this at my regular grocery store. Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese are great substitutes.
• Dressing: a red wine vinaigrette is traditional. See more about dressing options below!

How to make a Cobb Salad

Cobb salad has so many ingredients it can be a little overwhelming to know which ones to tackle first! But, as with every dish, there is nothing to worry about as long as you prep everything in advance.

Here is the order I like to start prepping ingredients for Cobb salad:

1. Boil eggs so they have time to cool. While that’s cooking/cooling,
2. Make the dressing and let it marinate in the fridge a while.
3. Meanwhile, prep the veggies: chop all the lettuce. Chop or slice tomato. Chop the green onions. Hold off on the avocado. Crumble the cheese at this point, if it’s in a block.
4. Cook the bacon. You can bake it in the oven or cook it on the stove.
5. Pan sear the chicken. If you are short on time, chopped rotisserie chicken is a great option!
6. Slice the avocado. You want to do this right before serving so it doesn’t get brown.

If you are baking your bacon, get it in the oven before prepping your veggies.

One of my favorite hacks for a super flavorful salad is to add your onions and herbs to your lettuce, BEFORE adding other toppings. It gets much better distributed that way, making every bite of your salad perfect. There are no herbs called for in BobCobb Salad, but you could certainly toss in some chopped basil or parsley and it would be delicious.

How do you cut lettuce for Cobb salad?

You’ll notice I just tell you to chop the lettuce for this salad. That’s because I’m making salad, not doing heart surgery. Personally I prefer smaller bites of lettuce–like maybe one inch squares–because I’m not trying to unhinge my jaw every time I take a bite. Your personal preference may suggest you cut larger piece. Basically, I like to slice the leaves of romaine in thirds vertically, from top to bottom, then cut across the other way with multiple horizontal cuts. This gets me those approximately one-inch pieces. I also like washing the leaves before I do the chopping, but you could definitely cut first and wash second. A salad spinner is your friend.

Be sure to dry your chicken well before cooking, and make sure to space it out in the pan to get good browning.

And for goodness sake, don’t forget the avocado.

How to serve the Best Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad Dressing

Cobb Salad is traditionally served with a red wine vinaigrette. A vinaigrette is a great option for Cobb Salad because it’s super easy to make and has lots of tangy flavor to balance all the rich ingredients in the salad. But we don’t have to limit ourselves here, try out these other dressing ideas!

• Creamy Buttermilk Ranch Dressing this is a personal favorite. I mean ranch is just classic with BobCobb.
• Italian dressing
• Balsamic vinaigrette
• French Dressing
• Honey Mustard (recipe below)

When I told Eric I was making a Cobb Salad recipe, I asked him what dressing he would choose to go with it. Without hesitating he answered “Honey Mustard.” Who am I to deny such confidence? So that’s why I’ve included a quick Honey Mustard Dressing in the recipe below. I’ve also included the Red Wine Vinaigrette recipe in the notes.

Homemade dressings make a big impact, but if you’re short on time a store bought salad dressing is going to do you just fine. Don’t let some food blogger tell you what to do.

Honestly, this salad is so hearty it doesn’t really need side dishes. It stands on it’s own! But a side of bread isn’t going to hurt. (It never does, right? Unless you’re entering your mid-30s and your body is trying to send you salad messages. Eat more saladdd. Less carbs pleeeease. We just want to live)

ok sorry. Try these bread ideas:

• Olive Garden Breadsticks these are so easy
• One Hour French Bread! Seriously just one hour.
• One Hour Dinner Rolls Super fluffy!
• Garlic Knots these are dipped in garlic butter
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits << nevermind, Cobb Salad def needs a side dish and it should be these. Cheesy bread ftw!!

If you are feeding kids (or close-minded adults who don’t think salad counts as a meal ;) you could serve some buttered noodles on the side. Or, if you have a lot of people to serve, you could round out the meal with a pureed soup such as Asparagus Soup or Creamy Zucchini Soup.

Also for kids, it’s helpful to serve the salad in parts. Chicken on this side of the plate, eggs over here, bacon over there, then a side salad with dressing. Sometimes kids have a hard time with a big salad all mixed together, at least my kids do! Not me though, I’m like a monster eating this salad. I get out the biggest bowl I can find and mix it all together, tornado style. It’s HEAVEN.

Chicken Cobb Salad FAQs

More Salad for Dinner ideas!

• Seriously the Best Taco Salad << I could eat this every day.
• Crispy Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch << like a McDonald’s Crispy chicken sandwich…salad style.
• Grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad << pair this with some grilled chicken for a full meal
• Apple Gorgonzola Salad << a Buca di Beppo copycat. Add chicken or bacon if you’re making it dinner!
• This Chopped Chef Salad from View From Great Island looks so tasty! What’s the difference between a Cobb Salad recipe and Chef’s Salad? They are similar, but Chef’s Salad includes cold cuts like ham or turkey, cucumber and sometimes celery, and Swiss and/or cheddar cheese. No chicken, no bacon.