Cobb Salad

Content… What Is It? Recipe Ingredients How to Make It Recipe Variations Tips and Tricks Make-Ahead Instructions Serving and Storage Instructions FAQs What to Serve More Awesome Salad Recipes to Try Conclusion Watch How to Make It

What is Cobb Salad?

It is a classic American salad with lettuce, tomato, avocado, blue cheese, chicken, boiled egg, and bacon. Then it’s arranged beautifully in a dish and served with a red wine vinaigrette dressing.

Some say a chef at the Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles invented the Cobb Salad in 1938, which then became their signature dish. However, it is not clear if restaurant owner Robert Cobb, or his chef, Paul J. Posti, developed the recipe.

Others claim that Robert Kreis, Brown Derby’s executive chef, created the recipe and named it in honor of Robert Cobb.

Anyway, more importantly, we can enjoy this delicious salad now because of them. So let me give a special thanks to whoever really discovered this recipe. ❤️

Recipe Ingredients

This classic Cobb Salad recipe will fill your belly and body with its essential nutrients from fresh veggies and meat. It’s also a recipe where you can repurpose your leftover meats such as creamy balsamic chicken and shredded chicken. And use those veggies, too, before they sit too long in your fridge. 😅

The Cobb Salad

1. Proteins – I season the chicken with a generous amount of Creole seasoning for this recipe to give it a Cajun twist. I also cooked the bacon nice and crispy to add more crunchy textures. If you don’t like frying the bacon, here’s another technique to make your bacon extra crispy and healthier – oven-baked bacon. Our salad is also loaded with sliced hard-boiled eggs to add a layer of deliciousness.
2. Fresh Produce – Our salad wouldn’t be complete without the lettuce and red onions. I always love the crunch and the perfectly crisp leaves of the lettuce. They are full of freshness with every bite. And the added pungent oniony flavor is truly remarkable, too.
3. Blue Cheese – Its unique smell and umami create an interesting lingering flavor to our salad, especially when mixed with the other ingredients. But if you’re not a fan of blue cheese, you can replace it with crumbled feta cheese. 😉

Cobb Salad Dressing

1. Honey and Lemon Juice – The lovely combination of sweet and citrusy flavor compliments the whole dish adding a refreshing vibe to Cobb Salad dressing. 👌
2. Red Wine Vinegar – While this one is a pretty popular choice for vinaigrette because of its tangy flavor and slightly sweet flavor note. If you don’t have red wine vinegar, you may substitute it with balsamic vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
3. Dijon Mustard – It is often used in vinaigrettes and sauces because its flavor is more intense and sharper than regular mustard. But, of course, regular mustard will work, too.
4. Olive Oil and Garlic – What could be more savory than the perfect combination of these two? Olive oil and garlic are great for sauteing and make an excellent salad dressing base for our salad.

How to Make Cobb Salad

Prep the Bacon and Make the Dressing

• Saute the Bacon – Saute chopped bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp, then cool on a paper-towel-lined plate. (Photos 1-2)
• Mix the Dressing – As the bacon cooks, add all the dressing ingredients to a small mixing bowl and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

Season and Cook the Chicken

• Season the Chicken – Season both sides of chicken breast with salt, black pepper, and Creole seasoning. (Photo 3)
• Cook the Chicken – Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the chicken and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side. The chicken should be cooked through and no longer pink in the middle. (Photo 4)
• Slice the Veggies and Fruits – Once ready, let the chicken rest for about 5 minutes, then slice.

Assembly

• Prep the Ingredients – Prepare (chop or slice) all other ingredients for the salad (avocado, tomatoes, onion, etc.)
• Cook the Eggs – Hard boil two eggs, then peel and quarter them.
• Chop and Layer – Chop, rinse, and drain water from romaine lettuce and arrange on a platter.
• Arrange the remaining salad ingredients (chicken, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, onion, blue cheese, and bacon) in rows over the salad.
• Serve – Sprinkle with chives—drizzle dressing over the salad just before serving.

Recipe Variations

1. Honey Mustard Dressing – Instead of red wine vinaigrette, you can enjoy this Cobb Salad with a more family-friendly sauce, Imma’s homemade Honey Mustard Dressing. Oh yes!
2. Add Color and Texture – Add more veggies and feast your eyes with layers of beautiful colors from corn, bell pepper, carrots, celery, and cucumber. And add more crunchy textures from various superfoods such as beans and nuts – pecan, walnut, cashew, almond, and pistachio.
3. Meaty Options – Of course, our salad here will also taste amazing with slices of ham, roast beef, grilled pork chops, and grilled shrimp.

Tips and Tricks

1. Don’t forget to wash your fruits and veggies. Then dry them thoroughly to prevent our salad from getting soggy. A salad spinner will make your life easier.
2. Drain the excess oil from the bacon and chicken. We don’t want a greasy salad. Yikes!
3. Marinate the chicken for a good 15-30 minutes to infuse the flavor.

Make-Ahead Instructions

You can marinate the chicken a day before and keep it in the fridge overnight. Or store it in the freezer for up to two months. You can make the dressing a week ahead and the salad the day before, but I suggest waiting until serving time to drizzle on the dressing.

Serving and Storage Instructions

Like any salad, it’s best to serve our Cobb Salad fresh. But this salad makes a great meal prep, too, and that’s the beauty of this recipe. Oh yes!

• Cook the chicken and bacon as instructed.
• Mix the dressing and keep it in a glass jar or any clean and dry airtight container. You can keep it safe in the fridge for up to three months. Notice that the dressing may separate, but that’s okay; just give it a little shake, and it’s good to go.
• Assemble the salad in an airtight container, and it will keep in the fridge for up to four days.
• Drizzle the dressing on your salad when ready to serve.

Pro Tip: If you intend to make the Cobb Salad ahead, don’t slice the eggs and avocado just yet to prolong their shelf life. Or you can squeeze some lemon juice over sliced avocado to prevent discoloration.

FAQs

What to Serve with Cobb Salad

Cobb Salad is typically served as a complete meal rather than a side dish, unlike the other salads. But it will be a sumptuous feast if you pair it with these equally mouthwatering dishes below. 😉

1. Homemade Garlic Bread
2. Crab-Stuffed Shrimp
3. Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
4. Hot Water Cornbread
5. Buffalo Chicken Wings

More Awesome Salad Recipes to Try

1. Wedge Salad
2. Shrimp Cobb Salad
3. Ambrosia Salad
4. Pea Salad
5. Sweet Potato Salad

Conclusion

Whether you’re eating healthier or just want a refreshingly light summer meal, this Cobb salad with crisp lettuce, crispy bacon, and filling Cajun chicken is the perfect solution. What special ingredients do you plan on adding? Please let me know in the comments. Thank you!!!

Watch How to Make It

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This was blog post was last published in July 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.