California Cobb Salad
The Cobb salad is one of those rare combinations of ingredients that adds up to so much more than the sum of its parts. Salty bacon, perfectly pan-seared chicken, soft, jammy eggs (or hard-boiled if you prefer), creamy avocado and blue cheese. A bed of cool, crisp lettuce provides a refreshing counterpoint to the richness, while a tangy vinaigrette ties everything together. Each bite is a revelation, a testament to the transformative power of simple ingredients.
The Cobb Salad: A Symphony of Flavors and Textures
A hearty, fresh salad is one of my constant cravings. This one, a pretty classic take on the Cobb salad is made up of crisp,warm bacon, roast chicken and soft-ish boiled eggs, tossed together with lettuce, creamy avocado, blue cheese and a zippy vinaigrette. It’s light and fresh, yet warm, savory and filling… all the things, so to speak.
A Cobb salad can really be as elaborate or as simple as you choose to make it. It is said that the original Cobb was created as a way to make a meal out of leftovers. In that spirit, feel free to use leftover cooked chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken at the market. If you’re making a large salad for a crowd, most of the prep work can be done well in advance like crisping up the bacon, boiling the eggs and making the vinaigrette.
For more main course salads, check out: Buffalo Chicken Salad, California Chopped Salad, Frisée Salad with Bacon, Croutons and Poached Egg.
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Here’s everything you need to make this recipe: little gem lettuce (or romaine), bacon, chicken, blue cheese, avocado, eggs, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, chives, shallot and dijon mustard.
*See recipe card for additional notes and ingredient substitutions.*
A Note on Tomatoes in Salad: There is truly nothing better than a super sweet peak-season tomato and, sadly, nothing worse than a watery, flavorless out of season tomato. If tomatoes are out of season I really don’t bother with them in salads, or sandwiches, for that matter. If you can’t find good tomatoes just go ahead and omit them from the recipe.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1. Crisp the Bacon
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Reserve the skillet, and any rendered bacon fat, to cook the chicken in next.
Step 2. Cook the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 350F. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook, skin side down in the rendered bacon fat. Once the skin has achieved a nice golden brown color, transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking, about 15-20 minutes depending on the size of the breasts.
Step 3. Boil Eggs and Make Vinaigrette
While the chicken is in the oven, boil the eggs to your desired doneness and whisk together the vinaigrette.
Step 4. Toss and Serve
Once you have all of your ingredients ready to go you can assemble the salad. Toss the lettuce, tomatoes, shallots and chives with the vinaigrette – just enough to coat the leaves, you may not need all of the dressing. Arrange the salad on individual plates or one large platter. Dot the chicken, avocado, bacon and eggs around evenly. Season with salt and pepper – serve right away.
More Delicious
Salad Recipes
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California Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 large bone-in, skin on chicken breast - about a pound (note: you can use rotisserie chicken or any per-cooked/leftover chicken here if you prefer)
- 8 thick slices good-quality bacon
- 4 whole eggs
- 8 heads little gem lettuce, roughly chopped - or 2 large heads romaine
- 1 cup roughly chopped tomatoes - use the best tomatoes available; small cherry tomatoes, beefsteak, heirlooms etc.
- 1/4 cup minced chives - or scallions
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot - or red onion
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 4 ounces blue cheese
- salt and pepper
Dressing
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard - or whole grain mustard
- 1 large clove garlic, grated
- 2 tablespoons vinegar - apple cider, champagne, red wine, etc
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper on all sides. Set aside, at room temperature while you cook the bacon. Note: A 15-minute sit at room temperature will make the chicken cook more evenly, helping you avoid a brown outside with a raw, undercooked inside.
- Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat, flipping occasionally, until crispy – about 8-10 minutes. Use tongs to transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to rest, leaving behind most of the rendered bacon fat in the skillet.
- Preheat your oven to 350F, then place the chicken breasts, skin side down, into the skillet with the bacon fat. Cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes to get some color on the skin then transfer the skillet to the pre-heated oven to finish cooking – about 15-20 minutes. Rest the cooked chicken under a sheet of foil for 5 minutes before slicing it off the bone and roughly chopping into bite-sized pieces.
- In the meantime, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Gently place the eggs into the water. Set a timer for 8 minutes for soft, jammy eggs or 10 minutes for hard boiled. When the timer goes off remove the eggs from the water and places them directly into a bowl of ice water. As soon as the eggs are cool enough to handle, but still warm, carefully peel off the shell. Give them a final rinse under water to remove any unseen bits of shell then slice each egg in half and season with salt and pepper.
- While the eggs are boiling whisk together the dressing ingredients starting with the mustard, garlic and vinegar then, while whisking begin to slowly stream in the olive oil until fully combined, set aside.
- To assemble the salad: in a large mixing bowl toss the lettuce, tomatoes, shallot and chives together with the vinaigrette, use just enough to lightly coat each leaf you may not need all of it. Arrange the salad on individual pates or one large platter. Scatter the chicken, bacon, eggs and blue cheese around evenly. Season with salt and pepper – serve immediately.
Notes
- Chicken: You can really use any cut of chicken you like for this recipe, thighs or boneless skinless breast both work well. Just be sure to adjust the cook times as needed. For a short-cut you can also use a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken you may have on hand.
- Tomatoes: if tomatoes are out of season I really don’t bother with them in a salad. There is nothing better than a super-sweet peak season tomato and nothing worse than a watery, flavorless out of season tomato. Use your best judgment here.
- Chives: scallions will work just fine in lieu of chives.
- Shallot: red onion will work just as well or you can just add some extra chives.
- Blue Cheese: Spring for a high-quality blue cheese for this recipe like a Roquefort, Stilton, or Gorgonzola. Skip the pre-crumbled stuff. For the blue cheese haters you can do crumbled feta or goats cheese.
Nutrition
