California Cobb Salad

A plate of salad made up of hard boiled egg, lettuces leaves, bacon and halved tomatoes, avocado and cheese.

5 from 1 vote

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.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 615kcal

Author: Leigh Anderson

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

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:

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