Classic Cobb Salad (Printable)
A protein-rich American classic with grilled chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, and blue cheese in a tangy vinaigrette.
# What You'll Need:
→ Protein
01 - 2 large chicken breasts (about 10.5 oz), grilled and sliced
02 - 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
03 - 4 large eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
→ Vegetables
04 - 6 cups (about 7 oz) romaine lettuce, chopped
05 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
06 - 1 large avocado, diced
07 - 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced
08 - 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
→ Cheese
09 - 1/2 cup (about 2 oz) blue cheese, crumbled
→ Dressing
10 - 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
11 - 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
12 - 1 tsp Dijon mustard
13 - 1 tsp honey
14 - Salt and black pepper to taste
# How To Make:
01 - Grill or pan-sear the chicken breasts until fully cooked through, then slice them thinly. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until golden and crisp, then crumble into small pieces. Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool under running water, peel, and quarter each egg.
02 - Rinse the romaine lettuce under cold water, pat dry, and chop into bite-sized pieces. Halve the cherry tomatoes, dice the avocado, slice the cucumber into thin rounds, and cut the red onion into paper-thin slices.
03 - Spread the chopped romaine lettuce evenly across the bottom of a large serving platter or shallow bowl to create a crisp, green foundation.
04 - Neatly arrange the sliced chicken, crumbled bacon, quartered eggs, cherry tomatoes, diced avocado, cucumber slices, red onion, and crumbled blue cheese in separate rows across the lettuce for a classic Cobb presentation.
05 - In a small mixing bowl, combine the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey. Whisk vigorously until the dressing is fully emulsified and creamy. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
06 - Drizzle the dressing evenly over the arranged salad just before serving. Toss gently if desired, or serve as-is for a traditional presentation. Serve immediately while ingredients are fresh and crisp.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It delivers a ridiculous 43 grams of protein per serving without feeling heavy or sluggish afterward.
- The row presentation makes you look like you tried way harder than you actually did, which is always a win.
02 -
- Do not dress the salad more than a few minutes before serving or the lettuce will weep and everything wilts into a sad pile.
- The row arrangement is not just for looks, it ensures every serving gets a fair portion of each ingredient.
03 -
- Cook a double batch of bacon and freeze the extra so next time you only need to crisp it briefly in a hot pan.
- Whisk the dressing in a jar with a tight lid and shake vigorously for ten seconds, it emulsifies better than whisking by hand.