This Cobb Salad, filled with crunchy bacon, sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado, eggs, and cheese, and charred grilled chicken is tossed with crisp lettuce and a tangy dressing. It is perfect for almost any occasion!
You may think of Cobb Salad as being a throw back to your parents' day, but this Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad combines all the delicious flavors of the vegetables, meats, and cheese to bring it into the 21st century. Grilling the chicken adds another layer of flavor to this colorful, creamy, juicy, and crunchy salad.
When you taste a Cobb Salad all the flavors should be available to your tongue with none being overpowering. I have had Cobb Salads in restaurants where all you can taste is the bacon and the bleu cheese. While I love both bacon and bleu cheese, I don't want those two items to be my main meal! You should be able to experience the creaminess of the avocado, the tenderness of the chicken and the freshness of the tomato along with the rest of the ingredients.
I keep the dressing on this salad simple just so the other ingredients shine. When it is all mixed together, the egg, avocado, and bleu cheese melt into the olive oil and vinegar to become part of the dressing.
How to Make This Classic Salad
Ahead of Time
Up to two days ahead of time you can --
- grill the chicken,
- cook the bacon, and
- boil the eggs.
Then make the dressing the day before.
The Dressing
I love to use this salad dressing shaker to emulsify the oil and vinegar. Making homemade dressing is so much easier when you just shake it up, rather than whisking and whisking. Call me lazy!
Just put the 4 simple ingredients in and shake, shake, shake!
To Serve...
When you're ready to serve, prepare the lettuce by washing, drying and tearing into bite sized pieces. Then place the lettuce into a wide bowl. Cut and prep the rest of the ingredients and arrange them on top. I like to keep each together, but get creative, make it as interesting or as pretty as you wish.
If you really want to get fancy, make a loaf of Olive Bread and enjoy a buttered slice alongside this salad.
Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 1 large head Romaine Lettuce
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 3 ounces bleu Cheese, crumbled
- 1 1/2 pounds grilled chicken breast meat, skinless, boneless, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1/2 pound bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled, see Gr8 Tip! below
- 1 avocado, cut into chunks
- 3 hard boiled eggs
- Simple Vinaigrette, recipe below
Simple Vinaigrette:
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
- Wash and tear or cut the lettuce into bite sized pieces, then place in a large serving bowl.
- For a beautiful presentation before tossing the salad, arrange each item on top of the lettuce, either in pie shape or stripes, or get creative!
- When ready to serve, drizzle with 2/3 of the vinaigrette recipe, toss and serve. Add more vinaigrette, as desired.
Simple Vinaigrette:
- Put all ingredients into a shaker bottle or jar and shake until combined. For a little extra kick add one Tablespoon of Dijon mustard.
Notes
Gr8 Serving Idea:
Serve with some crusty French bread with good salted butter and a glass of chilled Rosé or Pinot Grigio. This is the perfect summertime meal!Gr8 Do Ahead Ideas:
- Grill the chicken and cook the bacon and hard boil the eggs up to 2 days before. Keep refrigerated until ready to assemble the salad.
- Make the dressing the day before and keep covered at room temperature.
Other Main Course Salads
- Rotisserie Chicken Salad
- Zucchini Salad with Orzo and Feta Cheese
- Lentil, Gorgonzola, Tomato Salad
- Spinach and Bacon Salad with Cheesy Croutons
- Wild Rice Salad
Post edited from original publication of 4/3/2015 (recipe not changed).
Be a Gr8 Friend and tell us what you think!