Cobb salad is a classic salad recipe that’s been around for decades!

Crisp romaine lettuce and veggies are tossed with chicken, bacon, and cheese and drizzled with a creamy vinaigrette.

This dish isn’t just a side salad, but it’s perfect for a healthy and satisfying full meal deal!

plated Cobb Salad

What is Cobb Salad?

Named for the owner of the famous Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, Robert Cobb, he claimed this entrée salad as a house favorite! It’s now served in restaurants like Panera but it’s just as easy to make at home!

Why I Love This Salad

  • We love this Cobb salad recipe because it has the perfect balance of all the ingredients that make a hearty, healthy salad!
  • It’s packed with flavor and makes a hearty fresh meal.
  • It’s low carb and Cobb Salad is great for meal prepping!
  • Cobb salad stands on its own as a full meal, with or without the meat because the cheese provides protein so it’s also great as a vegetarian meal!
ingredients to make Cobb Salad

Ingredients for Cobb Salad

An easy trick to remember cobb salad ingrediens is to use the acronym E.A.T. C.O.B.B. Eggs, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon, Blue Cheese!

Romaine – Romaine lettuce is dark green, crunchy, and crinkly so it holds all the dressing! Butter lettuce or iceberg lettuce are great options too!

Chicken – Chicken on a cobb salad can be warm or chilled, I personally prefer the chicken to be hot. In the recipe below, I pan fry the chicken and slice for serving.

Chicken breasts can be grilled and sliced in this recipe, or simply use shredded rotisserie or roasted chicken for cobb salad meal prep! Almost any chicken (including breaded chicken strips) will work!

Cheese – Dry crumbled cheeses like blue cheese (or feta if you’re not a blue cheese fan!) are just right for this salad. If you don’t have blue or feta, try shredded cheddar cheese.

Other Additions – Avocados, tomatoes, and onions round out this salad, but feel free to add any fresh (or leftover!) veggies on hand! Use hard-boiled eggs (we make them in the air fryer).

top view of Cobb Salad on a plate with ingredients and dressing around it

Dressing for Cobb Salad

Cobb salad dressing can be either creamy or a vinaigrette. Other flavors that pair well with cobb include dijon mustard, red wine vinaigrette

I love homemade ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.

How to Make Cobb Salad

  1. Prepare and refrigerate salad dressing.
  2. Cook seasoned chicken cutlets in oil, per the recipe below. Remove from pan to rest.
  3. Place chopped romaine lettuce in the bottom of a large bowl and arrange the remaining ingredients.
  4. Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Prep Ahead!

All of the ingredients (except the avocado) can be prepared a few days ahead and stored in the fridge.

Put it all together just before serving. Avocado can be sliced and tossed in a bit of lemon juice a couple of hours before serving.

close up of Cobb Salad in a bowl

Storing Cobb Salad

To store, keep leftover cobb salad separate from the dressing, if possible. Toss before serving or add fresh lettuce, cheese, bacon, or tomatoes to freshen up the salad.

Store dressing in a jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 1 week.

More Favorite Salads

Did you make this Cobb Salad recipe? Leave a rating and a comment below!

top view of Cobb Salad on a plate with ingredients and dressing around it
5 from 19 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
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Cobb Salad

A fresh meal time salad any time of year with chicken, bacon, cheese and boiled eggs!
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients  

  • 8 cups romaine lettuce washed and chopped
  • 4 hard boiled eggs peeled and quartered
  • 1 large avocado pitted and sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • ½ small red onion sliced
  • 8 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 4 ounces blue cheese or feta cheese

Chicken

  • 2 chicken breasts 6-7 ounces each
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cajun seasoning or your favorite seasoning blend

Dressing

  • cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ½ tablespoon dried parsley or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill or 1 ½ teaspoons fresh
  • ¼ teaspoon onion powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • milk as needed salt & pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients (except milk) in a small bowl. Add milk, a tablespoon at a time, to reach desired consistency (I use about 2 tablespoons). Season with salt & pepper to taste and refrigerate.
  • Boiled Eggs: (see notes for air fryer method) Place eggs in a small saucepan and fill with cold water 1-inch above the eggs. Bring water to a rolling boil over high heat. Cover and remove from heat.Let stand covered for 15-17 minutes (for large eggs).Remove from hot water and place in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes. Peel and cut into quarters.
  • Chicken Breasts: Cut chicken breasts horizontally to create 4 thinner chicken cutlets. Toss the chicken with oil and seasoning.
  • Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes per side or until cooked through. Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
  • Assembly: Place lettuce in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Top with eggs, avocado, tomatoes, onion, blue cheese, bacon, and finally the sliced chicken.
  • Drizzle with dressing and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe can also be made with rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken. The chicken can be served either hot or cold. Slice the avocado right before serving.
To lighten up the dressing, replace the sour cream with fat free Greek yogurt. 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar or dijon mustard can be added to the dressing if desired.
We find cooking eggs in the air fryer to be the easiest way to cook them. Place eggs in the air fryer (no water needed) at 250°F for 16-18 minutes. Place in a cold water bath for 5 minutes before peeling.
Nutrition information accounts for 2 tablespoons of dressing per serving. You may have extra dressing which can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.
5 from 19 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 643 | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 46g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 308mg | Sodium: 925mg | Potassium: 1249mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 9276IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 242mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Salad
Cuisine American

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Holly is a wine and cheese lover, recipe creator, shopping enthusiast and self appointed foodie. Her greatest passion is creating in the kitchen and making deliciously comforting recipes for the everyday home cook!
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Comments

  1. I love a good Cobb salad. I used to get one at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, CA. as a meal when I would go there. The arrangement of the the ingredients were place in strip formation like it was originally service at the famous Brown Derby Restaurant. It was delicious instead of a creamy vinaigrette I like the sweetness of a ready good balsamic vinaigrette. For me it seems to balance the bold favors of the blue cheese, bacon and chicken. I also like that Penny has a selection for serving sizes on her site. Sometimes I will also use a home made honey lemon Dijon vinaigrette too. I would never suggest using a ranch or blue cheese dressing though….the taste of elements of the salad would be lost.5 stars

    1. I just noticed that Penny has a choice for the various serving listed before printing. You may choose whatever servings you would like there. By clicking on the servings it changes the entire amount of the ingrediencies. Give it a try Suzanne.5 stars