Best Cobb Salad Recipe with Chicken and Bacon
Chicken Cobb Salad FAQs
There are a few origin stories about where the Cobb salad recipe came from, but most of them start at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, CA. The story goes that the owner of the restaurant, Bob Cobb, was prowling around the kitchen one night, hadn’t eaten all day. He took some leftovers from the kitchen (chicken, lettuce, tomato, Roquefort, etc.), stole some bacon from a line cook, and tossed it all together. He loved it so much he added it to the menu. Another version of the story states that the head chef, Robert Kreis, created the salad in honor of the restaurant owner, Bob Cobb.
I just love that this guy’s name rhymes. I mean, Bob Cobb?? How have we as a society missed this opportunity? I’m calling it a Bob Cobb Salad from now on. You want a Cobb Salad? No, I want a Bob Cobb Salad. BobCobbBobCobbBob
Okay, sorry Bob Cobb. Let’s make your amazingly delicious salad.
Cobb salads and chef salads are heartier entree-type salads, but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. A Cobb salad has grilled chicken (and bacon if it knows what’s good for it). A chef salad usually includes ham and turkey as the protein. The ham and turkey come in varying qualities and quantities depending on whether you’re grabbing a premade salad from the airport or eating at a nice restaurant. A Cobb salad is all about the fancy bleu cheese, and a chef salad normally involves cheddar. A Cobb salad has tomatoes, green onions, avocado, and hard boiled egg, whereas a chef salad has tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots. Both can be phenomenal or ho-hum depending on who’s making them.
Best Cobb Salad Recipe with Chicken and Bacon
Ingredients
For the salad
- 9 eggs, older eggs are best
- 2 heads romaine or iceberg lettuce, cleaned, dried, and chopped
- 1 bunch watercress, or Spring Mix salad
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 6 tomatoes, sliced or chopped
- 6 ounces Roquefort cheese, or gorgonzola or blue cheese
- 1 pound bacon, cooked until crisp
- 1 pound chicken breast*, or chicken tenders
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, for seasoning chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper, for seasoning chicken
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, for searing chicken
- 1 tablespoon butter, for searing chicken
- 3 avocados, sliced or chopped
Honey Mustard Dressing Recipe
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- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup Dijon mustard, or yellow mustard, or a combo of both
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 clove garlic
