Fresh, easy, and full of flavor, this hearty Chicken Cobb Salad is my go-to meal for new moms or busy weeknights. Simple to customize with your favorite toppings and proteins—no casserole required!
Place the POV after the TOC (Group) – replace these two paragraphs:
”Chicken Cobb Salad is my go-to salad for the middle of winter, a springtime luncheon, or a hot summer evening — no oven required. It’s also one of my favorite things to bring to a new mom — quite different from the many casseroles they received.
I make up separate individual serving plates, using large paper plates, wrap it well. I like to ask mom if she and her hubby like blue cheese and bleu cheese dressing, if not, I serve without and send ranch dressing or a light Italian.”
When I’m craving a hearty, filling salad, this is the one I reach for—it’s a full meal in a bowl with the perfect mix of crunch, protein, and flavor. It’s also my go-to for new moms: fresh, satisfying, and a nice break from all the casseroles. The only thing I ask before delivering it? “With or without blue cheese?” Because I get it, not everyone loves blue cheese.
It takes a little chopping, but nothing is hard, and you can make it your own with rotisserie chicken, baked tenders, or even nuggets. It’s simple, satisfying, and always a hit.
What is a Cobb Salad
The Cobb Salad has been around a long time and like my Classic New England Whoopie pies, has multiple claims on how the Chicken Cobb Salad came about.
The origins of the Cobb Salad are a bit murky, but most stories trace it back to the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, where it became a signature dish. Some say owner Robert Howard Cobb threw it together late one night in 1937 using kitchen leftovers and bacon from a line cook, while others credit chef Paul J. Posti—or even executive chef Robert Kreis, who may have created it as early as 1929 and named it after Cobb. Either way, this hearty, tossed salad has stood the test of time. (Source)
Chicken Cobb Salad is my go-to salad for the middle of winter, a springtime luncheon, or a hot summer evening — no oven required. It’s also one of my favorite things to bring to a new mom — quite different from the many casseroles they received.
I make up separate individual serving plates, using large paper plates, wrap it well. I like to ask mom if she and her hubby like blue cheese and bleu cheese dressing, if not, I serve without and send ranch dressing or a light Italian.
What are the ingredients of a Cobb Salad?
- Lettuce: I like using hearts of Romaine, but you can use iceberg too. Approximately ¾ per person if using the salad as a meal.
- Black Olives: I love black olives, the more the better! But if you don’t use green olives or omit all together.
- Cucumber: Chopped small (we love English cucumbers)
- Tomatoes: use regular tomatoes, cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped. Sometimes I have replaced with diced red pepper.
- Avocado: sliced or diced, if you are preparing ahead of time, squeeze some lemon juice over the avocado so it doesn’t brown.
- Cooked chicken breast: Use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, chicken tenders, ham, turkey, whatever you wish. Deli meats work well too!
- Crisp cooked bacon: I figure about 1 ½- 2 slices per salad, use regular, thick, pre-cooked bacon or even turkey bacon, or omit all together.
- Hard boiled egg: Personal taste, I do not care for them in my salads, but plan on ½ – 1 hard-boiled egg per person, chopped or sliced per salad.
- Blue Cheese: Use regular blue cheese, gorgonzola cheese, or try feta, or even goat cheese. If all are too strong, use regular shredded cheese. I like using both bue cheese crumbles and shredded cheddar.
- Optional: Artichoke Hearts, I love them in my salads, use marinated or brined artichoke hearts, so delicious!
- Dressings: Choose blue cheese dressing for traditional Cobb salad, or go with buttermilk ranch dressing or simple Italian dressing.
What is the typical dressing for Cobb salad?
Put some real Blue Cheese crumbles on the side (not everyone loves blue cheese, whaaattt??) and serve tossed with the Blue Cheese, Ranch dressing, or Vinaigrette of your choice.
How to Make Chicken Cobb Salad
Step 1: Rinse & Chop Greens
Rinse and dry your greens (this is my favorite salad spinner), and chop into bite sized pieces. Evenly spread romaine lettuce on large platter.
Step 2: Layer on the desired chopped toppings, these are traditional
- Chicken (rotisserie, chopped, or chicken strips), the chicken and be hot or cold.
- Chopped tomatoes
- Chopped cucumbers
- Sliced black olives
- Avocado
- Bacon bits (fresh cooked and broken into pieces or storebought)
- Blue Cheese crumbles
- Hard boiled eggs, roughly chopped (I typically don’t include hard boiled eggs)
- I also love adding some shredded mild cheddar cheese
Step 3: Dress and serve
Drizzle desired dressing; we love Blue cheese dressing, Ranch dressing and sometimes we mix it with a little zesty Italian dressing. Or serve dressings on the side for everyone to dress with their own dressing.
Chicken Cobb Salad Substitutions
Make this salad your own; if you don’t like an ingredient, leave it out. If you love something, add more of it:
- Swap out chicken for turkey or ham
- Maybe some artichoke hearts (brined or marinated)
- Add chopped red, yellow or orange sweet peppers
- Toss in some corn (fresh is best, but canned will work)
- Feeling crazy? Chop or slice some jicama (an undervalued tuberous root vegetable in my opinion)
- Also in the crazy category would be adding beets, shredded or sliced; hubba, hubba!
- Add these pickled red onions, or slice some red onions (soak in a little ice water for 10 minutes to take out the bite).
How to make Cobb Salad Keto
- Make it Keto by using shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken, free of additives.
- Dress in a Keto dressing or simply with an olive oil and vinegar vinaigrette.
More delicious and fresh salads:
- Delicious Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Best Italian Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
- The Best Summer Salad Recipes
- Asian Ramen Noodle Salad (All Natural)
- Bacon Balsamic Macaroni Salad
- Blackberry Grilled Chicken Salad with Fried Goat Cheese
- Strawberry Rhubarb Salad
- Tropical Mango Fruit Salad
- Wild Rice Harvest Salad
Like this recipe?
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-3 hearts Romaine lettuce chopped
- ½ – 1 English Cucumber chopped
- 4 ounces sliced black olives or about ½ can whole olives, sliced
- 1 chicken breast cooked, chopped (or substitute 1-1 ½ cups rotisserie chicken)
- 2 tomatoes chopped (Roma work nicely)
- 4-6 slices bacon cooked crisp, cooled and chopped
- 1 avocado chopped
- Shredded Cheddar cheese to taste
- Blue Cheese or Gorgonzola crumbles optional
- Favorite blue cheese or ranch dressing
Optional add-ins:
- Swap chicken out for chopped turkey or ham
- Add artichoke hearts brined or marinated, chopped
- Add red, yellow or orange sweet peppers chopped
- Add sliced or chopped hard-boiled eggs
- Shred or chop jicama
- Add corn fresh is best, canned will work
- Sliced or diced beets
Instructions
- Chop all ingredients into bite size pieces, layer in desired pattern, adding cheddar and blue cheese (optional). Pour on desired dressing, toss and serve.
- If making Gluten Free, make sure meats (chicken, bacon) are also GF along with your dressings.
Notes
Nutrition
Kimberly
The breaded chicken looks delicious in this salad, did you use premade chicken tenders or make your own?
In these pictures I used store bought breaded chicken tenders, making the salad even easier, though I personally prefer shredded chicken!