Loaded with protein, this Chicken cobb salad is an American classic! With grilled chicken, ripe avocado, thick-cut bacon, juicy tomatoes, diced red onions, blue cheese, and hard-boiled eggs, it is a hearty and filling main dish salad.
Chicken Cobb Salad is one of my favorite summer salad recipes because it's a hearty meal without having to heat up the kitchen.
This version is made with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and bacon, and both can be made easily on the grill or you can make a big batch of both on a cooler afternoon and refrigerate for later. I actually love cooking in batches because once I have things cooked, I can easily plan my meals for the week and reheat as needed.
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Ingredients
- Soy sauce
- Fresh garlic
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Bacon
- Romaine lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Red onion
- Eggs
- Blue cheese
From the pantry: salt and pepper, olive oil
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FAQ about Cobb Salad
Here are some questions (and answers!) readers often ask about this recipe.
It's named after the man who first invented it - Robert Howard Cobb. He first served it in his restaurant the Hollywood Brown Derby back in the 1930s.
Mostly. Cobb salads are packed with healthy protein, and fats (from avocado and olive oil), but the bacon and blue cheese aren't as healthy so if you're looking to lighten things up, add those sparingly.
Cobb salad is a great entree salad because it's a complete meal - so you won't need extras or sides.
Legend has it that the very first Cobb salad (made by the man himself) was tossed in French salad dressing. Personally, I like serving it with my Avocado Ranch Dressing.
Similar Recipes
You might also enjoy some of these yummy salads with chicken:
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad
- Greek Salad with Chicken
- BLT Chicken Salad
- Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Salad
- Salads with Chicken - our big list of salads with chicken that'll have you drooling!
More Salads You'll Love
- Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad
- Spinach and Strawberry Salad
- Avocado Chicken Capreses Salad
- Winter Citrus Salad
- Copycat Panera Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad
Variations
- Use our healthy pulled chicken in place if the chicken thighs, or try it with air fryer chicken tenders.
- I also really love using honey mustard sauce as a base for a creamy honey mustard dressing for this salad.
- Try our homemade southwest salad dressing!
- This salad is also great with our spicy chicken, lemon pepper chicken, or even rotisserie chicken salad in place of the grilled chicken.
Chicken Cobb Salad
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup soy sauce reduced sodium
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon
- 1 head romaine lettuce roughly chopped
- 6 tomatoes cut into wedges
- 1 avocado halved, seeded, peeled and sliced
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 6 soft boiled eggs peeled and halved
- 1 cup blue cheese
Instructions
- To create the marinade for your chicken thighs, whisk together soy sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and garlic in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- In a gallon size freezer bag or large bowl, combine chicken and soy sauce mixture; marinate for 2 hours. The longer you marinate, the more flavor you'll infuse into your chicken.
- About a half an hour before your chicken is done marinating, chop your romaine lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, red onion and eggs. Crumble your blue cheese.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Remove chicken thighs from the marinade. Brush them with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes.
- To assemble the salad, place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with chicken, crumbled bacon, tomatoes, avocado, onion, blue cheese and eggs.
- Serve immediately with your favorite dressing.
Notes
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Mercedes says
I love this salad! I use cheddar cheese instead of blue cheese but did the rest the same. thanks!
Karen Howard says
Yummy. Everything but the blue cheese, for me! But would add cheddar cubes or white mozzarella balls halved, instead. Ranch or Green Goddess Dressing w/ Garlic & Herb or Ceasar Croutons.😋
Una says
I love this salad! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Marnie says
That salad look so good! I am pinning this for my meal plan next week.