Traditional Cobb Salad Recipe

This traditional Cobb salad recipe is one of my favorites. It’s jammed with leafy greens, fresh veggies, cooked chicken breasts, crispy bacon, and blue cheese tossed with a tasty vinaigrette. I have the whole dish on the table in 35 minutes. It’s just one of those dishes that screams freshness, and I have a feeling you’re going to love it as much as I do.

We try to put a salad on the table a few nights a week at our house, especially after the holidays so we can do a bit of a detox from all of the heavy foods. The Cobb is the first one I pull out of the back pocket because it eats like a meal, the way my classic chef salad, my traditional Greek salad, and my Mediterranean bean salad all do on the nights the Cobb is not the one on the table.

Cobb Salad

Cobb salad was created by Bob Cobb, owner of the Brown Derby restaurant, during the 1930s in Hollywood, California. There isn’t anything that makes a Cobb salad a Cobb salad other than following the traditional ingredients, which is exactly what I did in this recipe. Rumor has it Bob was hungry one night and just started pulling leftovers out of the refrigerator, and just like that, the Cobb salad was born.

Over the years, Cobb salad and its dressing have been tweaked a bit to suit people’s tastes, which is fine, but it does alter the recipe’s traditional nature and intent. You do have the freedom to alter this recipe, but in its original form, it’s absolutely delicious, and you know how much I like to keep things classic.

I have been making this salad for years, and at this point, I don’t really have a choice. Every time the family gets together, somebody asks for the Cobb before anything else, and I love it because it is tasty, and the best part is that one platter does the work of three different dishes.

Plus, it is pretty easy to make. I simply poach or sear a few chicken breasts, cook the bacon in the oven, hard-boil the eggs the day before, and the rest is a knife and a serving platter. The dressing is my homemade Cobb salad dressing recipe, which I keep in a jar in the fridge for any salad that wants a tangy pour instead of a creamy one. I highly recommend making this one this summer season, and you’ll end up making it all year long.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is what I use to make this traditional cobb salad recipe at home, plus the substitutes I make when the produce aisle doesn’t cooperate.

• Romaine – This is the base lettuce. Take the time to cut into 1-inch pieces so they’re small enough to fit on a fork. Nothing worse than a big old hunk of lettuce. Iceberg or spring mix is a great substitute if romaine isn’t available.
• Chicory (curly endive) – The slightly bitter green that keeps a Cobb from eating too sweet. Frisee or escarole are the closest swaps.
• Watercress – Peppery, bright, and the third classic lettuce. Baby arugula adds that same peppery goodness when watercress is out of stock.
• Chicken breast – I use my perfectly cooked boneless chicken breast, chilled and large-diced. Leftover roast chicken, grilled chicken, or rotisserie chicken all work as well.
• Crisp-cooked bacon – The best way to achieve this, hands down, is with my homemade baked bacon method. It’s perfect. Pancetta or turkey bacon will work as well.
• Hard-boiled eggs – Just use my perfect hard-boiled eggs, and cut them into quarters. I promise my technique to make these is flawless.
• Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes in the summer, Kampari or Roma in the winter when the bigger tomatoes are out of season. A diced vine-ripe tomato is my favorite in August or September.
• Avocado – Ripe but firm, so the dice holds on the platter. The best way to know if it’s good to go is to pull the stem. If it comes off easily and is green underneath, it’s ready to roll.
• Blue cheese – Crumbled. Roquefort is the original. Maytag is probably my favorite, but you could sub with a sharper Gorgonzola.
• Cobb salad dressing is, of course, the only thing to use. Sure, you can use another dressing, but the original is still the best.
• Seasonings – Salt and cracked black pepper at the table once the salad is dressed. Just an FYI, I’ve been using Diamond Crystal salt lately.

How to Make

Wash and dry the lettuce: Cut the romaine in half lengthwise, then cross-cut into 1-inch pieces and trim out the bitter core. Cut the chicory into matching 1-inch pieces and rinse it with the watercress in a colander under cold water. Dry everything in a salad spinner, or pat the leaves down on a flour-sack towel until they stop shedding water.

Chop the chicken, bacon, and eggs: Cut the chilled cooked chicken breast into a medium-to-large dice. Chop the cooled bacon into small pieces. Peel the hard-boiled eggs under lukewarm running water and cut each one into 4 wedges. This is the moment I match every cut to the egg quarter, because that single size call is what keeps a forkful balanced once the salad is plated.

Halve the tomatoes and dice the avocado: Halve the cherry or Kampari tomatoes. Split the avocado around the pit, pop the pit out with a careful knife strike, scoop the flesh out with a large spoon, and cut it into medium-to-large dice that match the chicken and the egg.

Toss the lettuces: Combine the romaine, chicory, and watercress in a wide serving bowl or on a large platter and toss them together so the 3 lettuces fold into one base.

Lay the ingredients in rows: Fan the tomatoes, avocado, bacon, chicken, hard-boiled eggs, and crumbled blue cheese across the top of the lettuces in stripes, I like to keep each ingredient in its own row.

Dress and serve: Last, I bring the salad to the table alongside a jar of the Cobb salad dressing and pour it over right before serving.

Serving Suggestions

A Cobb on the table is almost always lunch, not dinner, plated on a wide oval platter with a jar of balsamic vinaigrette for a slightly sweeter flavor and a stack of the best homemade croutons right next to it. My family likes variety, so the more options, the merrier.

The other moment this one shows up at the house is on weekends when friends or family come to hang out. If I’ve been eating heavier foods, a lot of times this Cobb becomes the main meal with a side of homemade dinner rolls.

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This salad is meant to be eaten right away. However, if you keep the ingredients separate after they are prepared, you can make this 1 day ahead for freshness.

How to Store: Keep covered and undressed for up to 3 days. If you keep all the ingredients separated and covered, it will last up to 6 days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze it.

More Salad Recipes

• Mandarin Orange Salad
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts
• Strawberry and Spinach
• Taco Salad
• Green Goddess