Cobb Salad
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This high protein cobb salad has juicy grilled chicken, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and veggies tossed in a tangy red wine vinaigrette. It’s perfect for meal prep, and it only takes 30 minutes to make!
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Cobb Salad Recipe
During the summer, many families (including mine!) are non-stop busy — a day at the beach, a vacation, a baseball game, etc. When you get home, it is so nice to have a quick and easy dinner solution!
When your brain is saying, “Make something healthy!” but your tired body is saying, “Order takeout!,” this Cobb salad recipe fits the bill perfectly.
Why This Recipe Will Be a Favorite
- High in lean protein and full of healthy, fresh produce. It’s also gluten-free and keto-friendly.
- Super simple meal prep solution. Although the meal takes just 30 minutes to make, you can save even more time by making it up to 3 days ahead. Store everything in the fridge, the assemble the salad when you’re ready to serve.
- Your kitchen will stay cool. By grilling the chicken for the cobb salad, all of the heat will stay outdoors!
I also have recipes for a few other high protein salads that you might want to make. My kids absolutely love the chicken fajita salad and the Instant Pot carnitas salad.
Salad Ingredients and Substitutions
Another nice thing about a meal prep dinner like this is that it’s a great way to use up odds and ends lurking in your fridge. The only “required” ingredients for a Cobb salad recipe are chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, and cheese.
- chicken breasts: I prefer to use boneless, skinless chicken breast, but tenderloins work just as well. If you’re eating Keto, or you want a bit of extra fat, you could use chicken thighs instead.
- romaine lettuce: Because it’s super crisp like iceberg, most kids will eat romaine. But honestly, any type of leafy greens you like are fine to use.
- hard boiled eggs: I make hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot, but if you’re in a big hurry, (or if you don’t mind spending a little bit of extra money) you could even buy hard boiled eggs at the grocery store.
- bacon: I use uncured pork bacon because it’s sugar-free. If you prefer turkey bacon, go for it.
- avocado: This ingredient has heart-healthy fats, but I know not everyone likes it. Feel free to leave it out if you want to. To tell if an avocado is ripe, the peel should have a dark color, and resist a bit when you gently press on it.
- blue cheese crumbles: If you don’t care for the strong flavor of blue cheese, feta is a great substitute.
- veggies: I like to keep the prep easy, so I use cherry tomatoes and a bit of sliced red onion.
- seasonings: You’ll just need some basic spices; paprika, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Red Wine Vinaigrette
I tossed the Cobb salad with a homemade vinaigrette dressing because I think it keeps the meal lighter and more refreshing than a creamy dressing does. Really though, any salad dressing your family likes will be perfect. It would be just as tasty with a lemon vinaigrette or a healthy ranch dressing.
Most vinaigrette dressings are a combination of 2 parts oil and 1 part vinegar, plus seasonings.
- olive oil: Canola oil and avocado oil are also good choices.
- red wine vinegar: If you need a substitute, go with apple cider vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Worcestershire sauce: I like the sweet, salty, and umami flavors of this ingredient. If you use white balsamic vinegar, you can omit this ingredient if you want to.
How to Make a Cobb Salad
Traditionally, Cobb is a chopped salad with the ingredients arranged in rows with the chopped lettuce. Honestly, if you don’t feel like doing a lot of chopping, don’t give it a second thought. After all, unless you’re serving it to guests, does presentation really matter that much? I don’t think so. 😉
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full step by step instructions! ⬇️
- Season the chicken while your grill is preheating. If you don’t have a grill, you can cook the chicken on the stove instead.
- Cook the chicken. On the grill, it takes about 12 minutes for chicken breasts to cook to 165° F.
- Make the salad dressing.
- Prep the salad ingredients and arrange it on a platter or in bowls for serving.
- Add the Cobb salad dressing.
- Serve and enjoy!
Tips for Success
Relax and don’t be afraid to get creative when you build this healthy salad. Cobb salads don’t have to be fancy to be delicious!
- The best way to get the perfect flavor is to use fresh ingredients. Fresh garlic cloves have more flavor than minced garlic from a jar, but use what works best for you.
- If you don’t have an outdoor grill or a grill pan to cook the chicken, you can make Instant Pot Shredded Chicken , make an air fryer grilled chicken, or even use rotisserie chicken.
- Wait until just before serving to add the dressing to your salad, especially if you plan to meal prep it.
- To make it more kid-friendly, feel free to omit the red onion. You could also serve it with healthy ranch dressing instead of vinaigrette.
FAQ
A 3-cup serving of Cobb salad, which includes 3 ounces of cooked chicken breast, has 30 grams of protein.
This salad is packed with protein, healthy fats, and veggies, so it’s definitely a filling and balanced option. You can reduce the fat by using less cheese and/or bacon.
I’d love to hear about your experience making this recipe! Please leave a comment and rating below!
Cobb Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 12 ounces total
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or other high smoke point cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ½ small red onion thinly sliced
- 4 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 2 hard boiled eggs sliced
- 1 avocado peeled, pitted, and sliced
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles or feta (for a milder flavor)
For the dressing
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon honey
- 1 small garlic clove finely minced
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a grill to 375°F. or use a grill pan set over medium heat. Coat the chicken breasts with olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Grill for about 6-7 minutes per side, until cooked through to an internal temp of 163℉). Remove grilled chicken from the heat and transfer to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes before slicing. *During the rest time, the chicken will continue to cook, and the internal temperature will increase to a food-safe 165℉.
- Meanwhile, In a small bowl or mason jar, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, honey, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper until well combined. Set aside.
- Arrange the chopped romaine on a large serving platter or in salad bowls. Top with grilled chicken slices, tomatoes, red onion, crumbled bacon, sliced eggs, avocado, and blue cheese.
- Drizzle with the dressing and toss lightly before serving.
Notes
- To save time, use rotisserie chicken or prepared grilled chicken tenders/strips.
- If prepping this recipe ahead, store all the toppings in separate containers, then assemble just before eating. The dressing can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- Romaine lettuce is traditional, but mixed greens, butter lettuce, and baby spinach all taste great in the salad.
- To make it more kid-friendly, feel free to omit the red onion. You could also serve it with healthy ranch dressing instead of vinaigrette.
