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A Cobb Salad is a classic on so many American restaurant menus and an easy salad to make at home. It is the perfect way to use up leftovers.
A Cobb Salad is a classic American salad made with chopped salad lettuce, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, bacon and chicken. Tradition says that it originated in 1937 at The Brown Derby in Hollywood, California by it’s owner Mr. Cobb. They story goes that Mr. Cobb had not eaten until near midnight, and so he mixed together leftovers he found in the kitchen, along with some bacon cooked by the line cook, and tossed it with their French dressing. And the Cobb Salad was born!
It is the perfect salad to make to clean out the refrigerator. Although it traditionally has chicken on it, you could use whatever leftover meat you have in the fridge.
Ingredients Needed
- Lettuce. I use romaine but you could use any combination of iceberg, kale, spinach or whatever greens you have on hand.
- Bacon. Fried crisp
- Hard Boiled Eggs. I like to make mine in the Instant Pot.
- Tomatoes. Used diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes sliced in half.
- Avocado. Sliced or diced
- Cheese. Traditionally it is served with Blue Cheese but I don’t care for it so I usually add some grated Cheddar or Monterey Jack.
- Chicken. I had some leftover Lemon Mustard Chicken and I diced it up for the salad. You can use plain shredded chicken or any leftover meat you might have on hand.
How to Make Cobb Salad
- Fill your serving dish with lettuce and other greens.
- Layer on fried bacon, sliced hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado and chicken.
- Line all the ingredients up on top of the lettuce for a pretty presentation.
- Add Cobb salad dressing.
A lot of people like to put ranch dressing on it but feel free to use your favorite dressing. I have a great go to balsamic vinaigrette recipe here.
- Mix up all that goodness and enjoy. It is a complete meal!
Tips from leigh Anne
- Don’t add the salad dressing until right before you are ready to serve the salad.
- Chill the salad dressing before using.
- Cobb Salad is very versatile. Switch out the protein, change the cheese, and even use a different dressing. The possibilities are endless.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I serve Cobb Salad as a side salad?
Leave off the chicken and it is a delicious side salad.
What other protein can I serve with a Cobb Salad?
Cobb salad is very versatile. You can add any leftover protein like steak, pork, salmon or shrimp.
Can I make Cobb Salad ahead of time.
You can prep most of the ingredients ahead of time so that the salad is easy to toss together. The avocado is the only ingredient that shouldn’t be pre chopped. Then wait to assemble the salad until you are ready to serve.
Check out more of my delicious salad recipes:
Cobb Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 heads romaine lettuce or combination of greens chopped
- 3 hardboiled eggs
- 1 lb. cooked chicken diced, or other leftover meat
- 2 avocados diced
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes cut in half
- Cobb dressing or favorite salad dressing
- 6 slices bacon fried crisp
Instructions
- Place chopped lettuce into serving dish.
- Add chicken, eggs, avocado, tomatoes onto top of lettuce.
- Add dressing and toss.
Tips & Notes:
- Don’t add the salad dressing until right before you are ready to serve the salad.
- Don’t chop the avocado ahead of time as it will turn brown.
- Chill the salad dressing before using.
Nutrition Facts:
Teresa Turner says
I love Cobb salads. All of the ones I have had use ham which I love too. Wonder why they don’t use chicken since the original uses chicken.
Just find that interesting, and wonder if it is because of the part of the country you live in. Iam in the midwest. Love your recipes!