Classic Cobb Salad
Cobb Salad is an American Classic. Did you know it was invented in Hollywood in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant and named after its owner, Robert Cobb? This salad has so many iterations now but I like to keep it pretty classic. You can certainly add in some avocado if you have it around for a little extra bulk. I serve mine with a Vodka martini with bleu cheese stuffed olives; it’s delicious. I wonder how many martinis were had with this salad in 1937?
This is the quintessential meal prep salad. It’s basically cooking & chopping the components, and then assembling when ready. You could even pre-assemble the salads, portion the dressing, and grab it when you’re out the door. These types of building block meals are my go-to’s when I’m feeling rushed or out of ideas.
You’ll want to cook the bacon & chicken first so they are cooking while you wash & chop the veggies and hard boil the eggs. I prefer using bone-in, skin-on chicken breast because it keeps the breast moist and imparts more flavor. I discard the skin & bones before using the chicken in meals. And, cook your bacon on a sheet tray! This trick is becoming more and more popular but we’ve been doing this in restaurants for years. It’s the cleanest and most efficient way to cook bacon. I use my Instant Pot to hard boil eggs. It takes the same amount of time as the stovetop but peeling them is so much faster. The peels just slip right off! If you don’t own an Instant Pot, I’d buy one just to hard boil eggs.
Classic Cobb Salad
Ingredients
1-2 heads Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
1 Avocado (optional)
4 Hard-boiled eggs
8 slices bacon, chopped
2 chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
Bleu cheese crumbles (optional)
Red Wine Vinaigrette (recipe to follow)
Method
Pre-heat your oven to 375.
Place parchment paper on a sheet tray and lay out all the bacon (I do a full package because leftovers!). Pop it in the oven while it’s pre-heating. Start checking for doneness after 20-25 minutes, longer if you want it crispy.
Line another tray with parchment paper. Rub chicken breasts with olive oil & salt & pepper. Once the oven has reached 375 pop the chicken in. Check at 50 minutes with a thermometer and if the thickest part of the breast is at 165 pull it out.
Hard boil your eggs using the 5-5-5 method in the instant pot. Five minutes at high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, 5 minutes in an ice bath. Peel the eggs and keep them whole until you are ready to use them. Then slice lengthwise into quarters careful not to pop the yolks out.
Wash all your lettuce. If you are saving washed lettuce DO NOT CHOP IT! Keep the leaves whole until you are ready to use them.
Wash & slice tomatoes.
Slice onions, thinly.
Make Red Wine Vinaigrette- this is a staple in my house; it’s my favorite dressing because it’s so versatile. I never really used a “recipe” since it’s what my parents and grandparents just made. But here goes…
1/2 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1-12 tbsp Dijon mustard
1-2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Dried Dill, optional
Combine all ingredients except for olive oil in a bowl. While whisking constantly stream in the olive oil until dressing is fully emulsified.
Assembly of the Salad
I like to have my bacon and chicken completely cooled before I add them to the salad. I think hot lettuce is gross but if you don’t mind it feel free to use the chicken & bacon once they’re done.
For one person add at least three cups of chopped romaine in a large bowl. Add chicken, bacon, avocado, onion, tomatoes, and hard-boiled eggs. Sprinkle with bleu cheese crumbles if you like and a martini (but not at work!). If you’re putting several salads together place the toppings in your Tupperware first so your lettuce doesn’t get soggy. Place the lettuce on top and the dressing in a separate container. When you add it to a bowl the toppings will be on top!