Cobb salad
A vibrant, protein-rich American salad with crisp lettuces, roasted chicken, streaky bacon, avocado, blue cheese and tangy vinaigrette.
The Cobb salad is more of a joyful jumble than a fussy dinner — rows of crisp lettuce studded with warm chicken, bacon, creamy avocado and punchy blue cheese. It’s brilliant for a weekend lunch or a relaxed supper when you want something that feels impressive but comes together fast.
Make the components ahead and assemble at the last minute so the leaves stay crisp. The tangy red‑wine vinaigrette is the little glue that pulls everything together — don’t skip it.
Ingredients
- 1 cos lettuce — small head, leaves separated and torn
- 1 iceberg lettuce — small head, core removed and leaves torn
- 400 g chicken breast — trimmed
- 150 g streaky bacon
- 4 eggs — large
- 2 avocado — ripe but firm
- 250 g cherry tomatoes
- 100 g blue cheese — e.g. Stilton or your favourite blue
- 10 g fresh chives — finely chopped
- 1 red onion — small, thinly sliced
- 45 ml red wine vinegar
- 15 ml Dijon mustard
- 90 ml olive oil
- 1 lemon — juice only
- sea salt — to taste
- black pepper — freshly ground, to taste
Equipment
- large serving platter
- frying pan
- saucepan
- salad spinner or kitchen towel
- meat thermometer (optional)
Instructions
Place the eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 9 minutes for firm yolks. Drain and plunge into cold water to stop cooking.
Cook the streaky bacon in a cold frying pan over medium heat, turning occasionally, until crisp and browned, about 8–10 minutes. Transfer to kitchen paper to drain and cool, then roughly chop.
Season the chicken breast with sea salt and black pepper. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a frying pan over medium–high heat. Cook the chicken for 5–7 minutes each side (depending on thickness) until golden and cooked through — about 12 minutes total. Rest for 5 minutes, then slice thinly.
Whisk together red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and the lemon juice. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper — this is your dressing.
Prepare the salad components: tear the cos and iceberg lettuce and place in a large serving platter. Halve the cherry tomatoes. Peel and quarter the cooked eggs. Halve, pit and slice the avocado; toss the slices with a little lemon juice to prevent browning. Thinly slice the red onion, crumble the blue cheese and finely chop the chives.
Arrange the salad in neat rows across the torn lettuces: sliced chicken, chopped bacon, quartered eggs, avocado slices, halved tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese and sliced red onion. Scatter over the chopped chives. Drizzle the dressing over the assembled salad just before serving and grind over extra black pepper.
Tips
- Cook the chicken and bacon up to 24 hours ahead and store separately in the fridge; reheat the chicken briefly or serve slightly warm for best texture.
- Dry your lettuce thoroughly in a salad spinner — water is the enemy of a well-dressed salad.
- Toss avocado slices in a squeeze of lemon as soon as you cut them to slow browning.
- Make the dressing in a jam jar for easy storage and shaking; it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you prefer less salt, use less bacon or choose a lower-salt bacon and taste the dressing before adding extra salt.
Substitutions
chicken breast → leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken, same quantity
Stays closeblue cheese → crumbled feta, same quantity
Noticeably differentstreaky bacon → back bacon or smoked pancetta, same quantity
Stays closeavocado → sliced cucumber for crunch (omit lemon toss), same quantity by weight
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 850
- Calories
- 57 g
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 64 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 1100 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the salad ahead of time?
You can cook the chicken, bacon and boil the eggs a day ahead. Keep components separate and assemble just before serving so the lettuce stays crisp.
How do I stop the avocado from going brown?
Toss the cut avocado in lemon juice immediately and keep it cool. Cut it close to serving time for best colour and texture.
How do I know the chicken is cooked?
Cook until juices run clear or the internal temperature reaches 75°C. Slicing thinly also helps confirm there’s no pink in the middle.
Can I use another dressing?
Yes — a creamy blue cheese dressing or a simple lemon‑olive oil dressing both work, but the classic red‑wine vinaigrette keeps the salad bright.
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