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A cobb salad is one of those recipes that looks impressive on a platter but is really just good ingredients arranged with a little care. Chicken, crisp bacon, hard boiled eggs, avocado and blue cheese sit in neat rows over chopped romaine, then get tossed with a sharp red wine vinaigrette right before serving. I like putting together a big platter of this on a weekend when I want leftovers that still look good on day two. If you want something similarly hearty but simpler to toss together on a weeknight, our ranch chicken salad is a good option.
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Why this cobb salad works
The classic combination works because every ingredient brings its own texture to the bowl: crisp lettuce, creamy avocado, salty bacon, tangy blue cheese, and eggs that add richness without making the salad heavy.
The first time I made this I only seasoned the dressing and left the chicken and eggs plain, and the salad tasted flat even with a good vinaigrette. Salting the chicken, eggs and tomatoes themselves before you dress the salad makes a real difference, since the lettuce only picks up so much flavor from the dressing alone.
This salad is said to have been invented in the 1930s at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, and the arrangement of ingredients in rows instead of tossed together has stayed close to that original version ever since.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
Lettuce: chopped romaine is classic, though a mix of romaine and iceberg adds extra crunch.
Chicken: grilled, poached or shredded rotisserie chicken all work, whatever you have on hand.
Bacon: cook it until very crisp so it does not go soft once the dressing hits the platter.
Eggs: let hard boiled eggs cool completely before chopping, otherwise the yolk smears into the other rows.
Avocado: dice it just before serving so it does not brown.
Blue cheese: Roquefort or Gorgonzola is traditional, swap in a mild feta if you want less funk.
Chives or red onion: either works for the last row, red onion gives more bite.
Dressing: a simple red wine vinegar and dijon vinaigrette is classic, though a bottled vinaigrette can stand in when you are short on time.
How to arrange a cobb salad in the classic rows
What separates a cobb salad from a plain chopped salad is the presentation. Instead of tossing everything together, each topping gets its own straight row across the lettuce, so you can see exactly what is in the bowl before it all gets mixed.
Spread the chopped romaine over a large platter or wide, shallow bowl first. Then line up the chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese and chives in individual rows across the top, working from one side to the other.
This style makes it easy for everyone to serve themselves the toppings they want before the dressing goes on, which is also why it works well for a crowd. Drizzle the dressing over the rows right before serving, then toss everything together at the table.
Cobb salad recipe
Cobb Salad
Servings
4
servingsPrep time
20
minutesCooking time
15
minutesTotal time
35
minutesA classic cobb salad recipe with chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado and blue cheese arranged in rows over romaine, finished with a red wine vinaigrette. Ready in about 35 minutes.
Ingredients
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce (about 1 large head)
2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced (grilled, poached or rotisserie)
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 avocado, diced
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives (or thinly sliced red onion)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1 small garlic clove, minced, for the dressing
1/3 cup olive oil, for the dressing
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Cook the bacon: cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes, then drain on paper towels and crumble once cool.
- Boil the eggs: place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, then cover and remove from heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Cool in an ice bath, then peel and chop.
- Make the dressing: whisk together the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper until smooth.
- Arrange the salad: spread the chopped romaine over a large platter, then arrange the chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese and chives in rows across the top.
- Season each row: sprinkle a little salt and pepper directly over the chicken, eggs and tomatoes before dressing, this keeps every bite seasoned, not just the lettuce.
- Serve: drizzle with the dressing right before serving, or serve it on the side so the platter stays neat, then toss everything together at the table.
Notes
- Servings and timing are estimates based on the ingredients in this recipe, adjust to taste and to your own tested version. Boil the eggs and cook the bacon ahead of time to make assembly faster.
Tips for the best cobb salad
Cook the bacon until it is genuinely crisp, not just browned. Soft bacon disappears into the salad once it is tossed, while crisp bacon holds its texture and crunch.
Boil the eggs a day ahead if you can. Cold, fully set eggs are much easier to chop cleanly than eggs that are still slightly warm.
Keep the dressing on the side until you are ready to eat. Once it hits the lettuce, the salad starts to wilt, so only dress what you plan to finish in one sitting.
Ways to vary this cobb salad
Shrimp cobb salad: swap the chicken for a pound of cooked, chilled shrimp.
Ranch dressing version: use a buttermilk ranch dressing instead of the red wine vinaigrette for a milder, creamier salad.
Vegetarian version: leave out the chicken and bacon and add roasted chickpeas and extra avocado for protein.
For other main-dish salads built along the same lines, our southwest chicken salad swaps the vinaigrette for a chipotle-lime dressing, and our Greek salad with feta and olives drops the lettuce altogether.
Storage and make-ahead
Store the chicken, bacon, eggs and dressing separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and keep the lettuce in its own container so it stays crisp. If you are cooking the chicken yourself rather than using rotisserie, bring it to the 165°F called for in the USDA’s safe minimum internal temperature chart, then chill it before it goes on the platter.
Wait to dice the avocado and assemble the platter until you are ready to serve, since avocado and dressed lettuce do not hold up well once combined.
Nutrition estimate
These numbers are an estimate only, based on the ingredients in this recipe, not lab tested or calculated automatically. Actual values will vary depending on the exact brands and quantities you use. Per serving (based on 4 servings): approximately 440 to 480 calories, 32 to 36g protein, 8 to 12g carbohydrates, 32 to 36g fat, and 700 to 780mg sodium.
Frequently asked questions
What is traditionally in a cobb salad?
A classic cobb salad has chopped romaine topped with rows of diced chicken, crisp bacon, hard boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, blue cheese and chives or red onion, finished with a red wine vinaigrette.
Can you make a cobb salad ahead of time?
Yes, cook the chicken, bacon and eggs up to 3 days ahead and store them separately in the fridge along with the dressing. Wait to dice the avocado and assemble the platter until right before serving.
What can you use instead of blue cheese?
A mild feta is a good substitute if you want less of the sharp, funky flavor of blue cheese, or you can leave the cheese out entirely.
How do you keep a cobb salad from getting soggy?
Keep the dressing on the side until you are ready to eat, and store the lettuce separately from the toppings if you are prepping ahead. Only toss everything together right before serving.
