Chicken Cobb Salad

Made with wholesome ingredients like chicken breast, eggs, turkey bacon, and avocado, this Chicken Cobb Salad is a deliciously lightened up twist on the classic without sacrificing any of the flavor. Salad lovers will also want to try this Mexican Chopped Salad or Turkey Taco Salad.

From American classics to Asian-inspired bowls, I am a big salad girl. I used to be just like the many people out there who think salads are boring. Boy, was I wrong! Sure, if you slap together a house salad with ranch every day, you’re going to get bored real quick. However, salads make for the perfect opportunity to throw a ton of incredible ingredients into a bowl and chow down.

If you’re looking for a healthy salad that is absolutely not boring, then you’ve come to the right place. This Chicken Cobb Salad is made with flavorful ingredients like grilled chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, creamy avocado, and crispy turkey bacon. It’s so delicious, you won’t even realize that it’s also good for you. Sounds like a win, win to me!

With deliciousness packed into every bite, this healthy salad recipe makes the perfect satisfying meal for any lunch or dinner. For the ultimate meal prep, be sure to make enough to enjoy all week long.

What is a Cobb Salad?

The Cobb Salad first originated in 1937 after Bob Cobb (seriously, that’s his name!) created it for the Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Cobb had no idea the salad would blow up like it did, but it’s now one of the most widely known salads in the United States.

The Cobb Salad traditionally starts with a romaine lettuce base, followed by ingredients neatly laid out in rows along the top. Staple ingredients include chicken breast, bacon, hard boiled eggs, avocado, Roquefort or blue cheese, and a vinaigrette dressing. I keep this dish pretty closely aligned with the classic, with a few healthier twists.

Key Ingredients

To make this healthy salad recipe, you will need the following key ingredients:

• Romaine lettuce: This is my favorite green base to use for this dish, but feel free to substitute it for another type of lettuce or a different leafy green.
• Chicken breast: You can cook the chicken any way you like, but I like to get it out of the way ahead of time to make for a quicker meal when I’m ready.
• Eggs: You will need hard boiled eggs for this recipe. I like to boil my eggs the day before or in the morning so I have them ready to go.
• Turkey bacon: I like to lighten up the recipe by swapping out the bacon traditionally used in Cobb salad for turkey bacon. You can sub for regular bacon if you prefer that instead.
• Avocado: Loaded with heart-healthy fats, avocado adds a great flavor and a wonderful creamy texture to the salad.
• Blue cheese: If you aren’t a fan, you can sub this for goat cheese, feta cheese, or shredded cheddar cheese.

Make Ahead Tips

Because there are so many components to this dish, I love prepping what I can ahead of time so that when I’m ready to chow down, it’s not a long process. Here are some of my top tips on how to prep this Chicken Cobb Salad ahead of time:

• The dressing we make for this dish can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, so feel free to make it ahead of time and keep it refrigerated in a mason jar until you’re ready to make the salad.
• The chicken can be cooked ahead of time up to 2-3 days beforehand. You could also chop up a store-bought rotisserie chicken to cut out this step altogether.
• The eggs can be boiled ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to a week, so you can boil them whenever you have free time and keep them for when you need them.
• The turkey bacon can be browned in a skillet ahead of time and stored for up to 4-5 days in the fridge, so feel free to cook this in advance and keep it in an airtight container until you’re ready to use it.
• The tomatoes and green onions can be chopped a few hours in advance or the night before, but I wouldn’t recommend prepping them earlier than that or you run the risk of letting them get mushy.

How to Store This Dish

If possible, you should try to store the various ingredients separately from one another. Lettuce tends to wilt fairly quickly, especially when smothered and exposed to liquids. If you have already mixed up your salad and want to save some, you can still enjoy it the next day, but I wouldn’t hang onto it much longer than that.

Any leftover dressing you have should be stored on its own (preferably in a jar, if you have one) in the fridge for up to two weeks. The hard-boiled eggs will last for up to a week and the cooked chicken breast will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cobb Salads

Below you will find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about this dish:

What can I use instead of chicken breast?

If you want to switch up the protein, you could use grilled salmon or shrimp instead. For a meatless option, try baked or grilled tofu.

Can I swap out the blue cheese?

Of course. If you don’t like blue cheese, you can sub in goat cheese, feta cheese, or shredded cheddar cheese.

What is the difference between Cobb Salad and Chef Salad?

The two salads are very similar, with a few key differences. Unlike Chef Salad, a Cobb Salad contains avocado chunks and chopped tomatoes. A Chef's Salad normally contains deli turkey, deli ham, and cheddar Swiss cheese instead of the chicken and blue cheese.

Can I use a different salad dressing?

Absolutely. If you don’t feel like making your own vinaigrette, you can use your favorite store-bought version. You could also use honey mustard dressing or ranch.

More Awesome Salad Recipes:

If you liked this recipe, try these next:

• Strawberry Spinach Salad
• Crunchy Thai Chicken Salad
• Grilled Plum Salad with Goat Cheese
• Kale Caesar Quinoa Bowl
• Black Bean and Corn Salad