Cobb Salad Recipe

Cook bacon

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) or use a skillet. Arrange bacon in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 12–18 minutes until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then crumble or chop into bite-size pieces.

Cook chicken (if not already cooked)

Season 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts lightly with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chicken 5–7 minutes per side until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Let rest 5 minutes, then dice or shred into roughly 1/2-inch pieces (yield ~2 cups). Alternatively, use rotisserie chicken.

Hard-boil eggs

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and remove from heat. Let sit 9–11 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath for 5 minutes, peel, then slice or quarter.

Wash and dry romaine and iceberg lettuce thoroughly. Chop romaine into bite-size pieces and roughly chop iceberg. Combine in a large salad bowl or arrange on a platter as the salad base (total ~8 cups).

Halve cherry tomatoes and dice the avocado. If using corn, either slice corn off a grilled ear or warm frozen roasted corn briefly in a skillet. Thinly slice green onions. Crumble blue cheese into small pieces.

In a jar or small bowl, combine red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, honey, salt, and black pepper. Whisk or shake until combined. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while whisking constantly (or add oil to the jar and shake vigorously) until emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning; you can add more vinegar for acidity or honey for sweetness. This yields about 1 cup of dressing—use 1/3 to 1/2 cup for the salad and reserve extra.

If serving family-style on a platter: Spread the mixed lettuce in an even layer. Arrange the diced chicken, crumbled bacon, hard-boiled eggs, cherry tomatoes, avocado, corn (if using), and crumbled blue cheese in separate rows or clusters on top of the lettuce so each ingredient is visible.

If serving in individual bowls: Divide the lettuce among 4 bowls and top each with roughly equal portions of chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocado, corn, blue cheese, and green onions.

Drizzle 1/3 to 1/2 cup dressing over the entire salad (or about 2–3 tablespoons per serving) or serve dressing on the side. Toss lightly at the table or let diners serve themselves to maintain the classic Cobb presentation.

Garnish with chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges on the side to squeeze if desired.