A Classic Cobb Salad loaded with fresh vegetables, three kinds of meat, hard boiled eggs, and blue cheese crumbles.
We’re smack dab in the middle of summer, which means nights away from home and days away from the kitchen. We just came back from the D23 Expo and while I LOVED every minute of it, three days without a home cooked meal had me yearning for a balanced meal.
The night we returned home, Warren and I had a big bowl of this Classic Cobb Salad for dinner. All the veggies in the salad made for a refreshing meal to counter act all the junk we ate over the weekend. And the chunky toppings only made it tastier and more satisfying, so we didn’t feel deprived at all. So if you haven’t had a home cooked meal in a while due to being away, let this Classic Cobb Salad welcome you home.
This cobb salad has three different types of cooked meats – bacon (how can you go wrong?), ham steak, and chicken. You can take a shortcut and use rotisserie chicken like I did in my spicy chicken tostadas, or you can quickly cook some chicken in a flavorful simmering sauce, like the one I suggest in this recipe. Trust me, it’s worth the extra effort :)
While the chicken is cooking, you can concurrently cook the bacon, boil the eggs, and chop up the veggies. By the time the chicken is done, all that’s left is the assembly and the homemade dressing.
The dressing is a little tangy and a little savory and can be whipped up in a few minutes. This salad dressing has become our latest favorite dressing and we’re enjoying it over steamed vegetables and all types of salads this summer.
Classic Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 4 large eggs
- 12 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt (long and wide strips)
- Lemon zest
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped
- 2 avocados, chopped
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
- 1/2 pound cooked ham steak, chopped
- 4 ounces crumbled blue cheese
Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespooons red wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- Salt, pepper, and sugar to taste
Instructions
Salad
- Place eggs in a medium sauce pan and fill with enough water to cover the eggs with 1/2-inch of water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover and off the heat. Let sit for 14 minutes. Transfer the eggs to an ice water bath to cool. Peel, pat dry, and cut into halves.
- In a large sauce pan, add the chicken, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, bay leaves, thyme, and peppercorns. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through, registering 160°F at the thickest part. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Cut into cubes.
- In a large serving bowl, add the lettuce. Top with avocados, tomatoes, bacon, ham, eggs, chicken, and blue cheese. Drizzle on the dressing and serve immediately.
Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, lemon juice, worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic. Season with salt, pepper and sugar to taste.
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Cookbook and Food Network Kitchen.
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