Classic Cobb Salad Dressing Recipe
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If you are a big salad fan and are looking for a delicious vinaigrette dressing, then this easy to make cobb salad dressing recipe is the perfect option.
We absolutely love leafy green salads, and while this dressing is a classic cobb salad dressing recipe, it would excellent on just about any salad such as my Shave Brussels Sprout Salad or Green Goddess.
What Is A Chef Salad
As one of the great American salads, this salads ingredients are basically the same, a bed of lettuce, some type of cold meat , hard-boiled eggs, cucumber, cheese, and tomatoes. How you want to prepare and present it is up to you! Like America, be resourceful and use what you have! All you need to remember, is a true Chef Salad has lettuce, eggs, meat and cheese as the foundation!
What Kind Of Dressing Do You Put On A Cobb Salad
I decided to make my own bleu cheese dressing for my salad because I knew it would taste best and, well, I have a food blog. Oh yes, it was good.
One mustn’t forget the additional crumbled bleu cheese on top. Present your salad like this, but be sure to give it a good toss before serving.
I crave this salad. If you make one salad this summer, please oh please let it be this one!
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What Goes In Cobb Salad
What makes a Cobb salad a Cobb salad, anyway?
Here are all the things you need to make sure your salad has all the classic ingredients! You need them all. No, really.
- Greens: Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, watercress, or a combination. I usually toss in some spring mix, too.
- Chicken: should be grilled or pan-seared
- Bacon: make it crispy, please.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: perfectly cooked with a tender yolk
- Tomato: garden fresh is best. Or so I hear. Can someone please come teach me how to garden, I kill everything.
- Avocado: lots and lots.
- Green onions or chives.
- Roquefort Cheese: I can never find this at my regular grocery store. Gorgonzola or Blue Cheese are great substitutes.
- Dressing: a red wine vinaigrette is traditional. See more about dressing options below!
Who Invented The Cobb Salad
Cobb salad received its name from a restaurant owner named Robert Cobb. After a long night of service, Chef Cobb was tired and hungry at the Brown Derby in Hollywood, CA. He threw together a bunch of leftover ingredients into a bowl with lettuce and tossed them together with French dressing.
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How Do You Make A Cobb Salad
Composed salads like this sound like such a fancy, restaurant-y thing but really all you do is assemble a bunch of ingredients on a plate and serve. Heres how to make our best ever, perfect Cobb salad:
Cobb Salad Recipe Variations
- My family actually prefers this with this homemade ranch instead of the vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is just more traditional. I love both, just go with what you prefer.
- Replace a few handfuls of romaine lettuce with watercress.
- Opt for a tablespoon or two of minced chives in place of red onion.
- Use cheddar cheese in place of blue cheese. Roquefort or feta are other good options.
- Hard boil eggs in water instead of steaming if you prefer that method.
- Add nuts or sunflower seeds for a light crunch.
- Finish with croutons.
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Why Is It Called Cobb Salad
There are several different stories about this particular matter, but the most popular one tells about Hollywoods Brown Derby restaurant and its signature dish around its opening in 1929. There are some differences in terms of who invented salad in the first place. Some people claim that the inventor was the restaurants chef Robert Kreis even though the salad got its name after the owner of the restaurant, Robert Cobb. On the other hand, some people believe that it was Cobb himself who came up with the Cobb salad almost a decade after the opening of the restaurant, in 1937.
Whats In A Cobb Salad
So, what exactly were these leftovers and why is the salad they made so very, very good? Heres what goes into our classic Cobb salad recipe:
- Chicken. Our Cobb salad recipe features crispy, panko-crusted chicken. Because crispy and fried is always better than not crispy and not fried.
- Avocado. I mean, this salad was born in California. Of course it has avocado.
- Bacon! You can pan-fry it or bake it in the oven, just be sure its nice and crisp.
- Blue cheese crumbles. Roquefort is the classic blue cheese for Cobb saladwe love its rich tangy punch and perfect crumble.
- Hard-boiled egg. We like ours with a nice jammy yolk. You can see our instructions for how to make perfect six-minute eggs.
- Dressing. Heres where our Cobb salad recipe differs from the classicand is better! Instead of the classic Brown Derby dressing we think the best dressing for Cobb salad is a creamy, herby, homemade buttermilk ranch.
- Romaine! Not only is it one of the healthiest lettuces out there its sturdy enough to hold up against ALL of the Cobb salad ingredients that we pile onto it.
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More Salad For Dinner Ideas
- Grilled Tomato, Basil, and Mozzarella Salad< < pair this with some grilled chicken for a full meal
- Apple Gorgonzola Salad < < a Buca di Beppo copycat. Add chicken or bacon if youre making it dinner!
- This Chopped Chef Salad from View From Great Island looks so tasty! Whats the difference between a Cobb Salad recipe and Chefs Salad? They are similar, but Chefs Salad includes cold cuts like ham or turkey, cucumber and sometimes celery, and Swiss and/or cheddar cheese. No chicken, no bacon.
How Do You Make The Perfect Cobb Salad
First, I must tell you that this was the best damn cobb salad I’ve ever had. Hands down. You can pretty much see how to make it based on the photos, but I figured I’d better walk you through the process in case you’ve never done it before. The only equipment you need is a cutting board and a sharp knife.
- Most salads start with lettuce. I used both romaine and baby red lettuce. The romaine is hidden under the red lettuce because 1) it was getting old and was no longer photo worthy and 2) don’t you just want to make an art project out of those baby red leaves? They’re just so darn pretty. Next, you have a wide variety of toppings.
- Tomato – I prefer cherry and I like them to be quartered. They’re easiest to stab and shove in my mouth that way.
- Avocado – go with a California avocado if possible. I grew up on these and they are hands down the best.
- Shredded chicken – do yourself a favor and make a whole chicken in the crockpot. It will be the most flavorful and moist shredded breast meat you will ever use. You can also just buy a rotisserie chicken if you’re going for easy.
- Hard boiled egg – these are my true nemesis, although I’m finally getting the hang of it after decades of trying. I need to update that post, however, because I now only make hard boiled eggs in my Instant Pot. You can also buy hard boiled eggs now. Weird, right?
- Green onion, or scallion – whatever, they’re the same thing.
- And cooked bacon ends and pieces. I pretty much always have some on hand.
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The Best Order For Preparing A Cobb Salad
Cobb salad is a basic chopped salad defined by its combination of cooked chicken breast, blue cheese, hard-cooked eggs, and crisp bacon. If you have leftovers from meal prep say, cooked chicken or eggs you should absolutely use them. If you dont, prepping all the ingredients from scratch wont take long if you prepare them in the following order:
Cobb Salad Recipes To Try
Your search ends here. These Cobb salads are healthy, hearty, and easy to throw together for lunch or dinner. From basic Cobbs with the usual suspects to unexpected new takes on the classic salad, you’ll find something for everyone in this collection of our best Cobb salad recipes.
Classic Cobb salad, but with a Southern twist. This take on a Cobb salad has all the essential ingredientsfrom hard-boiled egg to bacon and blue cheesebut with a few special Southern additions: Black eyed peas and Cornbread Croutons. Once you try this regional take on a storied salad, you may never go back to the original.
The rumor goes that this hearty salad that eats like a meal was coined the “Cobb Salad” at the world famous Brown Derby in Hollywood in 1937, named after the restaurants owner Robert Howard Cobb. It quickly became a signature dish for good reason – it’s healthy and addictive.
Salad. Salad doesnt have to be boring. Salad Recipes can be vibrant, flavorful, healthy, decadent, and fun! From lettuce salads to chicken salad to potato and pasta salad, the sky is the limit when creating these unique and fresh recipes.Once youve found a salad recipe that you love, theres no turning back.
Directions Preheat the oven to 400°F. Preheat the grill MEDIUM-HIGH. Place the bacon on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 18-20 minutes, or until it reaches desired crispiness.
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Chef Salad Vs Cobb Salad
When theyre side by side, chef sand cobb salads have a lot of things in common. Both feature a variety of fresh veggies, can be served as a main dish, and are traditionally topped with a vinaigrette. The main differences come from the complexity of the ingredients and the presentation.
Chef salads are typically made with simple ingredients, like chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, cheddar cheese, and ham. Cobb salads on the other hand feature more high-end ingredients like bacon, chicken, hard boiled eggs, avocado, and fancy cheeses. All of these toppings are lined in rows or simply placed on top of a cobb salad, making for an exciting presentation.
How To Assemble A Cobb Salad
Start by grilling the chicken and corn at the same time . Once theyre both done, let them rest for a few minutes before cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces and slicing the kernels off the ears of corn.
While you wait for the grilled chicken and corn to cool down, make the dressing by blending the ingredients in a blender. Slowly drizzle in the oil as the blender runs to it can fully incorporate.
Combine the lettuce and veggies in a bowl and drizzle the dressing on top. Toss to coat, then divide the salad veggies into separate bowls. Top each bowl with the chicken, bacon, eggs, chives, and goat cheese, then enjoy!
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What To Serve With Cobb Salad
Honestly, this salad is so hearty it doesnt really need side dishes. It stands on its own! But a side of bread isnt going to hurt.
ok sorry. Try these bread ideas:
- One Hour Dinner Rolls Super fluffy!
- Garlic Knots these are dipped in garlic butter
- Cheddar Bay Biscuits< < nevermind, Cobb Salad def needs a side dish and it should be these. Cheesy bread ftw!!
If you are feeding kids you could serve some buttered noodles on the side. Or, if you have a lot of people to serve, you could round out the meal with a pureed soup such as Asparagus Soupor Creamy Zucchini Soup.
Also for kids, its helpful to serve the salad in parts. Chicken on this side of the plate, eggs over here, bacon over there, then a side salad with dressing. Sometimes kids have a hard time with a big salad all mixed together, at least my kids do! Not me though, Im like a monster eating this salad. I get out the biggest bowl I can find and mix it all together, tornado style. Its HEAVEN.
How To Make A Cobb Salad
Cobb salad has so many ingredients it can be a little overwhelming to know which ones to tackle first! But, as with every dish, there is nothing to worry about as long as you prep everything in advance.
Here is the order I like to start prepping ingredients for Cobb salad:
I actually like to steam my eggs. They are so easy to peel! See recipe for details.
whether you boil or steam, dont forget the ice bath. It stops the cooking process so you dont end up with chalky, overcooked eggs.
If you are baking your bacon, get it in the oven before prepping your veggies.
Tap here to read How to Bake Bacon
Be sure to dry your chicken well before cooking, and make sure to space it out in the pan to get good browning.
And for goodness sake, dont forget the avocado.
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Cooks Note Cobb Salad Recipe:
- If you want a creamier dressing to go with this salad, then look no further than this Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing is a delicious choice.
- Most Cobb Salad recipes include chicken, but I decided to mix things up and add leftover ham from Easter. If you dont like ham, feel free to use chicken or turkey instead.
- I like to put a little extra blue cheese into my dressing. If youd rather not just leave it out, it will still taste amazing!
- I love this Cobb Salad recipe because it uses up leftover ham AND Easter eggs. Woot, woot!
- I hate when I use only some of the herbs I bought for a recipe because the rest usually go to waste in the refrigerator. After all, I forgot about them. Theyre so stinkin expensive! What I love about this recipe is that it uses an entire clamshell of chives, and none go to waste!
- I like to pass the dressing with this salad instead of dressing it on the platter. This way, if theres extra, it wont go to waste because its already dressed.
We Give This Homemade Cobb Salad An Eleven Out Of Ten Stars
Crispy, panko-crusted chicken, crumbled bacon, creamy avocado, perfect six-minute eggs and sharp blue cheese lay together atop a bed of crunchy romaine and thenbecause youre JUST THAT GOODyou pour homemade buttermilk dressing over the whole beautiful mess. And thats the moment, the day, the hour that youll never forgetthe one when your family began to beg to have salad for dinner.
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Best Cobb Salad Recipes
We have a well-rounded selection of 13 best Cobb salad recipes inside this roundup. Now that you know how easy it is to make, you can easily throw one together for lunch or dinner! Whether youre preparing a classic Cobb salad, or you want to experiment with a Cobb salad twist, there are many tasty options to choose from.
Check out the Cobb Salad Pizza in this list, or Stacked Cobb Salad for an aesthetically pleasing presentation of the salad. Cobb salad can also be transformed into a dip, or dive into a Copycat Chick-fil-A Cobb salad! Another fun twist on the classic is to switch up the meat you useinstead of chicken, try lobster, turkey or ham.