Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- 12 cups water – divided (for boiling eggs and poaching chicken)
- 2 large egg – hard-boiled, cooled, peeled, chopped
- 6 slices bacon – cooked until crisp, crumbled
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast – poached, cooled, diced (~2.5 n/a chicken breasts)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt – divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper – freshly ground
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice – freshly squeezed
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small clove garlic – finely minced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup neutral oil – such as grapeseed or canola
- 3 cups romaine lettuce – finely chopped (~0.5 medium romaine lettuces)
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce – finely chopped (~0.5 medium iceberg lettuces)
- 1 1/2 cups watercress – finely chopped
- 2 cups tomato – diced, seeded (~3 medium tomatos)
- 1 large avocado – diced
- 3 ounces Roquefort cheese – crumbled
- 1/4 cup chives – thinly sliced
Instructions
1. Boil the eggs: Place the eggs in a small saucepan and add 6 cups of the water to cover by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, remove from heat, and let stand 10–12 minutes. Drain, run under cold water until cool, peel, and chop.
2. Cook the bacon: Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crisp, 8–10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain, then crumble once cool.
3. Poach the chicken: In a saucepan, combine the remaining 6 cups water with 0.5 teaspoon of the kosher salt and bring just to a bare simmer. Add the chicken breasts, reduce heat to low, and poach gently until cooked through (165°F), 12–15 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool, then dice.
4. Make the dressing: In a bowl, whisk together the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic. Slowly drizzle in the extra-virgin olive oil and the neutral oil, whisking until emulsified. Season with the remaining 0.5 teaspoon kosher salt and all of the black pepper.
5. Prep the vegetables: Finely chop the romaine, iceberg, and watercress. Dice the tomatoes and the avocado.
6. Assemble the salad: In a large shallow bowl or platter, toss the chopped romaine, iceberg, and watercress with 3 tablespoons of the dressing to lightly coat. Arrange the diced chicken, crumbled bacon, chopped eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and Roquefort in neat rows over the greens. Sprinkle the chives over the top and drizzle with enough of the remaining dressing to taste. Serve immediately.
Cobb Salad is a hearty chopped salad known for its bold flavors and striking presentation in colorful rows. Crisp lettuce and peppery watercress form a cool, crunchy base, topped with savory bacon, tender chicken, creamy avocado, bright tomatoes, crumbled blue cheese, and rich chopped eggs. A tangy red wine vinaigrette with Dijon and Worcestershire pulls everything together, balancing salt, fat, acid, and freshness in each bite.
Created in Los Angeles in the late 1930s and closely associated with the Brown Derby restaurant, Cobb Salad quickly became an American classic. Its story credits restaurateur Robert “Bob” Cobb with assembling the ingredients on hand into a composed, chopped salad that was soon formalized on the menu. Over time, its core elements—mixed crisp lettuces, chicken, bacon, avocado, tomato, egg, blue cheese, and chives with a red wine vinaigrette—have come to define the dish and inspire countless variations across the United States.