Cobb Salad with Herb Vinaigrette

5 from 1 vote

This Cobb Salad is loaded with goodies—avocado, bacon, eggs, cherry tomatoes, edamame, corn, and goat or feta cheese. The real star? A fresh herb vinaigrette that everyone goes crazy for!

Prep Time25

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Salad

Cuisine: American, Healthy

Keyword: spring cobb salad

Servings: large servings

Author: Chelsea Lords

Cost: $9.25

Equipment

Small blender
Grill or grill pan

Ingredients

Herb Vinaigrette Dressing (See Note 1)

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or fresh basil
2-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt and pepper

Optional Grilled Chicken Addition (See Instruction #1)

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 of the dressing recipe see note 1

Salad

8 cups mixed green lettuce I use 50/50 blend spinach and spring mix leaves
2 to 3 hard-boiled eggs peeled and diced or sliced, see note 2
1/3 cup crumbled center-cut bacon 6–7 slices
1/3 cup frozen shelled edamame or sweet peas
2/3 cup grape tomatoes halved
1 large avocado diced
1/2 cup corn fresh corn you’ve grilled, or fire-roasted canned corn, or thawed frozen corn
1/2 cup goat cheese or feta cheese, goat is my favorite
1 lemon optional

US - Metric

Instructions

Optional Recipe Shortcuts: Either leave out the chicken or add rotisserie chicken. Rotisserie chicken saves time and energy, plus it’s delicious and tender. You can also use leftover grilled chicken.
Use store-bought hard-boiled eggs. While hard-boiled eggs are simple to make, they can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating to peel. A lot of stores sell prepared hard-boiled eggs.
Microwave bacon. Another shortcut is to buy precooked bacon. Warm it through according to package directions, and it’s ready to go.
Dressing: See note 1. Add the red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic, parsley, cilantro, salt and pepper (I use about 1/2 teaspoon each; add to taste preference), and sugar to a small blender. Blend until smooth, then add the olive oil. Pulse to emulsify and incorporate, being careful to not over-blend. Taste and adjust the dressing to preference (salt, pepper, sugar). Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Shake before topping the salad.
Optional Grilled Chicken: Place the chicken breasts (halved horizontally) in a large plastic bag and pour 1/3 of the dressing (just eyeball it) on top. Seal without air and knead the dressing into the chicken. Refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 4 hours (not longer than 4 hours or the acidity from the vinegar starts to “cook” the chicken).
Remove the chicken from the bag and discard the marinade. Cook on a grill (or in a grill pan) over medium-high heat for 4–5 minutes on each side or until the juices run clear (160°F on a food thermometer). Remove chicken from grill and tent with foil. Let it rest and cool for about 10 minutes, then slice or chop into bite-size pieces (see note 1).
Peel and dice or slice the hard-boiled eggs (see note 2), cook and crumble or finely dice the bacon, boil the edamame according to package directions and drain, halve the grape tomatoes, and dice the avocado. (Optional: squeeze some fresh lemon to keep avocado from browning.) Prepare the corn (drain from can, grill fresh corn, or thaw frozen corn—see note 3). Place the lettuce in a large bowl or platter.
Layer ingredients on the lettuce. Add feta or goat cheese. Drizzle dressing, adding to preference, right before eating (do not dress anything you want to keep leftover, as the dressing doesn’t sit well with this salad—see note 4).

Notes

Note 1: If you want to add grilled chicken, make the full dressing recipe and use 1/3 of the dressing for the grilled chicken. If you don’t want the chicken, you can halve the dressing recipe (or make it all and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week).

Note 2: Hard-boil eggs: Place eggs in a large saucepan/pot. Cover them with cold water by 1 inch. Cover with a lid and bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to medium high and boil for 6–7 more minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a large bowl with ice cold water to cool for a few minutes. (Or place under cold running water.) Peel the eggs and chop.

Note 3: To grill corn on the cob, I have detailed directions in this Elote post. I generally use 1 ear sweet corn and grill it on an indoor grill pan for this recipe. Let it cool, cut off the cob, and add.

Note 4: This salad doesn’t store well once dressed, so only mix what you'll eat. Keep toppings and dressing separate.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information doesn’t include optional grilled chicken and 1/3 cup dressing set aside for it.

Storage: Keeping toppings and dressing separate, this salad lasts up to 3 days—except for avocado, which browns quickly. Store leftover avocado with lemon or olive oil to keep it fresh.

Nutrition