Creamy Chicken Cobb Salad

This Chicken Cobb Salad is the perfect twist on an old classic. With a jalapeno dressing, it’s such a fun update on this entree salad!

A Note from Teri on Chicken Cobb Salad

I’m a huge Cobb Salad fan, and I’m always coming up with new recipes and twists. You can find tons of iterations on the blog, from steak cobb to strawberry cobb. We are in the kitchen four days a week and we are always asking, “what would be a delicious thing for lunch?” And this salad is always on repeat. Alongside our favorites like my passport chicken salad or this pomegranate salad.

The key to any delicious salad is the ingredients. In my cobb salad, jammy eggs are a star. While you’ll find hard-boiled eggs in a lot of cobbs, jammy eggs are truly next level. They are simple to make, but they take quite a bit of finesse. Make sure you have your timer and ice bath ready to get that perfect jammy consistency. And you may notice that my eggs have this beautiful orange center, which is because I purchase them from a local farm, Hebron Farms. They are absolutely delicious.

For an updated spin on a chicken cobb salad recipe, we made this incredible jalapeno cilantro lime dressing. It’s creamy with the perfect kick. It pairs perfectly with the salad ingredients. Trust me, you’ll want to make extra and put the dressing on everything.

What I love about this recipe is that it’s a beautiful entree salad but it does not take too much time. Especially if you opt for rotisserie chicken, it’s so easy to cook up your eggs and bacon and assemble this salad. It’s the perfect thing to serve for guests because it’s a showstopper and a crowd pleaser, but you don’t have to spend all day in the kitchen.

Ingredients

For the Salad:

• Bacon
• Large eggs
• Romaine lettuce, chopped
• Kosher salt
• Chicken breast (you can use Everyday Roast Chicken Breasts or a rotisserie chicken)
• Shredded monterey jack or cheddar cheese
• Cherry tomatoes
• Chopped chives
• Green onions
• Avocado slices
• Creamy Jalapeno Cilantro Lime Dressing
• Chili crisp, optional

For the salad dressing:

• Large egg
• Light olive oil
• Cilantro, chopped
• Fresh lime juice (from 1 lime)
• Jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• Minced shallots
• Apple cider vinegar
• Garlic cloves, pressed
• Hot sauce
• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Lime zest

Variations

You can feel free to use any cheese you love. I find the monterey jack is so lovely, but you could certainly use some blue cheese, roquefort or feta crumbles.

For the protein, you can cook your own chicken breasts, or use a rotisserie chicken. If you want a seafood option, you could saute shrimp in a medium skillet to add to your salad.

I did not add marinated red onions to this recipe, but you know they are always a welcome addition.

This dressing is more zesty than it is spicy, so everyone can enjoy it. If you want another creamy option, I love using my charred scallion dressing or creamy chive dressing. You could also make homemade ranch dressing.

How to Make Chicken Cobb Salad

Step One: Make the Dressing

In a wide mouth mason jar, using an immersion blender to blend, place the egg and slowly add the light olive oil until it emulsifies and thickens. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until thoroughly combined. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate to allow the dressing to thicken before use.

Step Two: Cook the Bacon and Eggs

Heat the oven to 375F. Arrange the bacon strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15-25 minutes, to your preferred level of crispiness. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. You can move them to paper towels to drain. Roughly chop bacon and reserve.

Bring a pot of water to a boil over high heat then gently add the eggs. Boil for 7 ½ minutes then transfer them to an ice water bath and cool for a few minutes. This will give you the perfect jammy eggs, but you can boil the eggs for 30 seconds to a minute longer for firmer eggs if you prefer. Peel and halve the eggs, and set aside.

Step Three: Assemble the Salad

To a large bowl, add the romaine and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Add the chicken, cheese, tomatoes, reserved bacon, chives, green onions, avocados, and jammy egg halves to the bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat.

Serve with additional dressing alongside if you like it more dressed and enjoy!

Make Your Cobb Salad a Wrap!

I absolutely love making salads into lettuce wraps. Use iceberg lettuce as the “wrap”. Add your toppings and use parchment paper to help hold your wrap together. Using both hands, begin to roll the leaves up into a wrap. Begin with the edge of the leaves closest to you and start wrapping it over the filling. Pull the filling in toward you as you roll and tuck or fold in the sides of the lettuce as you go. Continue rolling as tightly as you can until the sandwich is completely wrapped, like a burrito. Then tightly roll the paper around the wrap. Twist the ends of the paper, and cut the wrap in half.

Storage

Store leftover chicken cobb salad in an airtight container in the fridge for one to two days.

Try these other Salad Recipes

• Celebration Salmon Salad
• Apple Salad with Yogurt Dressing
• Shrimp Louie
• Creamy Salad with Buffalo Chicken

If you make your own Chicken Cobb Salad, be sure to review it below and let me know what you think! If you’re looking for more inspiration, subscribe to my Substack, and follow along on Pinterest,  Instagram,

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