Cobb Salad

Name: Cobb Salad
Ingredients: 300 g chicken breast fillet + salt, pepper; 1 avocado; 2 eggs; 50 g bacon; 50 g blue cheese (I used Dorblue); 7-8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 regular tomatoes); 150 g salad greens (I used a mix of arugula, frisée, and leaf lettuce); 6 tbsp vegetable oil; 2 tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar (or lemon juice); 1 tbsp whole grain mustard (or 0.5–1 tsp regular mustard); salt; pepper

Cobb salad is a hearty, savory salad of American origin, packed with nothing but delicious ingredients — pan-seared chicken breast fillet, creamy avocado, hard-boiled eggs, crispy bacon, fragrant blue cheese, juicy cherry tomatoes, and a mix of salad greens. It's all dressed with a vinaigrette — an emulsion of vegetable oil, vinegar, and spices. This salad is truly luxurious and makes a stunning presentation. The version I made is very close to the classic, but feel free to customize it to your taste. If you don't have blue cheese or don't enjoy it, you can use any other sharp, flavorful cheese; almost any salad greens will work as well, and the bacon can be swapped for ham. Either way, it's going to be delicious. Makes 4 medium servings (as shown in the photo). You can also make 2–3 larger portions, turning the salad into a complete lunch or dinner.

Ingredients:

300 g chicken breast fillet + salt, pepper
1 avocado
2 eggs
50 g bacon
50 g blue cheese (I used Dorblue)
7-8 cherry tomatoes (or 2 regular tomatoes)
150 g salad greens (I used a mix of arugula, frisée, and leaf lettuce)
Dressing:
6 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple cider or wine vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 tbsp whole grain mustard (or 0.5–1 tsp regular mustard)
salt
pepper

How to cook Cobb salad

Cut the bacon into small pieces.

Slice the chicken breast fillet lengthwise into two cutlets, then season both sides with salt and pepper.

In a skillet, cook the bacon pieces until crispy (no oil needed). Remove the bacon and place it on a plate lined with a paper towel.

Place the chicken breast fillet in the same skillet (no need to wash it after the bacon) and cook over medium heat for 4–5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel, then cut into cubes.

Boil the eggs for 7 minutes after the water comes to a boil, then cool, peel, and cut into small pieces. Crumble or finely chop the blue cheese.

Cut the tomatoes into small pieces.

Prepare the avocado. Don't try to peel the skin off a ripe, soft avocado — you'll end up with mush instead of neat pieces. Here's how to do it properly: Cut the avocado in half lengthwise around the pit. Rotate one half 90 degrees and pull the two halves apart. Then give the pit a firm whack with your knife, twist the blade 90 degrees, and the pit will pop right out. Holding one avocado half in your hand, slice through the flesh in a grid pattern without cutting through the skin. Gently flex the skin to pop out the pieces, then cut them away from the skin.

Combine all the dressing ingredients in a container and whisk vigorously with a fork.

Wash and dry the salad greens, tear them into pieces, add about half of the dressing, and toss to coat.

Arrange the salad greens on plates.

Neatly arrange the remaining ingredients in rows on top — eggs, tomatoes, cheese, chicken, bacon, and avocado.

Drizzle with the remaining dressing. You can serve it as is, or toss everything together before eating. Alternatively, toss it and let it sit in the refrigerator to marinate. I actually liked the salad even more the next day, once everything had soaked up the dressing evenly. That said, the original presentation is much more impressive. Cobb salad is a very hearty and beautiful dish that can easily stand in as a full lunch or dinner.