My fried chicken cobb salad is a fun riff on the OG Cobb, famous for 4x the protein from chicken, bacon, egg, and blue cheese!
With a little prep ahead you can have this show stopping fried chicken Cobb salad on the table with hardly any effort. It’s strictly a matter of arranging your ingredients ~ a mass of fresh summer greens and veggies with a 4x protein punch from chicken, bacon, blue cheese and eggs.
SHORTCUT: did you think I actually make fried chicken for this meal? Heck no! I use frozen (uncooked) breaded chicken breasts or tenders. They’re one of the few things I make sure to keep stocked in my freezer, I’m obsessed with them. A couple of brands I use and like: Bell & Evans and Just Bare.
In one of my recent newsletters I shared all the different ways I use frozen crispy chicken to make meals like chicken Parm or hot honey chicken sandwiches SO much easier. Are you subscribed??
what makes a cobb a cobb
Cobb salad is an old-school American chopped salad packed with chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato, and blue cheese ~ the original Cobb salad was born in 1930s Hollywood at the Brown Derby restaurant, thanks to a creative restaurant owner named Bob Cobb.
A cobb salad is traditionally what’s called a “composed” salad ~ which means instead of tossing the ingredients together you arrange them over the top of the lettuce, in groupings. This easy technique makes a salad into an edible work of art.
how to serve fried chicken cobb salad
This is a complete meal in a bowl and a perfect supper for warm summer nights. If you want to round out the meal you could start with an Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho or Creamy Artichoke Bisque. For bread to go with it I’d suggest Cherry Tomato Focaccia or Quick Dinner Rolls. And dessert should be light ~ how about Raspberry Champagne Sorbet or Fresh Lemon Mousse?
prepping ahead
A fried chicken cobb salad should be assembled just before serving for that wonderful contrast of warm chicken and crisp cool salad. But you can get a big head start by prepping most of the ingredients and stashing them in the fridge. The lettuce can be placed right in your serving bowl, covered in plastic.
wait until just before serving for these ingredients:
- bake the chicken
- dice the avocado
- slice the cherry tomatoes
substitutions and variations for fried chicken Cobb salad
Try shrimp, salmon, or sliced steak instead of chicken.
When corn is out of season try canned beans like chickpeas or black beans.
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Fried Chicken Cobb Salad
Ingredients
chicken
dressing
- 4 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
salad
- 6 large handfuls chopped romaine lettuce, rinsed and well dried. You can use any firm crisp lettuce you like.
- 2-3 large eggs, hardboiled and sliced
- 2 ears corn, steamed and kernels removed
- 6 strips bacon, cooked until crisp and crubled
- 1 ripe avocado, diced and tossed with lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes , cut in half or quartered
- 4 spring onions, thinly sliced, white and green parts
- 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled (Roquefort is traditional)
- 2 Tbsp snipped chives
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
garnish
- snipped chives
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line a sheet pan with foil. Arrange your frozen breaded chicken cutlets on the tray and brush with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Bake according to your brand's package instructions, Bell & Evans takes about 25 minutes.
- While the chicken bakes made the salad. Whisk the salad dressing ingredients together and taste to adjust any of the ingredients.
- Place the dry lettuce in a large wide salad bowl and toss with some of the dressing. Moisten but don't drown it. Arrange the rest of the ingredients, in groups, over the top of the lettuce. Refer to photos in the blog post for inspiration.
- When the chicken is done slice each tender on the bias with a sharp knife.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and place the sliced chicken on top. Garnish with the snipped chived and fresh cracked black pepper. Serve immediately while the chicken is still warm.
the original Brown Derby Cobb Salad Recipe
If you’re a food history buff or just want to check out the OG Cobb, here it is, the authentic version from California.
serves 4-6
Ingredients
- 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, finely chopped
- 1/2 head romaine lettuce, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch watercress, chopped
- 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 poached chicken breasts, diced
- 6 strips crisp bacon, crumbled
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives, minced
- 1/2 cup Roquefort cheese, crumbled
Everything should be chopped very fine so the salad can be tossed easily. Arrange in rows on top of the chopped greens and toss just before serving with the French dressing.
Brown Derby French Dressing
- 1 cup olive oil (or 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 vegetable oil)
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Such a delicious spin on a classic! This was such a satisfying lunch.
I’m one of your subscribers and I remember you talked about this chicken before. I saw it the other day at my grocery store and gave it a try, now I’m a fan!! I used it to make your lemon buttermilk chicken salad and wow. I’ll try this salad next, my boyfriend and I love salad for dinner.
This chicken is my last minute dinner miracle 🙂 Thanks for your review!