Cobb Salad

Man, do I love a Cobb Salad! My mom used to order them at restaurants when I was younger, and I knew I had truly become a grown-up when I started ordering them, too. And when I could no longer eat Ding Dongs with impunity, but that’s another story for another time. I love Cobb Salads because there’s so much glorious goodness going on: Crisp greens, yummy chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado, tomato. And to tie it all together, creamy blue cheese dressing. Heaven on a plate!

I made a big, honkin’ Cobb Salad over the weekend for two very, very important reasons I will list for you right now:

1. I wanted to.
2. I wanted to.

Oh, and I almost forgot! There was a third very, very important reason:

3. I wanted to.

And I’m so glad I followed my heart. It was splendid!

Here’s how to make it.

First, whip up the blue cheese dressing. It starts with mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. (I made a double batch, so the ingredients in the printable recipe below are half this amount.)

Whisk it together…

Then add plenty of blue cheese! You can crumble it yourself, but I like to buy the ready-to-go crumbles.

Next, finely slice up some chives (this is optional if you don’t have chives, or you can sub some chopped green onion)…

And throw those in…

Along with some Worcestershire, salt, and pepper.

Then just stir it together!

Now, if you have time, pop the dressing in the fridge for a couple of hours to let all the flavors combine. Gets better and better as it chills.

Now, Cobb Salad has lots of yummy toppings, not the least of which is bacon. So fry some up…

Let it cool on a plate…

And chop it into pieces.

You need chicken, too: Slice 2 chicken breasts in half right through the center to create 4 thinner breast-shaped pieces, then sprinkle them with salt and pepper…

And grill or saute them over medium heat until they’re done in the middle. Since they’re so thin, this doesn’t take long—just about 3 minutes per side.

Remove it from the pan, let it cool, then dice it into chunks.

I love grilled chicken. It completes me.

Don’t tell my cattle ranching husband I said that.

Slice up some hardboiled eggs.

Then lop the tops off a few green onions…

And slice ‘em up.

On a separate note, I’m on a green onion kick lately. Just out of the blue, I’m slicing them and adding them to pretty much everything except my Raisin Bran.

Then halve some red grape tomatoes!

I’m also on a red grape tomato kick lately. I love the things.

And now: Avocado is definitely one of the stars of the Cobb Salad show in my opinion! Slice two in half and take out the pit, then use a small knife to cut squares, and scoop it all out with a spoon.

I’m also on an avocado kick lately.

Okay, so I’m on a food kick lately. Let’s just leave it at that.

You can use whatever greens you want for the salad. I did a combination of Romaine…

Which I sliced…

Iceberg…

Which I cut into chunks…

And Bibb…

Which I rinsed gently and separated into leaves, because I think Bibb leaves are lovely.

Now it’s time to assemble the salad, which is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. First, arrange the three lettuces in three separate sections. Then, with all the ingredients, you can do piles or long lines. I do a line of chicken…

A line of eggs…

A line of bacon and a pile of avocado…

A couple of piles of tomatoes…

And finally: A big pile of blue cheese crumbles on top!

Ahhh. I love you, Cobb Salad.

I love you, Cobb Salad!

Now, you could add the blue cheese dressing and toss it all together before serving it…but I prefer to serve a nice big pile of salad on individual plates with a dish of dressing on the side.

Then you can spoon on whatever amount of dressing you prefer.

You’ll love this, my friends! And you can easily halve this recipe to make a smaller salad. Or, if you’re having a bunch of guests for a nice summer dinner, make an even larger portion!

Here are the handy dandy printables for the salad and the dressing.

Recipe

Cobb Salad

Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 8

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 whole Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Sliced In Half Down The Middle (you Should Be Left With 4 Very Thin Breast-shaped Pieces)
• Salt And Pepper
• Olive Oil
• 2 heads Romaine Lettuce, Chopped
• 1 head Iceberg Lettuce, Cut Into Chunks
• 2 heads Bibb Lettuce, Cored, Leaves Separated
• 6 whole Hardboiled Eggs, Peeled And Sliced
• 1 pound Thin Bacon, Fried Until Crisp
• 8 ounces, weight Red Grape Tomatoes, Halved
• 2 whole Avocados, Removed From Skin And Diced
• 1/3 cup Blue Cheese Crumbles
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Blue Cheese Dressing, Or Any Dressing

Preparation Instructions

Heat a grill pan or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Drizzle on a small amount of olive oil. Salt and pepper the chicken, then grill/saute it for about 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until totally done. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.

Arrange the three types of greens in a large bowl or on a large platter in three separate sections. Arrange eggs, bacon, tomatoes, and avocados in different piles. Pile the blue cheese crumbles in the center and sprinkle the whole salad with a little black pepper.

Serve with blue cheese dressing!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on June 23 2014

Recipe

Blue Cheese Dressing

Prep Time: 5 Minutes Cook Time:
Difficulty: Easy Servings: 12

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup Sour Cream
• 1/2 cup Buttermilk
• 3 dashes Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives
• 4 ounces, weight Blue Cheese Crumbles
• 1 dash Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper

Preparation Instructions

In a bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, and Worcestershire until smooth. Stir in chives, blue cheese crumbles, salt, and pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Flavors deepen as it chills!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on June 23 2014