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This Classic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad is a family summer favorite!  Rows of sliced olives, crumbled blue cheese, chopped hard-boiled eggs, diced grilled chicken, fried bacon bits, diced ripe tomatoes, and diced avocados on a bed of delicious greens.

I was 24 the first time I had this classic salad at a local restaurant with a friend.

It was love at first bite! I’ve been ordering it at restaurants ever since! I can’t help myself. I love the combination of flavors in this delicious salad.

Where did Cobb Salad get its name? 

I’m always intrigued where and how classic dishes came about and how they got their name. (Rocky Mountain Oysters, Welsh Rarebit, Guacamole…need I say more?) 

So it wasn’t too long after having my first Cobb Salad that I researched it origins!  Turns out there are several stories out there, but the one that seems to stick is that it was created at the famous Brown Derby in Hollywood and named for the restaurants’ owner Robert Howard Cobb.

It is said that Mr. Cobb created the salad as a late night snack for Sid Grauman, owner of Grauman’s Chinese Theater. He went into the kitchen, chopped up some of the leftovers from that days menu and an iconic salad was born. 

Now whether or not this story is true…only they know. I love it, so I’m going to embrace it. 

How To Make Classic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad for Four

We don’t own a restaurant, (Well… I don’t…maybe you do?) so there is some prep needed in order to make this delicious salad! 

You can prep the ingredients earlier in the day, or even a day or two in advance, and have everything on hand when you’re ready to pull it all together! 

Hard-boil, chop, and chill 5–6 eggs extra large eggs. (Aren’t those beautiful hard-boiled eggs? Thank you Instant Pot! Worth every penny just for perfect hard-boiled eggs. That’s what I told my husband! Lol)

Let’s talk BACON! Fry in a skillet, or Oven Bake, 8 slices of bacon. I baked mine in the oven, at 375° for 20 minutes, on a rack over a baking sheet. (Mainly because I didn’t want to have to clean my stove top! I love bacon… I hate the cleanup!)

Allow bacon to drain, and cool, on a paper towel lined plate, then crumble. 

TIP: I store my bacon crumbles in a zip lock sandwich bag in the refrigerator until ready to use.

My Classic Chicken Cobb Salad is made and served on a platter for a group rather than individually.  I have found that two boneless skinless chicken breasts is plenty for 4 – 6 servings.

On your BBQ, or on a grill pan, lightly oiled with olive oil, place two boneless skinless chicken breasts. Season with garlic salt and coarse black pepper to taste.

Cook over medium heat until chicken is cooked completely through and juices run clear.

Allow chicken breast to cool completely before cutting into bite sized pieces. Chill in airtight container until ready to assemble salad.

The eggs, bacon, and grilled chicken breasts are the main ingredients that need to be prepared ahead of time. You can prepare the other ingredients ahead of time as well, or just prepare them as you assemble the salad.

How To Assemble a Classic Chicken Cobb Salad

• Using a large platter, begin with a bed of fresh salad greens. I prefer to use red leaf lettuce and romaine. 
• Beginning in the center, place a row of diced grilled chicken. Always begin in the center and work your way out from either side. Since grilled chicken is the star of the dish and the main ingredient, it’s the best place to start.
• Next to the chicken, on one side place a row of bacon bits, on the other side a row of chopped hard-boiled eggs.
• Next to the bacon a row of diced, seeded, fresh ripe tomatoes. Next to the tomatoes, a row of diced ripe avocado.
• Next to the row of chopped hard-boiled eggs a row of crumbled blue cheese. If you are not a blue cheese fan, you can do a row of grated cheddar cheese. My kids are not blue cheese fans…so we always did cheddar. They’re gone now and the big people with impeccable taste can do blue cheese.
• Next to the blue cheese a row of slice black olives for the finishing touch.

Traditionally this salad is served with Blue Cheese dressing.  We like homemade Ranch, but either is good. I’ve also seen wonderful Mustard Vinaigrettes served with this salad. I think it really comes down to your own individual personal tastes.

As I mentioned above, I serve this salad on a large platter, enough to serve 4–6 adults. It is a beautiful and impressive presentation! 

What To Serve With Classic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

There are some great sides you can serve with this Classic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad! I love to serve Traditional Blueberry Muffins with this fresh delicious dish. 

Here are a few other great side dishes that go with Cobb Salad

• Buttery Sweet Corn Bread
• Seven Week Bran Muffins
• Lion House Dinner Rolls
• Easy No-knead Artisan Bread
• Oven Fried Squash 
• Last Caesar Salad Recipe You’ll Ever Need from Allrecipes.com

Classic Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad is a fantastic light and tasty summer meal! Cool and refreshing with the most scrumptious toppings to grace greens since the making of a Chef Salad! 

Thank you so much for stopping by today! I hope you’ll give this family favorite a try at your Nest!

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