According to the US Institute for Culinary Education, the cobb salad embodies "the spirit of American ingenuity," rooted in a creation myth involving Hollywood's Brown Derby restaurateur who threw it together for a late-night snack. This satisfying, flavour-packed salad is also perfect game-day food, easy to eat while watching the pitch.
Ingredients and Preparation Time
Prep time: 30 minutes. Cook time: 30 minutes. Serves 4, easily scaled. Ingredients include 2 skinless chicken breasts, salt and black pepper, 2 eggs, 4 rashers streaky bacon, 2 heads cos lettuce, 100g watercress, 2 heads chicory, 12 cherry tomatoes, 100g blue cheese (roquefort ideally), 1 ripe avocado, and 1 small bunch chives. For the dressing: ½-1 tsp sugar or honey (optional), 3 tbsp red-wine vinegar, 1 tbsp dijon mustard, 1 small garlic clove, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce, and 80ml light olive oil or other neutral oil.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Cook the Chicken
Poach chicken breasts from cold in lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Alternatively, fry them in the bacon pan (see step 5). For frying, place breasts between baking paper and pound to even thickness, sprinkle with salt, rest 30 minutes, then cook as in step 5.
2. Boil the Eggs
Place eggs in a small saucepan, cover with 3cm water, bring to boil, cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 10 minutes (7 minutes for softer boil). Transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool.
3. Make the Dressing
Dissolve sugar or honey in vinegar if using, add a pinch of salt, stir into mustard. Add crushed garlic, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk in oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Fry the Bacon
Fry bacon until crisp in a griddle or frying pan, set aside. If not poaching chicken, cook breasts in same pan for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until done. Rest before slicing.
5. Prepare Leaves, Tomatoes, Cheese, and Chives
Wash and dry leaves well, finely slice or chop. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Crumble blue cheese (roquefort, stilton, or similar). Roughly chop chives.
6. Peel and Chop Eggs
Peel eggs by rolling on hard surface, then peeling in cold water. Dice egg whites and crumble yolks (or halve if soft-boiled). Crumble bacon and slice chicken. All can be done a day ahead and refrigerated.
7. Assemble
When ready to serve, peel and dice avocado. Toss salad leaves and chives with enough dressing to coat, arrange on platter or in bowls. Top with lines of tomato, chicken, bacon, cheese, and avocado. Season tomato and avocado lightly. Serve with extra dressing on the side.
Variations and Substitutions
Classically, cobb salad contains meat and dairy. Substitute grilled tofu, seitan, grilled vegetables (courgettes, aubergine, sweet potato), artichoke hearts, toasted walnuts, or drained chickpeas. Avoid grilled halloumi due to blue cheese element. For leaves, substitute watercress with rocket or chicory with shredded cabbage. If not a fan of blue cheese, try feta, crumbly goat's cheese, or other cheese cubes.
