The Cobb salad is said to be the creation of Robert Cobb, the owner of the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, back in the 1930s. The Cobb salad quickly became a signature dish at the restaurant, and it lives on at restaurants across the country — and in home kitchens, too!
Chopped salads are fantastic for lunch, because they are filling and filled with protein. All the different proteins make this Cobb salad especially pretty packed in a pint jar, but you can easily expand it into a quart jar by adding more romaine. You can grill a chicken breast to use in the salad or use leftover cooked chicken.
ServingsMakes 1 serving
Ingredients
For the Salad
1 egg
2 slices bacon
½ avocado
1½ tablespoons French Vinaigrette*
¼ cup diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped chives
¼ cup chopped romaine, cut in 2-inch strips*
¼ cup cubed cooked chicken breast
1 ounce blue cheese
1 pint-size Mason jar*
French Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons lemon juice
½ tablespoon minced shallot
¼ teaspoon Dijon mustard
pinch of salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons olive oil
* To use a quart-size jar, increase the vinaigrette to 3 tablespoons and the romaine to 2 cups.
Preparation
For the Vinagrette:
Whisk together the lemon juice, shallot, mustard, salt, and pepper. Slowly add the olive oil, whisking, until the dressing thickens.
To assemble the salad:
Place the egg in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then immediately turn off the burner. Cover the pan and let sit for 11 minutes, then remove the egg using a slotted spoon and cool briefly in a cold-water bath.
Peel and chop the egg; set aside.
In a small skillet over low to medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon grease, chop into small pieces, and set aside. Cube the avocado.
Place the vinaigrette in the Mason jar, then layer in the tomatoes, parsley and chives, chopped egg, romaine, avocado, and chicken. Crumble the blue cheese into the jar and add the bacon on top. Seal and refrigerate until ready to use.
Eva Baughman has loved studying and practicing photography since buying a second hand Nikkormat SLR when she was first out of college. Photography took a secondary role while she raised a family and worked as a pastry chef and as a recipe tester. When her nest emptied, her passion to create images was reignited. Now it’s with a Pentax DSLR, a Fujifilm X-T1 and in the digital darkroom. She especially enjoys travel and nature photography, has exhibited in New Hampshire, and has had her photos published by the New York Times for food-related stories. She is a member of the New England Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.