Not-Cobb salad
The Cobb Salad is a staple of US cuisine, famous for its colorful rows of fresh ingredients. This classic dish typically brings together chopped greens, ripe tomatoes, crispy bacon, chicken (either boiled or fried), creamy avocado, hard-boiled eggs, onion, Roquefort cheese, and a zesty vinaigrette. You might even find black olives tossed in occasionally.
The exact history of the recipe is a bit of a debate. Some say Executive Chef Robert Kreis invented it for the restaurant’s grand opening in 1929. Others believe Robert Howard Cobb, the owner, threw it together late one night while looking for a snack in the kitchen.
Ingredients
Non-Cobb salad
- 2 hard-boiled chicken eggs
- 1 boneless and skinless chicken breast, perfect for this recipe
- romaine lettuce or green leaf lettuce, coarsely chopped for the base
- 150 gr cherry-tomatoes
- 120 gr goat cheese (a tasty switch from the usual Roquefort)
- 1 avocado, ripe enough to provide a creamy texture
- 4 strips of bacon (fried crisp) or croutons (my husband prefers croutons for our variation).
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 70 grams of olive oil
Salad dressings (for a zesty homemade Cobb salad dressing)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions for Making Your Cobb Salad
- To prepare the chicken, marinate the boneless, skinless breast with minced garlic, black pepper, and some of the olive oil for 3-4 hours. Fry or bake the chicken until cooked through, then cut it into bite-sized cubes.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Slice the hard-boiled eggs into wedges (usually 6 per egg).
- Spread the chopped lettuce on a large plate. Arrange the eggs, avocado, tomatoes, chicken, and goat cheese in neat rows on top of the greens to get that signature presentation.
- For extra crunch, you can top it off with crispy bacon strips or croutons.
For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon juice until blended. Pour this vinaigrette over the salad just before serving.
