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Nut Free
Healthy Cobb Salad with The Best Vinaigrette
Easy and Healthy Chicken Cobb Salad with the best homemade Vinaigrette is not just your classic Cobb salad. Loaded with protein, crispy mixed greens, cooked chicken, crispy bacon, boiled eggs, creamy ripe avocado, juicy tomatoes, and crumbled feta cheese. It’s a meal in itself.
Table of Contents
What is a Cobb Salad?
The first Cobb Salad came about by Robert Howard Cobb back in 1938 for his Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant. It is unclear whether Robert invented the signature dish himself or his chef Paul J Posti.
A Cobb salad is typically made with chopped salad greens, crisp bacon, cooked or fried chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, blue cheese crumbles, and a red wine vinaigrette.
So, what makes this a Healthier Cobb Salad?
This Healthier Cobb Salad takes your regular Cobb salad and includes ingredients that will benefit your body more. When in doubt, go for a well-rounded Healthy Cobb Salad!
The fact that it’s full of protein, vitamins, fiber, and nutrition! Cobb salads are great as a complete one-bowl meal. This is a healthier Cobb salad with fewer calories than a traditional Cobb salad, but with great taste.
So many ingredients contain benefits in this amazing salad recipe!
If you haven’t tried turkey bacon before, you’re in for an excellent substitute for traditional bacon! Make sure not to skip out on any of the healthy toppings because tomatoes, for example, promote healthy skin. They purify the blood and are filled with vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, magnesium, and many more nutrients.
Eggs add protein to this salad (6 whole grams!). Full of healthy fat, eggs are a cheap and easy food to cook. As for feta cheese, it’s a good source of calcium and vitamin B2 and makes a healthier substitute for blue cheese.
Chicken Cobb salad is one of my favorite salad options to order for lunch at a restaurant. This is an easy recipe to achieve at home with fresh ingredients and your own homemade dressing.
Key Ingredients
Turkey bacon replaces regular bacon, reducing calories and saturated fat.
Chicken breast, especially organic chicken, contains heart-healthy omega-3.
Mixed greens are always a great and beneficial base for salads. They contain vitamins A & C, as well as fiber.
Hard-boiled eggs are filled with high-quality protein and calcium.
Plum tomatoes have potassium and vitamin K, but you can also use grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
Feta cheese also contains protein. It adds phosphorus to the benefits list, keeping your bones strong. You could also use goat cheese.
Avocado also contains potassium and adds heart-healthy fats to this fantastic list!
Best Cobb Salad Vinaigrette:
A Red Wine Vinaigrette is the classic dressing for Cobb Salad. Vinaigrette is made with garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and extra-virgin olive oil. A homemade ranch dressing would work well as a substitute to the dressing.
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
How to make a Healthy Cobb Salad
Step 1: Sauté the bacon
Sauté turkey bacon until golden brown, pat dry with a paper towel, and chop into small pieces.
Step 2: Boil the chicken
Boil the chicken breast and chop into small pieces. (Don’t add salt to the water).
Step 3: Cook the eggs
Boil, peel, and chop eggs.
Step 4: Chop veggies
Chop the tomatoes and avocado.
Step 5: Combine
Combine ingredients with mixed greens and crumbled feta cheese.
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
Whisk together garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil. Add to the salad and mix when ready to serve!
Expert Tips
- Don’t mix the salad until you’re ready to serve.
- Make the dressing in a mason jar to shake it well before serving.
- Salad greens can be rinsed and dried ahead of time.
- Chicken can be pre-cooked and chilled ahead of time. Feel free to substitute rotisserie chicken if you’d like.
- Cook and chop the crispy bacon ahead of time if you’d like. Keep in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Boil the eggs up to 2 days in advance and keep in the fridge until ready to use!
- Keep salad in airtight containers to take to work or school for lunch the next day. This classic Cobb salad is perfect as a make-ahead recipe!
Recipe FAQs
Make the vinaigrette 1-2 days before serving. Make sure to place it in a covered container in the refrigerator. As for the salad, you can make it 2-3 hours before serving. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Certainly! While the classic choice is a vinaigrette, you can use ranch, blue cheese, or any dressing of your choice.
Enjoy more tasty recipes from the blog:
- Quick and Creamy Avocado Tomato Salad with Cucumber is a hearty lunch salad.
- You can make a tasty summer salad with this recipe for Easy Smoky Summer Fresh Corn Salad with Cilantro.
More salad recipes
If you tried this Healthy Cobb Salad or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you enjoyed it in the📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
Healthy Cobb Salad with The Best Vinaigrette
Equipment
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Small pot
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whisk
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salad bowl
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mixing spoon
Ingredients
- 3 strips turkey bacon, chopped
- 1 chicken breast, boneless & skinless
- 1 cup mixed greens
- 2 eggs, hard boiled
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- ¼ cup feta cheese
- 1 ripe avocado, chopped
Red Wine Vinaigrette
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
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Sauté turkey bacon until golden brown, pat dry with a paper towel, and chop into small pieces.3 strips turkey bacon,
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Boil the chicken breast and chop into small pieces. (Don't add salt to the water).1 chicken breast,
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Boil, peel, and chop eggs.2 eggs,
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Chop the tomatoes and avocado.2 plum tomatoes,, 1 ripe avocado,
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Combine ingredients with mixed greens and crumbled feta cheese.1 cup mixed greens, ¼ cup feta cheese
For the Red Wine Vinaigrette:
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Whisk together garlic, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, and extra virgin olive oil. Add to the salad and mix when ready to serve!1 clove garlic,, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 pinch salt, 1 pinch black pepper, ¼ tsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tsp Dijon mustard, 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
