This California Cobb Salad recipe gives the classic salad a fresh California spin with heirloom tomatoes, grilled corn, cucumber, feta, and the most delicious herby ranch dressing. It’s topped with juicy grilled chicken thighs that bring all the flavors together and make this salad super filling. It’s the perfect main dish summer salad that checks all the flavor and texture boxes!
Table of Contents
This Cobb Salad Is Packed with Fresh West Coast Flavors
As we get closer to summer, I am here for all the light and fresh dinners and lunches. While a salad might not seem dinner-worthy, my version of a California cobb salad absolutely is! The only kind of salad that I’m interested in eating for dinner is the kind with loads of toppings that will keep me full for hours.
My take on a cobb salad is packed with juicy spiced chicken, grilled corn, ripe heirloom tomatoes, crispy romaine, bacon, red onion, avocado, cucumber, jammy eggs, fresh herbs, and feta cheese (sorry, blue cheese!). Then, we finish it off with a drizzle of my creamy homemade ranch dressing (1000x better than store bought). It’s basically an elevated take on a loaded chicken bacon ranch salad!
This salad is really a celebration of all that beautiful West Coast produce at its peak freshness and flavor. And it’s really as elaborate or as simple as you want to make it! You can swap in or omit certain ingredients and really customize it to your tastes.
It’s truly my ideal salad recipe and is perfect for a light summer dinner, healthy lunch meal prep, or even as a really hearty side dish.
Required Equipment
Ingredients You’ll Need
You can find the full list of ingredients, quantities, and method in the recipe card at the end of the page.
- Chicken. I prefer grilling boneless, skinless chicken thighs because they’re juicier and more flavorful than chicken breasts. Use whatever cut of chicken you have on hand, though!
- Spices. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder give the chicken tons of flavor.
- Ranch dressing. You can go the store-bought route here, but my homemade ranch is what makes this California salad so good! The creamy base is made with mayo and buttermilk, then a blend of fresh dill, chives, and basil are whisked in with some vinegar to balance things out. I also add a dash of hot sauce to my ranch to round out the flavor profile.
- Lettuce. Crunchy romaine is the move here.
- Veggies. You can load up your salad with whatever veggies you like, but I like a mixture of sliced red onion, diced avocado, Persian cucumbers, grilled corn, and tomatoes.
- Eggs. Cobb salads traditionally call for hard-boiled eggs, but I like my yolks to be ever so slightly jammy (I hate when the yolks are so hard they’re almost dry and powdery!).
- Bacon. Cook it until nice and crispy, then dice into small pieces.
- Feta cheese. I replaced the blue cheese with salty feta, which goes perfectly with the herby ranch.
The 4 Simple Steps to Making a California Cobb Salad
Jenny’s Tip: While I love the flavor that grilling adds to the chicken and corn, you can also cook them on the stove in a heavy skillet instead.
- Make the dressing in advance. The homemade ranch tastes best after it’s had 4+ hours to chill in the fridge. This gives the herbs and spices time to infuse the buttermilk base with lots of flavor.
- Marinate the chicken for 1 hour. You can refrigerate the chicken in the marinade for up to 48 hours, which is great on weeks when any bit of meal prep helps get dinner on the table faster!
- Grill the chicken and corn. Both need to cook on an outdoor grill that’s been preheated to 450ºF. The chicken thighs will take roughly 3 to 5 minutes per side, and the corn needs about 8 minutes total (I grill my corn without the husk so it can develop grill marks).
Jenny’s Tip: Rather than standing up the corn vertically on a cutting board to remove the kernels, lay it on its side and slice off strips of kernels that way. This will prevent the corn from flying all over the counter!
- Assemble the salad. You can either toss everything together to coat evenly in the dressing, or you can layer the ingredients in a serving bowl and then drizzle with the ranch for a prettier presentation.
Ways to Customize Your Salad
I love this California cobb salad as is, but if I’ve got other produce on hand then I’ll substitute a few of the ingredients to use up what I have.
- Swap the red onion for quick pickled red onions
- Use leftover cooked chicken instead of grilling it fresh (this Spatchcock grilled chicken and Dutch oven roast chicken make great planned leftovers for recipes like this)
- Replace the ranch with your favorite blue cheese dressing or green goddess dressing
- Use butter lettuce or massaged kale instead of romaine
- Swap the feta with blue cheese crumbles
- Replace the corn with another grilled vegetable
Want to Meal Prep This Salad? Here’s How
If you plan to make this grilled chicken cobb salad for meal prep, I personally believe that the components are best stored separately! Some of the vegetables can be stored together in airtight containers (tomatoes/onion, corn/cucumbers), the lettuce is best in a paper towel lined ziplock, and I usually store my ranch in a mason jar.
All the components will last in the fridge for 5-6 days and the ranch for 10 days. If you have already dressed salad, it will last overnight in the fridge — after that, the leaves wilt because of the dressing.
Jenny’s Tip: I recommend not dressing the whole salad and serving the dressing on the side to keep leftovers fresh longer!
If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag @JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.
More Main Dish Salad Recipes to Try
- Thai Steak Salad
- Asian Chicken Chopped Salad
- Grilled Chicken Greek Salad
- Turkey Taco Salad
- Vietnamese Chicken Cabbage Salad
This post contains affiliate links from which I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Affiliate links allow me to keep providing great recipes for free and I never recommend products that I don’t love and personally own.
California Cobb Salad Recipe
Ingredients
Grilled Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Herby Ranch Dressing
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tablespoons champagne or white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
- 1/4 cup minced fresh basil leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce, like Crystal
Salad Ingredients
- 1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and chopped
- 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 eggs
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and diced
- 1-2 avocados, diced
- 2 ears sweet corn, shucked
- 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
- 2 medium heirloom tomatoes, chopped
- 4 oz feta cheese, diced small
Instructions
- Make the dressing. Whisk together all the ingredients for the herby ranch and season to taste with salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours as the dressing gets better as it sits.
- Marinate the chicken. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and smoked paprika with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the bowl and toss well to coat. Marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 48 hours.
- Boil the eggs. Bring a small pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Gently lower the eggs into the water and boil them for 8 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl of ice water and let them cool. Once they're cool, peel and roughly chop them.
- Grill the chicken and corn. Preheat an outdoor grill to 400ºF. Grill the chicken for 3-5 minutes per side, until cooked through to 165ºF. Alternatively, you can grill the chicken indoors in a skillet or on a grill pan until cooked through. At the same time, grill the corn for 6-8 minutes, turning occasionally, until some of the kernels are charred. Let the chicken rest, then cut it into slices. Use a sharp knife to cut the corn kernels off the cob and set them aside.
- Assemble the salad. In a large mixing bowl, layer the chopped romaine with the red onion, tomato, corn kernels, bacon, egg, cucumber, avocado, and diced feta. Top with the grilled chicken and drizzle with the herby ranch, as desired. Top with more chopped basil and dill before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
You might also like...
-
30 Minute Meals Grilled Greek Chicken Salad
-
Salads Steak Salad with Caramelized Onion Vinaigrette
-
Salads Turkey Taco Salad
Rate & Review This Recipe
No comments yet — be the first to rate and review!