The short answer: a Cobb salad is a chopped plate of romaine topped with rows of chicken, bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomato, avocado and blue cheese. Cook the chicken to 165°F on a food thermometer, refrigerate it within 2 hours, then line the toppings up and dress the greens.
- Key numbers: 165°F chicken on a thermometer · refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) · best the day it is assembled
- Top moves: cook and cool the chicken, boil the eggs, crisp the bacon, cut everything the same size
- Free and paid next step: get the free recipe book starter pages (we email them to you), or save the dressing ratio in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99).
Our picks for cobb salad
Starter pickPrintables
Meal Planner & Grocery List
Weekly meals, a grocery list sorted by aisle, and pantry and freezer inventories so you shop once and waste less.
Printables
Family Recipe Binder
Section dividers, four recipe page layouts with room for the family story, 4x6 and 3x5 cards and a conversion chart - print it or type into the fillable version.
Prep time: 15 minCook time: 12 minTotal time: 32 minServings: 4 servingsTotal includes 5 min of resting, chilling or rising.
Amounts for this Cobb salad were checked November 7, 2026. It serves 4 as a main plate.
Cobb salad ingredients
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Romaine | 1 large head | Chopped, dried well |
| Boneless chicken | 1 pound | Breast or thigh, to 165°F |
| Bacon | 6 slices | Cooked crisp, crumbled |
| Eggs | 4 | Hard-boiled, chopped |
| Tomato | 2 medium | Seeded and diced |
| Avocado | 1 large | Diced just before serving |
| Blue cheese | ½ cup crumbled | Cheddar works instead |
| Red-wine vinaigrette | ⅓ cup | Recipe below |
How to make Cobb salad
- Cook the chicken. Season it with salt and pepper. Bake at 400°F, poach, or use a skillet. Stop when a food thermometer in the thickest part reads 165°F. Color is not the test. USDA FSIS chicken guidance says not to rinse raw poultry. Rest 5 minutes for juiciness, then refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F) before you dice it for the salad.
- Boil the eggs. Simmer large eggs about 12 minutes, then chill them in ice water. Our hard-boiled egg method has the timing chart. Chop the whites and yolks together.
- Crisp the bacon. Cook it in a skillet or the air fryer until browned. Drain on a paper towel and crumble it.
- Cut the produce. Dice tomato and avocado into pieces about the size of the chicken. Sprinkle the avocado with a little lemon or vinegar so it stays greener.
- Line it up. Put the romaine on a platter. Arrange chicken, bacon, egg, tomato, avocado and cheese in stripes. Spoon vinaigrette over the top, or pass it at the table.
A tossed chicken salad mixes everything in a bowl. Cobb salad keeps each ingredient in its own row so people can see what they are eating.
Cobb salad dressing
Whisk 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper. Stream in ⅓ cup olive oil while whisking. Taste it. Add a small minced garlic clove if you want it sharper. Ranch from the bottle is fine when that is what you have.
Use about 1 tablespoon per plate if you are packing lunches. Too much dressing wilts the romaine.
Make-ahead and food safety
Cooked chicken and boiled eggs can be ready the day before. Get them into the refrigerator within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the air is above 90°F. Do not leave them out for those 2 hours and then chill them. Leftovers must be refrigerated inside that window. Shallow containers cool faster. Hot food can go into the refrigerator right away.
The cold storage chart lists cooked chicken for 3 to 4 days. Hard-cooked eggs keep longer, up to about a week, if they stay cold. Cut avocado and dress the greens the day you serve the salad. A fully dressed Cobb salad does not improve overnight.
For a lunch box, pack the dressing in a small jar. Keep the container cold with an ice pack. Do not leave the salad in a warm car.
Swaps that still taste like Cobb salad
- No blue cheese: use cheddar, or skip cheese.
- No bacon: add extra chicken, or use a few chopped toasted almonds for crunch.
- No avocado: add cucumber or extra tomato.
- Dairy-free dressing: use the vinaigrette, not ranch.
- More greens: add a handful of chopped spinach under the romaine.
Rotisserie meat is a fair shortcut. Chill it and dice it the same way. More uses for that bird are on our rotisserie chicken recipes page. A wider list of plates lives under salad recipes.
Plan the shopping and save the salad
Write Cobb salad on the day you will actually eat it. Avocado and dressed lettuce do not wait well.
- Meal Planner & Grocery List, $3.99. A weekly menu, an aisle-sorted grocery list and a pantry inventory.
- Family Recipe Binder, $6.99. Keep the vinaigrette ratio and your cheese swap with your other salads.
Browse more kitchen printables in the printables shop.
Want free starter pages before a binder? Get the free recipe book pages (we email them to you).
Want more dressings to rotate through? Our homemade salad dressing guide has 8 recipes, including ranch, Caesar and balsamic.
Frequently asked questions
What is in a Cobb salad? A Cobb salad is a composed salad of chopped romaine, cooked chicken, crisp bacon, hard-boiled egg, tomato, avocado and blue cheese, set in rows and dressed with vinaigrette or ranch. The ingredients stay in lines so each bite can include a little of each.
What temperature should the chicken be for Cobb salad? Cook chicken for Cobb salad to 165°F in the thickest part, measured with a food thermometer. FoodSafety.gov lists 165°F as the safe minimum for all poultry. Refrigerate it within 2 hours, or within 1 hour if the air is above 90°F, before it goes on the greens.
Can I make Cobb salad ahead? Yes, Cobb salad can be made ahead with the parts stored separately. Refrigerate cooked chicken, eggs and bacon within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour above 90°F. Cut avocado and toss the greens just before serving so they do not brown or wilt.
How long does Cobb salad last? An assembled, dressed Cobb salad is best the day you make it. Cooked chicken keeps 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator, and hard-cooked eggs keep up to a week, if you hold them undressed in covered containers and get them cold within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F.
What dressing goes on Cobb salad? A red-wine vinaigrette is the classic Cobb salad dressing. Ranch works if you want it creamier. Serve the dressing on the side when you are packing lunches.
Can I skip the blue cheese? Yes, you can skip the blue cheese on a Cobb salad. Use shredded cheddar, feta or no cheese at all. The salad still has chicken, bacon, egg, tomato and avocado, so it stays a full plate.
Is rotisserie chicken okay? Yes, rotisserie chicken is okay for Cobb salad. Pull the meat from a rotisserie chicken, discard the skin if you want it leaner, and dice it once it is cold. Refrigerate the bird within 2 hours of buying it, or within 1 hour if the air is above 90°F.
How do I plan Cobb salad into the week? The Meal Planner & Grocery List ($3.99) from HomeBase Paper Co. has a weekly menu and an aisle-sorted grocery list, so chicken, eggs, bacon and greens land on one trip. Write the dressing ratio in the Family Recipe Binder ($6.99).
Sources
- FoodSafety.gov: Safe minimum internal temperatures foodsafety.gov
- FoodSafety.gov: Cold food storage charts foodsafety.gov
- USDA FSIS: Chicken from Farm to Table fsis.usda.gov
- USDA FSIS: Leftovers and food safety fsis.usda.gov