Cobb Salad Recipe - The Washington Post

This is, according to several sources, the original Cobb salad, which was the invention of Los Angeles restaurant owner Bob Cobb. In the early 1920s, he started making it at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles for late-night meals with his friends. In 1929, when the Hollywood Brown Derby opened, he put it on the

Democracy Dies in Darknessclock1 hour courseMainStart CookingComment on this storyAdd to your saved recipesBy G. Daniela Galarza

This is, according to several sources, the original Cobb salad, which was the invention of Los Angeles restaurant owner Bob Cobb. In the early 1920s, he started making it at the Brown Derby in Los Angeles for late-night meals with his friends. In 1929, when the Hollywood Brown Derby opened, he put it on the menu. It didn’t take long before the chopped salad with chicken, bacon, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes and avocado became the restaurant’s signature dish. The Brown Derby used poached chicken breasts, cooked the bacon until it was extremely crisp, froze the blue cheese and grated it into the salad, hard-cooked the eggs, finely shredded the greens and used lots of dressing. This recipe has been adapted from the original to maximize efficiency and make a smaller portion. To serve it like they did at the Brown Derby, plate it on chilled dishes and toss it with the French dressing just before serving.

Make ahead: The chicken, bacon and eggs can be cooked and refrigerated separately for up to 2 days. The dressing can be made up to 1 week in advance.

Storage: Salad components can be refrigerated separately for up to 4 days.

Adapted from “The Brown Derby Restaurant” by Sally Wright Cobb and Mark Willems (Rizzoli, 1996).

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Ingredients

measuring cup

Servings: 4 (makes about 12 cups salad and 1 cup dressing)

For the dressing

For the salad

  • 1 whole bone-in, skin-on, split chicken breast (14 ounces)
  • 1/8 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, plus more as needed
  • 8 strips bacon (8 ounces)
  • 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and diced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 2 medium ripe tomatoes (10 ounces total), diced
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1 romaine lettuce heart (7 ounces), finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium head iceberg lettuce (7 ounces total), finely chopped
  • 1/2 small head chicory, finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
  • 4 ounces Roquefort or other blue cheese, crumbled

Directions

Time Icon Active: 30 mins| Total: 1 hour

  • Step 1

    Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the water, vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, sugar, salt and pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until a loose emulsion forms. Taste, and adjust the seasonings and oil as desired. If the dressing separates, whisk it back together just before serving.

  • Step 2

    Make the salad: Position oven racks in the upper third and lower third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

  • Step 3

    Line two small sheet pans with foil, if desired. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place it on one of the sheet pans. Lay the slices of bacon out, evenly spaced, on the other sheet pan.

  • Step 4

    Roast the bacon on one rack for 20 to 25 minutes, or until crisp or done to your liking. Roast the chicken on the other rack for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the skin is lightly browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part without hitting the bone reads 165 degrees.

  • Step 5

    Allow the bacon and chicken to rest until cool enough to handle.

  • Step 6

    Meanwhile, drizzle the avocado with the lemon juice so it does not turn brown, and season with a pinch of salt. Season the tomatoes with the salt and pepper.

  • Step 7

    Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Gently lower the eggs into the water, and adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Cook for 6 minutes for soft, jammy yolks, or 10 minutes for hard-cooked eggs. Drain and cover the eggs with cold water until cool enough to handle, then peel and chop them.

  • Step 8

    When the bacon and chicken are cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bones. (Reserve the skin and bones for broth, if desired.) Chop the meat into bite-size pieces; chop the bacon into bits or slivers.

  • Step 9

    In a large bowl, toss together the chopped lettuces, chicory and chives. Divide the greens among four plates or shallow bowls. Arrange the chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, tomatoes and cheese in rows across the greens. Drizzle each salad with dressing just before serving. (You may also wish to serve this family-style: Plate it in one large bowl and drizzle or toss it with dressing just before serving.)

    • Substitutions

    To make this meatless >> omit the chicken and bacon. Add more eggs if desired.
    Dislike blue cheese? >> Try this with grated cheddar or crumbled feta.
    If you only want to use one type of lettuce >> go with iceberg or romaine.
    No bone-in skin-on split chicken breasts? >> Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, adjusting the cooking time as needed.

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    Nutritional Facts

    (3 cups salad plus 1/4 cup dressing)

    • Calories

      652

    • Fat

      54 g

    • Saturated Fat

      14 g

    • Carbohydrates

      10 g

    • Sodium

      1179 mg

    • Cholesterol

      177 mg

    • Protein

      34 g

    • Fiber

      5 g

    • Sugar

      4 g

    This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice.

    Adapted from “The Brown Derby Restaurant” by Sally Wright Cobb and Mark Willems (Rizzoli, 1996).

    Tested by G. Daniela Galarza.

    Published January 11, 2024

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