Cobb Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs and Bacon
If there’s a dish that says, “Hey, here’s something fresh, bold, and just a little bit fancy, but still totally doable on a Tuesday night,” it must be this motley crew of crisp lettuce, smoky bacon, creamy avocado, and the ever-reliable hard-boiled egg.
Cobb salad is not just a salad. It’s a meal that feels like a feast, the kind of salad you build when you want to impress yourself—or your family, or the neighbor who just happened to drop by right around dinner.
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I’ve always treated Cobb salad as a bit of a blank canvas (does that sound pretentious? I don’t mean it to).
The basics? Sure, you’ll find them here. But there’s plenty of room for swaps, skips, and all-out laziness, depending on the state of your fridge and your mood.
Today, I’ll take you through my go-to version with hard-boiled eggs and bacon—what makes it work, the little tricks for pulling it off fast, and why I keep coming back to it after all these years.
Ingredients
Before anybody rolls their eyes and clicks away: yes, you can play with these ingredients, and yes, fresh always wins. But I’ll walk you through each one—what they do in the bowl, swaps if you need them, and a few little notes I’ve picked up from, well, years of dinner mishaps.
- Iceberg lettuce (2 cups, chopped)
Iceberg is the old reliable of Cobb salad. Crunchy. Mild. Holds everything up without wilting under bacon grease (not the worst fate, to be honest). Romaine works, or even a mix of baby greens, but skip spring mix unless you love limp salad an hour in. - Hard-boiled eggs (2 large, chopped)
The secret star. They’re creamy but substantial, gently mild, and take up dressing like mini sponges. Sub in soft-boiled eggs for a runnier experience, or skip altogether if you’re in a rush—but you’ll miss them. - Cooked bacon (4 slices, crumbled)
That smoky crunch is what makes everything else sing. Fry until crisp, drain on a towel. Turkey bacon can work if you’re feeling lighter, but nothing truly replaces the real thing. - Chicken breast (1, grilled or roasted, chopped)
I make a habit of using leftovers. Rotisserie chicken? Even easier. Seasoned tofu cubes for a meatless twist. The protein glues it all together. - Avocado (1, diced)
You need the buttery richness. No avocado? A dollop of creamy hummus or a handful of toasted nuts adds something different. - Cherry tomatoes (1 cup, halved)
Tangy, sweet, and juicy. Any ripe tomato, chopped, will work. Even a handful of diced bell pepper in a pinch. - Blue cheese or feta (1/4 cup, crumbled)
Blue cheese is classic for that sharp tang, but feta gives a milder bite. Goat cheese if you want to go soft and funky. - Red onion (1/4 cup, thinly sliced, optional)
Sharp, spicy sweetness. Briefly soak in cold water to take out the sting if you’re not fond of raw onion. Leave it out if you want mellow. - Olive oil (2 tbsp)
Use the best you have. The flavor stands out. - Red wine vinegar or lemon juice (1 tbsp)
For zing. Lemon gives floral brightness, vinegar gives classic sharpness. Even white wine vinegar will do if that’s what you have. - Salt and pepper (to taste)
Don’t skimp here. Freshly cracked pepper, coarse salt—makes a world of difference.
Tips on scaling:
Planning for a crowd? Double everything and use a platter instead of a bowl. Want a lunch for one? Halve it. Or just keep leftovers in meal prep containers—the eggs and lettuce hold up pretty well until day two.
How to Make It
Cobb salad isn’t hard. What it is: a handful of simple kitchen jobs, all lined up like ducks. Bacon crisps in one pan. Eggs bubble in a pot. Chicken takes a quick trip under the broiler. After that, it’s just chopping, arranging, and a bit of swagger as you turn a pile of stuff into something eye-catching. Here’s how I go about it.
Step 1: Prep the Ingredients
Start with the bacon. Fry until dark and shatteringly crisp, then let it drain on a paper towel. (Try not to eat it all before it hits the salad—I lose at least one slice every time.)
Hard-boil your eggs. Drop them into gently boiling water, settle in for 10 minutes, then into an ice bath they go. This stops the cooking and makes shelling painless (usually… sometimes eggs are just stubborn). Peel, chop, and set aside.
If you don’t have cooked chicken on hand, brush one breast with oil, salt and pepper, then grill or roast. Chop into bite-sized cubes once cooled. No need for fancy seasoning—a little garlic powder never hurt, though.
Dice your avocado last so it stays bright. Halve the cherry tomatoes for juicy little bursts. Crumble your cheese and slice the onion paper-thin.
Step 2: Assemble the Salad
In your biggest bowl, spread out that chopped lettuce. Don’t pack it tight; you want air in there.
Now here’s the trick for the classic Cobb look: arrange ingredients in tidy rows or broad stripes—chicken, eggs, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, and onion if you want it.
It’s neatly organized chaos. If you want less fuss, toss everything together. No judgment.
Step 3: Make the Dressing
Whisk together olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper in a little bowl or jar. Taste and adjust. Sometimes I add a pinch of mustard, or a splash of the bacon grease if I’m feeling bold, but mostly I keep it simple.
You can double the dressing and keep the extra in a jar in the fridge. Cobb salad is forgiving. It doesn’t mind last night’s vinaigrette.
Step 4: Serve
Drizzle the dressing over the salad, or serve it on the side if you’re feeding picky folks. Toss it all up at the table if you want a casual, every-bite’s-different effect. Or leave it picture-perfect for that Instagram moment.
The best thing about Cobb is how well it holds up. Even if you make it ahead, the eggs and bacon stay firm, the chicken doesn’t get weird, and the lettuce still crunches the next day. Just keep the dressing separate until you’re ready to eat.
A few quick tips for top results:
- Never skimp on chilling your eggs. An ice bath stops the gray ring and makes peeling simpler.
- Use a sharp knife for tomatoes and avocado. It keeps everything looking neat.
- Don’t drown the salad in dressing. Light and tangy is the way.
- Extra bacon is always, always a good idea.
Cobb Salad with Hard-Boiled Eggs and Bacon
Ingredients
- 2 cups iceberg lettuce chopped
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs chopped
- 4 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- 1 chicken breast grilled or roasted, chopped
- 1 avocado diced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup blue cheese or feta cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup red onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Prepare the ingredients
- Cook the bacon until crispy and crumble it.
- Boil the eggs and chop them.
- Grill or roast the chicken breast, then chop it into bite-sized pieces.
- Dice the avocado and halve the cherry tomatoes.
Assemble the salad
- In a large bowl, arrange the chopped iceberg lettuce as the base.
- Arrange the chopped chicken, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, and cheese on top in rows or sections for a traditional Cobb salad look.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar (or lemon juice), salt, and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad or serve it on the side. Toss everything together or enjoy the separate sections for a colorful and fresh meal.
