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Wooden salad bowl filled with romaine lettuce, green onions, hard boiled eggs, bacon, chicken, croutons, tomatoes, blue cheese, and avocado.

California Cobb Salad

5 from 5 votes
This California Cobb Salad is our take on a classic and regional favorite. It has all the ingredients you’re used to eating in a Cobb Salad (chicken, bacon, hardboiled eggs, tomatoes, gorgonzola, avocados, and green onions), and a few new ones as well (basil dressing and bacon croutons).
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:25 minutes
Total Time:45 minutes
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American, California
Keyword: summer
Servings: 6

Ingredients

Salad

  • 2 Romaine lettuce heads chopped
  • 2 cups cooked chicken breast chopped
  • 6 strips bacon
  • 1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes quartered
  • 4 hard boiled eggs sliced
  • 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese crumbled
  • 1 avocado sliced
  • 4 green onions diced
  • 2 cups cubed day-old bread like baguette or ciabatta
  • 2 to 3 tbsp rendered bacon fat or olive oil

Basil Vinaigrette

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • Cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Place the bacon in a cold frying pan and turn the heat on to medium. Cook for about 8 to 12 minutes for thick cut bacon (if using thin cut, it’ll take less time), flipping over every couple of minutes.
    6 strips bacon
  • While the bacon cooks, preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Remove the bacon from the frying pan and place onto a paper towel lined plate. Set aside the rendered bacon fat to use on the bacon croutons later. Once the bacon has cooled, roughly chop it.
  • Toss the cubed bread in the rendered bacon fat (or olive oil, if using instead), then arrange on a baking sheet. Bake the croutons for about 10 to 12 min or until desired crispness.
    2 cups cubed day-old bread, 2 to 3 tbsp rendered bacon fat or olive oil
  • Add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, mustard, basil, salt, and pepper to a blender and blend until smooth.
    3/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, 2 tbsp honey, 1 tbsp spicy brown mustard, 1 cup fresh basil, 1/2 tsp salt, Cracked black pepper to taste
  • Assemble the salad with lettuce, cooked chicken, chopped bacon, tomatoes, eggs, gorgonzola cheese, avocado, green onions, and croutons. Toss with your desired amount of dressing.
    2 Romaine lettuce heads, 2 cups cooked chicken breast, 1 cup baby heirloom tomatoes, 4 hard boiled eggs, 1/2 cup gorgonzola cheese, 1 avocado, 4 green onions