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Original Post: https://www.evolvingtable.com/chicken-cobb-salad/

An overhead shot of a Cobb salad in a white bowl, with all the essential ingredients plus BBQ chicken.
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5 from 4 votes

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

This isn't your Grandma's Chicken Cobb Salad—it's packed full of flavor with juicy baked BBQ chicken, sweet corn succotash, and a creamy Cobb salad dressing. But don't worry, it still has all the other classic components we all know and love, like avocado, tomato, and hard-boiled eggs. This salad will convert any salad naysayer into a raving fan!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Jennifer Deppa

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken

  • 1 lb. chicken breasts cut into 4-ounce portions
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • ½ tsp. salt to taste

Creamy Cobb Salad Dressing

  • ½ cup oil avocado or olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard yellow or Dijon
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • Salt to taste

Sweet Corn Mix

  • 1 Tbsp. oil or butter
  • 1 bell pepper red, finely diced
  • ½ sweet onion finely diced
  • 1 jalapeno pepper finely diced
  • 15 oz. can sweet kernel corn rinsed and drained
  • ¾ tsp. salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper to taste

Cobb Salad

  • 16 oz. mixed greens spinach, or romaine
  • 4 eggs hard-boiled
  • 4 oz. bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 avocado pitted, peeled and diced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 4 oz. almonds roasted and salted, crushed
  • Chives finely chopped, optional

Instructions

To Cook the BBQ Chicken:

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Make the sauce. Mix together the barbecue sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of it. Add the chicken and toss until well combined. Optional: Marinade for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
    1 cup barbecue sauce, 1 lime, 2 Tbsp. honey, 2 cloves garlic, ½ tsp. salt
  • Cook the chicken. Add the chicken to a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 24-26 minutes, brushing with the remaining marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking. You’ll know the chicken is done when the middle is no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Cut into bite-sized pieces for serving in the salad.
    1 lb. chicken breasts

To Make the Dressing:

  • Combine ingredients. Add the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, and mayonnaise to a mason jar. Shake until well combined.
    ½ cup oil, 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp. honey, 1 Tbsp. mustard, ¼ cup mayonnaise, Salt

To Cook the Sweet Corn Mix:

  • Saute the veggies. Saute the butter, onion, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic in a large pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
    1 Tbsp. oil, 1 bell pepper, ½ sweet onion, 1 jalapeno pepper
  • Mix in corn. Add the rinsed and drained corn to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the corn is slightly charred.
    15 oz. can sweet kernel corn, ¾ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper

To Hard-Boil the Eggs:

  • STOVETOP: Add the eggs to a large saucepan or pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. Let eggs sit for 10-12 minutes.
    4 eggs
  • AIR FRYER: Add the eggs to an air fryer basket and cook at 270 degrees for 15-16 minutes.
  • Chill in ice bath. Immediately immerse the hard-boiled eggs in an ice water bath and let sit for at least 5-10 minutes before peeling.

To Cook the Bacon:

  • SKILLET: Place bacon in a single layer in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until crispy.
    4 oz. bacon
  • AIR FRYER: Place bacon in a single layer and cook at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and then cut into small pieces for serving.
  • OVEN: Place bacon in a single layer on a large sheet pan either lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and a wire rack. Lift up pieces of the bacon to give it a wavy appearance, if you’d prefer. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-25 minutes. Regular-cut bacon will take 15-20 minutes while thick-cut bacon will take closer to 20-25 minutes.
  • Drain on plate. Remove bacon from the oven and place strips on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat dry with additional paper towels to remove excess grease.

Assemble the Salad:

  • Combine everything. Layer the greens on the bottom of the bowl or platter you're serving the salad on and then place the chicken, corn mix, tomatoes, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, and bacon in rows across. Drizzle with the salad dressing and top with crushed almonds. Enjoy!
    16 oz. mixed greens, 1 avocado, 1 pint cherry tomatoes, 4 oz. almonds, Chives

Video

Notes

Meal Prep and Storage

  • How to prep ahead of time: You can make the pieces of this salad (the chicken, corn mixture, hard-boiled eggs, and dressing) a day or two early. But don't assemble the salad until you're ready to enjoy it.
  • How to store: You can store the chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days, the hard-boiled eggs for up to one week, and the bacon for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Once assembled, the salad should be enjoyed immediately or it will wilt.
  • How to freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

Nutrition

Calories: 618kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 130mg | Sodium: 1056mg | Potassium: 943mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 1711IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg