USA · Hollywood restaurant classic

Cobb Salad

Name: Cobb Salad
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30 ml); 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (15 ml); 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (5 ml); 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard; 1 small garlic clove, finely grated; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for the chicken; 4 tablespoons neutral oil (60 ml), plus 1 tablespoon for the chicken; 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30 ml); 2 large eggs; 120 g bacon (about 6 rashers or strips); 2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 350 g total); 200 g romaine lettuce, finely chopped; 60 g watercress, thick stems removed; 80 g chicory or curly endive, finely chopped; 250 g ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced; 1 ripe but firm avocado, diced; 80 g Roquefort or another blue cheese, crumbled; 15 g chives, finely sliced

Chopped greens carry bands of chicken, bacon, egg, avocado, tomato and blue cheese, all sharpened with a red wine dressing made for a proper main-course salad.

Jump to recipe

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 40 min
Total: 1 hr 10 min
Serves: 4
Role: Main course

Why the fine chop matters

Composition first, integration second

The platter explains itself. Separate bands make every component visible before the salad is tossed, preserving the generous restaurant presentation.

Small pieces create complete bites. Cobb is not a plate of whole chicken breasts beside lettuce. The fine chop lets greens, rich toppings and sharp dressing meet on one fork.

The dressing cuts through richness. Red wine vinegar, lemon and Worcestershire keep bacon, avocado, egg and blue cheese from feeling heavy.

The recipe

Ingredients

For 4 servings

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (30 ml)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (15 ml)
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (5 ml)
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for the chicken
4 tablespoons neutral oil (60 ml), plus 1 tablespoon for the chicken
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (30 ml)
2 large eggs
120 g bacon (about 6 rashers or strips)
2 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 350 g total)
200 g romaine lettuce, finely chopped
60 g watercress, thick stems removed
80 g chicory or curly endive, finely chopped
250 g ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 ripe but firm avocado, diced
80 g Roquefort or another blue cheese, crumbled
15 g chives, finely sliced

The dressing is intentionally assertive. Add it in stages, following the tasting method in Vinaigrette by Feel, because bacon and blue cheese bring salt of their own.

Method

Chop, arrange, then toss

Make the sharp dressing
Whisk the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, dry mustard, garlic, sugar, 1/4 teaspoon of the sea salt, and the black pepper until the salt and sugar dissolve. Whisk in the 4 tablespoons neutral oil and the olive oil in a thin stream. The dressing should taste brisk and savory; set it aside.
Cook the eggs and chicken
Lower the eggs into gently boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then chill in cold water. Pat the chicken dry and season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and a little black pepper. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon neutral oil in a frying pan over medium heat and cook the chicken for 12 to 16 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and the thickest part reaches 74°C / 165°F. Rest until cool enough to handle.
Crisp the bacon
Cook the bacon in a dry frying pan over medium-low heat, turning as needed, until the fat has rendered and the meat is deeply crisp, 8 to 12 minutes. Drain on kitchen paper. Peel the eggs, then finely chop the eggs, bacon, and rested chicken separately.
Arrange the components
Mix the romaine, watercress, and chicory across a wide platter. Arrange the tomatoes, chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, and Roquefort in distinct bands over the greens. Scatter over the chives. Keep the pieces small enough that a spoonful can collect several components.
Dress and toss at the table
Whisk the dressing again and spoon over about two-thirds of it just before serving. Present the striped platter, then toss thoroughly so the chopped ingredients mingle without becoming pasty. Taste a complete forkful and add more dressing only as needed.

A salad with architecture

Keep rich ingredients in proportion

Mixed greens

Romaine supplies crunch, watercress pepperiness and chicory a pleasant bitter edge. Together they stand up to the toppings.

Chicken

Rest it before chopping so the meat stays juicy and does not steam the greens. Pieces should be small but still recognizable.

Bacon

Render it slowly until brittle-crisp. Chewy bacon blurs into the chicken; crisp bacon supplies a distinct texture.

Avocado

Choose fruit that yields gently but holds a clean dice. Cut it last to limit bruising and discoloration.

Blue cheese

Roquefort gives a forceful salty tang. A milder blue cheese works, but keep the amount measured rather than blanketing the platter.

Dressing

Whisk just before serving, use enough to gloss the fine chop, and reserve the remainder until a complete bite has been tasted.

What makes a Cobb recognizable

The familiar pattern is chopped mixed greens with tomato, chicken, crisp bacon, hard-cooked egg, avocado, blue cheese and chives. Versions vary in the exact greens, the way the chicken is cooked and the choice of blue cheese, but removing too many of those contrasts turns the dish into a different chopped salad.

A dressing before ranch

The Brown Derby formula uses a thin, vinegar-led dressing rather than a creamy one. This scaled version keeps its red wine vinegar, lemon, Worcestershire, mustard, garlic and mixed oils. It should run easily between the small pieces and brighten them rather than coat them thickly.

Plan the cooking, protect the greens

Cook the eggs, chicken and bacon first and let the warm components cool before assembly. The greens can be washed and dried while they cook. Cut the avocado and dress the platter only when everyone is ready, then refrigerate cooked ingredients promptly if serving is delayed.

Brown Derby history and restaurant lore

Cobb Salad is firmly associated with Los Angeles’s Brown Derby restaurant and the Cobb name. Accounts differ, however, on the exact year, the first cook and the familiar late-night story in which restaurant owner Robert Cobb assembled leftovers. That anecdote is best treated as enduring restaurant lore rather than settled documentation.

Research sources: PBS SoCal’s Brown Derby recipe; the Los Angeles Times archival Brown Derby recipe; the 1949 Brown Derby Cookbook account excerpted by Etymonline.