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Grilled chicken Cobb salad with romaine, bacon, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and blue cheese on a white plate

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad

A light and protein-packed grilled chicken Cobb salad with buttermilk-marinated chicken, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese, and a homemade white wine vinaigrette. 40 grams of protein per serving.
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Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 portions
Course: Dinner, Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Calories: 680
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 6 thin-cut boneless skinless chicken breasts or 3 thick breasts halved lengthwise
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1/2 tsp coarse kosher salt
  • 1 pinch coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 3 medium hearts romaine lettuce chopped
  • 5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 5 hard-boiled eggs chopped
  • 1 cup cherry or regular tomatoes chopped
  • 1.5 avocados chopped, added just before serving
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese can substitute Parmesan
  • 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 4 tbsp olive oil or neutral oil such as grapeseed, avocado, canola, or vegetable
  • 4 tbsp mayonnaise light or regular
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper for dressing

Equipment

  • Outdoor grill or indoor grill pan
  • Instant-read thermometer
  • Blender or whisk
  • large salad bowl

Method
 

  1. Place the chicken in a shallow dish or gallon-size resealable bag. Whisk together the buttermilk, salt, pepper, and garlic. Pour over the chicken and coat well on all sides. Cover or seal and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 8 hours.
  2. Preheat grill to medium or medium-high heat. Grill the chicken, discarding remaining marinade, for 3 to 4 minutes per side until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 165 degrees F. Do not press the chicken while grilling.
  3. Remove chicken from the grill and tent loosely with foil. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes before slicing or serving.
  4. Add the chopped romaine to a large salad bowl. Arrange the crumbled bacon, chopped hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and blue cheese across the top in separate sections.
  5. Combine all dressing ingredients in a blender and process for about 20 seconds until smooth and creamy. Alternatively, whisk together briskly in a small bowl.
  6. Drizzle about two-thirds of the dressing over the salad and toss lightly. Taste and add more dressing as needed.
  7. Serve the grilled chicken on top of the salad, alongside it, or sliced and tossed in with the other ingredients.

Notes

Marinate chicken up to 8 hours for best tenderness. Add avocado just before serving to prevent browning. Substitute Parmesan for blue cheese if preferred. Red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can replace white wine vinegar. Make the dressing and hard-boil the eggs the day before to speed up assembly.
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