Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese

Making a restaurant-quality Cobb salad at home might seem intimidating, especially when you’re trying to balance all those different components and keep everything fresh and organized. Between cooking the bacon, boiling the eggs, grilling the chicken, and prepping all the vegetables, it’s easy to see why people often skip this classic and opt for something simpler.

But here’s the thing: this Cobb salad with blue cheese is actually way more manageable than you’d think, and the homemade yogurt-based dressing takes it to another level without any fancy techniques or hard-to-find ingredients. Plus, you can prep most of the components ahead of time, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or meal prep situations.

What Kind of Blue Cheese Should I Use?

For this Cobb salad, you have a few good options when it comes to blue cheese. Classic choices like Gorgonzola, Roquefort, or Danish blue all work great, though each has its own flavor profile ranging from mild and creamy to sharp and tangy. If you’re new to blue cheese or prefer a milder taste, go with Gorgonzola dolce, which is sweeter and less pungent than other varieties. The recipe calls for reduced-fat crumbled blue cheese, but if you can’t find it or prefer the full-fat version, that’s totally fine – just use a bit less if you’re watching calories. Make sure to crumble it yourself from a wedge rather than buying pre-crumbled if possible, as it tends to be fresher and more flavorful.

Options for Substitutions

This cobb salad is pretty forgiving when it comes to swaps, so feel free to work with what you have:

• Non-fat plain yogurt: You can use Greek yogurt instead for a thicker, creamier dressing. Sour cream or buttermilk also work well if you prefer a tangier flavor.
• Blue cheese: Not a fan of blue cheese? Try crumbled feta, goat cheese, or even shredded cheddar. The dressing will taste different but still delicious.
• Chicken breast: Rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver here. You can also use turkey, grilled shrimp, or even canned tuna if that’s what you have on hand.
• Bacon: Turkey bacon works as a leaner option, or you can skip it altogether and add extra hard-boiled eggs for protein.
• Mixed salad greens: Romaine lettuce is traditional for cobb salad, but any sturdy greens like spinach, arugula, or iceberg will do the job.
• Avocado: If avocados aren’t available or are too pricey, you can add sliced cucumber or extra tomatoes for crunch and freshness.

Watch Out for These Mistakes While Cooking

The biggest mistake with Cobb salad is adding warm chicken directly to the greens, which can wilt your lettuce and make everything soggy – always let your cooked chicken cool completely before assembling.

Overdressing is another common error that drowns out all those great toppings, so start with less dressing on the side and let everyone add more if they want it.

When it comes to the hard boiled eggs, avoid the green ring around the yolk by removing them from heat as soon as the water boils, covering the pot, and letting them sit for 10-12 minutes before cooling in ice water.

Finally, wait until just before serving to slice your avocado and toss it with a little lemon juice to keep it from turning brown, which keeps your salad looking fresh and appetizing.

What to Serve With Cobb Salad?

Since cobb salad is already pretty hearty with all the protein from chicken, eggs, and bacon, I like to keep the sides simple. A warm baguette or some crusty bread is perfect for scooping up any extra dressing left in the bowl. If you’re feeding a crowd or want to make it more of a meal, try adding a simple soup on the side like a light vegetable or chicken noodle. For drinks, this salad pairs really well with iced tea or lemonade, especially during warmer months when you want something refreshing.

Storage Instructions

Store Components: The best way to keep your Cobb salad fresh is to store all the components separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Keep the dressing in a jar, the greens in one container, and the toppings (chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and blue cheese) in their own containers for up to 3 days.

Prep Ahead: This salad is perfect for meal prep! Cook your chicken and bacon, boil the eggs, and make the dressing a day or two in advance. Just wait to slice the avocado until you’re ready to eat so it doesn’t turn brown. When it’s time for lunch, simply toss everything together and you’re good to go.

Assemble Fresh: If you’ve already mixed your salad together, it’s best eaten right away since the greens will get soggy from the dressing. In a pinch, you can keep a dressed salad in the fridge for a few hours, but the texture won’t be quite as good as when it’s freshly assembled.

Estimated Nutrition

Estimated nutrition for the whole recipe (without optional ingredients):

• Calories: 1200-1400
• Protein: 110-125 g
• Fat: 75-90 g
• Carbohydrates: 35-45 g

Ingredients

For the dressing:

• 3/4 cup yogurt (I prefer Fage 5% for a thicker, creamier base)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1.5 tsp Maille Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp blue cheese (finely crumbled to blend smoothly into the dressing)
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

• 10 cups salad greens (chilled and chopped into bite-sized 1-inch ribbons)
• 14 oz grilled chicken breast, sliced
• 6 slices bacon (cooked until crisp and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large avocado (pitted and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wedges)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (to toss with avocado)
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Step 1: Prepare the Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing

• 3/4 cup yogurt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1.5 tsp Maille Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp blue cheese
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined.

Add the finely crumbled blue cheese and whisk until mostly incorporated—a few small cheese pieces can remain for texture.

Stir in the fresh chives, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.

Set the dressing aside at room temperature while you prepare the salad components.

I prefer to make the dressing first so the flavors can meld slightly before serving.

Step 2: Arrange the Salad Components

• 10 cups salad greens
• 14 oz grilled chicken breast, sliced
• 6 slices bacon
• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large avocado
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Toss the chilled, chopped salad greens onto a large platter or individual plates, creating an even base.

Arrange the grilled chicken breast slices, crispy bacon pieces, hard-boiled egg quarters, and halved cherry tomatoes in organized rows or sections across the greens.

Just before serving, toss the avocado slices with the lemon juice to prevent browning, then add them to the salad.

Sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese over the top.

Step 3: Finish and Serve

• blue cheese yogurt dressing from Step 1

Pour the blue cheese yogurt dressing from Step 1 over the assembled salad just before serving.

You can drizzle it evenly across the top or serve it on the side so guests can dress their own portions.

Toss gently if desired, or let each person mix their salad to their preference.

I like to serve the dressing on the side since the yogurt base doesn’t keep salad greens quite as crisp as a traditional vinaigrette.

Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese

Delicious Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese recipe with step-by-step instructions.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 17 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 1300

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

For the dressing

• 3/4 cup yogurt (I prefer Fage 5% for a thicker, creamier base)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp red wine vinegar
• 1.5 tsp Maille Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp blue cheese (finely crumbled to blend smoothly into the dressing)
• 1 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

For the salad

• 10 cups salad greens (chilled and chopped into bite-sized 1-inch ribbons)
• 14 oz grilled chicken breast, sliced
• 6 slices bacon (cooked until crisp and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces)
• 4 large hard-boiled eggs, quartered
• 1.5 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 large avocado (pitted and sliced into 1/2-inch thick wedges)
• 1 tsp lemon juice (to toss with avocado)
• 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled

Method

 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard until smooth and well combined. Add the finely crumbled blue cheese and whisk until mostly incorporated—a few small cheese pieces can remain for texture. Stir in the fresh chives, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Set the dressing aside at room temperature while you prepare the salad components. I prefer to make the dressing first so the flavors can meld slightly before serving.
2. Toss the chilled, chopped salad greens onto a large platter or individual plates, creating an even base. Arrange the grilled chicken breast slices, crispy bacon pieces, hard-boiled egg quarters, and halved cherry tomatoes in organized rows or sections across the greens. Just before serving, toss the avocado slices with the lemon juice to prevent browning, then add them to the salad. Sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese over the top.
3. Pour the blue cheese yogurt dressing from Step 1 over the assembled salad just before serving. You can drizzle it evenly across the top or serve it on the side so guests can dress their own portions. Toss gently if desired, or let each person mix their salad to their preference. I like to serve the dressing on the side since the yogurt base doesn't keep salad greens quite as crisp as a traditional vinaigrette.