You’ll love this version of Chicken Cobb Salad, it’s so easy to make and delicious! To make it extra special, try making the simple dairy free ranch dressing.

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Every so often, I’ll crave a salad for dinner and Chicken Cobb Salad usually comes to mind. With the chicken, bacon, and eggs, there is plenty of protein to make this salad into a full meal. There are so many topping options too, so I can use the veggies I have hidden in the fridge to complete the dinner.

Another great thing about this salad is how easy it is to make. Once you have the meat and eggs prepared, you can throw this together in no time, which makes it great to meal prep or to enjoy as leftovers!

Prep Ahead of Time

Because you have to prepare chicken, bacon, and eggs, any chicken cobb salad recipe can be overwhelming if you’re not prepared. It’s best to try make at least one of these ahead of time. Once all three are prepared, you can whip up this salad in no time!

Chicken Any type of cooked chicken will work here…grilled, pressure cooked, baked, sautéed. You can use leftover chicken or make a big batch to use for this then add other recipes.

Bacon My favorite way to prepare this is to cut up raw bacon into small, half inch strips and cook them in a pan on the stove. This way, the bacon cooks evenly and I’m able to watch over it to reach the desired level of crispiness.

Hard Boiled Eggs I usually place eggs in a pot with water, let it come to a boil on the stove, then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 12 minutes. However, I recently discovered that you can hard boil eggs in an air fryer. Preheat the air fryer to 250 degrees, then place in your eggs and cook for about 15 minutes. After cooking, place the eggs in an ice bath for a few minutes and they’ll be ready to go!

Dairy Free Ranch Dressing So quick and easy to make, you don’t really need to prep ahead of time. But I do want to note that this dressing can be stored in the fridge for 4 days. So, you can make a batch for this salad and then also enjoy on Buffalo Chicken Tacos or with veggies later in the week!

Chicken Cobb Salad Ingredients

The wonderful thing about Chicken Cobb Salad, or any salad for that matter, is that the ingredients are totally adjustable to your liking. Feel free to add, subtract, multiply anything you like. The ingredients here are my favorites, but you can find your own. Here are some tips and suggestions for substitutes:

Chicken, Bacon, Hard Boiled Egg – The main trio of a chicken cobb salad, you can’t really substitute these ingredients but you can add more or less or omit if you choose.
Romain Lettuce – Romain adds a nice, crispy crunch. I prefer to cut it fresh, rather than going for a bagged version. Iceberg lettuce would have a similar effect. Leaf lettuce is also another, less crunchy option.
Cherry Tomatoes – Cherry or grape tomatoes will be interchangeable here. I like to cut them in halves or thirds depending on the size. Roma, plum, and beefsteak could also be used if chopped.
Cucumber – To be honest, I’m not the biggest cucumber fan. But I like to get an assortment of plants into my diet, so this salad is a great way to sneak in from fresh cuc. And they do add an extra crunch!
Red Onion – Red onion adds little bite to the salad. I like to cut them in thin strips. You could substitute green onion, it would add flavor but will be a bit more mild then red onion.
Avocado – These days, I add avocado to most things and this salad is no exception.