This Cobb Salad is easy to make with everything you love about the classic American Cobb salad. It’s the perfect low carb keto lunch with lettuce, tomatoes, bacon, roast chicken breast, hard boiled eggs, avocado and a tangy and flavorful vinaigrette. Includes Whole30, vegetarian and dairy-free options.
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Updated July 2019
WHERE DID COBB SALAD ORIGINATE
So you might be wondering, how did Cobb salad get its name? When it comes to a healthy and satisfying lunch, nothing hits the spot more than a classic Cobb salad. This healthy salad is the quintessential American salad and was thought to be first served at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, California in 1937, by the store manager, Robert Cobb.
WHAT’S IN A COBB SALAD?
The best Cobb Salad near me is this local restaurant that uses mixed greens, grilled chicken with Dijon mustard, crispy Canadian bacon, perfect hard boiled eggs, juicy cherry tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, Roquefort cheese, crumbled feta, blue cheese, chopped chives and a red wine vinegar dressing.
This classic salad is my absolute favorite go-to salad whenever I’m craving a loaded salad that has a little bit of everything. What I love about making my own salads at home, like this salmon salad is that I get to switch up the ingredients with what I like and already have in my fridge.
WHAT’S IN A COBB SALAD:
Our low carb salad recipe is so easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in kitchen.
What I love about this classic American garden salad is that it’s simple to customize and perfect if you’re looking for low carb, keto, paleo, gluten free and Whole30 options.
MIXED GREENS: You can use your favorite chopped lettuce such as Romaine lettuce, iceberg lettuce, escarole, green leaf lettuce, red lettuce and for a little crunch some watercress, endives or cabbage. I usually use whatever I have in my fridge or garden
TOMATO: Quartered cherry or grape tomatoes are my preferred choice or you can use garden tomatoes in the summer such as heirloom, hot house or vine tomatoes and chop them up
BACON: Oven-baked bacon is by far the easiest way and our preferred method to cook bacon. Line the strips of bacon on a baking sheet while you prep the veggies and cook until crispy.
COOKED CHICKEN: To make this easy salad a complete dinner, add some protein like roast chicken breasts, instant pot whole chicken, grilled chicken or even shredded rotisserie chicken if you’re short on time. 
HARD-BOILED EGGS: We always have hard boiled eggs ready to go in our fridge. You can meal prep a big batch of eggs in an Instant Pot pressure cooker at beginning of the week and toss them into a Chicken Cobb Salad throughout the week.
AVOCADO – nothing livens up a salad more than a ripe California avocado. It’s the perfect way to add some healthy fat and creaminess.
COBB SALAD DRESSING – The original Cobb salad recipe use a red wine dressing or Blue Cheese dressing. For our low carb cobb salad dressing, we used apple cider vinegar, sour cream, extra virgin olive oil, garlic powder and salt and pepper.
You can also pair it with any other dressing of your choice such as creamy ranch, Caesar, Poppy-seed or even Balsamic would be some other great options.
HOW TO MAKE COBB SALAD
- SEASON CHICKEN: Start off by seasoning the chicken with salt, pepper and drizzle with olive oil and lemon.
- MAKE HARD-BOILED EGGS: For the hard boiled eggs, I usually like to make a large batch in the Instant Pot to keep on hand during the week for breakfast or to add to my salads.
- COOK BACON: Cook the bacon strips on medium heat on a skillet or in the oven until crisp. Crumble the bacon then grill the chicken. You can also swap in leftover cooked, roasted or rotisserie chicken for easier prep.
- ASSEMBLE SALAD: Prepare and assemble the remaining salad ingredients starting with the lettuce plus any other greens you like. Add eggs, grape tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, crumbled bacon and feta.
- DRIZZLE WITH DRESSING: Add any other toppings you like pour the dressing over the salad right before serving.
SALAD RECIPE VARIATIONS:
- Meatless option: leave out the chicken and bacon
- Quicker prep: use leftover or chopped rotisserie chicken
- Swap in your favorite vegetables or cheese
- leave out the cheese and sour cream (swap in tahini or mashed avocado) in the vinaigrette for a Paleo and Whole30 Cobb Salad
IS COBB SALAD KETO?
Have you ever wondered is Cobb Salad healthy or how many carbs are in a Cobb Salad?
The nutritional info for one serving of our Keto Cobb Salad recipe is:
- 525 Calories
- 6g Net Carbs = 13g Total Carbs – 7g Fiber
- 20g Protein
- 38g Fat
MAKE AHEAD TIPS:
- Marinate the chicken the night before and store in the fridge in an airtight container or zip-top bag.
- Whisk together the dressing the night before and store in a sealed jar in the fridge.
- Wash and dry the lettuce and mixed greens and store in a large zip-top bag
More summer salad recipes you might like:
Healthy Taco Salad (with Low Carb options)
Asian Zucchini Noodle Salad with Thai Peanut Dressing
- 1-2 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded to even thickness
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 avocados peeled pitted and cut into slices or chopped
- 4 cups mixed green lettuce chopped
- 3 hard boiled eggs peeled and sliced
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/2 cucumber sliced in rounds or chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta or blue cheese (leave out for paleo & Whole 30)
- 3-4 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons sour cream (can also use tahini or just leave out for paleo & Whole 30)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- salt and pepper to taste
In a resealable zip-top bag, add chicken, salt, pepper, and garlic powder and marinate for at least 30 minutes. Drizzle with fresh lemon and olive oil.
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 165 F. Remove the chicken from the grill and tent with foil. Let it rest and cool a bit for about 10 minutes and then slice or chop into bite-sized pieces.
- Whisk together all the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Drizzle 1 teaspoon over the sliced avocado (to prevent from browning).
In a large bowl, add the lettuce, then top with cooked chicken, eggs, avocado, bacon, tomatoes, cucumber, and cheese. Drizzle with dressing right before serving.
Did you try this recipe?
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