Description

This Loaded Chicken Cobb Salad is a colorful, protein-packed meal featuring tender rotisserie chicken, crispy bacon, hard-boiled eggs, fresh vegetables, and tangy pickled onions, all topped with a creamy herb buttermilk dressing. It’s a perfect balance of flavors and textures, making it ideal for a satisfying lunch or light dinner.

Ingredients

Scale

Dressing

3 tablespoons sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons buttermilk
2 teaspoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons pickled red onions (finely chopped)
4 tablespoons dill (finely chopped)
4 tablespoons tarragon (finely chopped)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Salad

8 slices bacon (cooked until crispy)
4 eggs (hard-boiled)
2 chicken breasts (from rotisserie or cooked)
1 head iceberg lettuce (cut into wedges)
1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
3 Persian cucumbers (chopped)
3 ounces Stilton blue cheese (crumbled)
1 ½ medium avocado (sliced)
1 bunch radishes (quartered)
4 pepperoncini (sliced)
½ cup pickled red onions
2 sprigs dill (torn)
2 sprigs tarragon (torn)
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt (for serving)

Instructions

Prepare the Creamy Herb Buttermilk Dressing: In a bowl, combine sour cream (or Greek yogurt), mayonnaise, buttermilk, lemon juice, finely chopped pickled red onions, dill, tarragon, garlic powder, and kosher salt. Mix well until the dressing is smooth and all ingredients are evenly incorporated. Set aside to allow the flavors to meld.
Cook the Bacon: Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch pieces. Heat a skillet over medium heat and cook the bacon pieces until they become crispy, stirring occasionally to cook evenly. Once cooked, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease and set aside.
Hard-Boil the Eggs: Place eggs in a pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove eggs, place in cold water to cool, then peel and quarter them.
Prepare the Chicken: Slice the two chicken breasts taken from a rotisserie chicken into bite-sized pieces or strips suitable for salad topping.
Prepare the Vegetables and Greens: Cut the iceberg lettuce in half, then into five wedges. Place the wedges on a large serving platter. Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the Persian cucumbers, slice the pepperoncini, quarter the radishes, slice the avocado, and have the pickled red onions ready.
Assemble the Loaded Cobb Salad: Drizzle some of the dressing evenly over the iceberg lettuce wedges. Arrange the sliced chicken over the lettuce, then layer on the cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, avocado, pickled onions, crispy bacon, and pepperoncini. Sprinkle crumbled Stilton blue cheese on top. Drizzle additional dressing over the assembled salad.
Garnish and Serve: Tear fresh dill and tarragon sprigs and sprinkle them over the salad along with flaky sea salt for added texture and flavor. Serve the salad with extra dressing on the side. Enjoy immediately for the freshest taste.

Notes

Using a rotisserie chicken saves cooking time and adds extra flavor to the salad.
Customize the salad by swapping Stilton blue cheese with feta or goat cheese if preferred.
For a lighter dressing, substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt and use low-fat mayonnaise.
Keep the bacon crispy by draining on paper towels to avoid sogginess on the salad.
This salad is ideal for meal prep; store components separately and assemble just before serving.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Salad
Method: Stovetop
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Chicken Cobb Salad, Loaded Salad, Rotisserie Chicken Salad, Summer Salad, Protein-Packed Salad, Creamy Herb Dressing