The Cobb salad was born in the wee hours of a Hollywood, California, morning in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant. The owner, Bob Cobb, was ruffling through the kitchen’s refrigerator, pulling out various remnants including lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, chives and avocado. Smelling bacon being cooked nearby, he grabbed a few slices to add to his dish. Bob tossed the ingredients together and shared the outcome with his friend Sid Grauman (of Grauman’s Chinese Theatre fame).
Grauman was so impressed that he asked for a “Cobb salad” at the restaurant the very next day, and a classic was born. The legend seems familiar to the story of the famous chicken wings of Buffalo. Perhaps the common thread is American ingenuity and resourcefulness on a plate.
A really great Cobb salad is not only a thing of beauty but an absolute pleasure to eat. Each bite brings a symphony of flavors and textures — the crispy bacon meets the creamy blue cheese, the crunchy and fresh salad greens mingle with pungent herbs and luscious chicken, the eggs provide a soft and satisfying backdrop, and the piquant vinaigrette delicately envelops each morsel and acts as an essential bridge that transforms the dish from many things to one.
Each component, when perfectly cooked and assembled, offers a culinary experience that is far greater in combination than any one ingredient alone. This is the key to understanding the true beauty of a perfectly composed salad. Like any other dish, it’s all about balance. This colorful salad is complex in flavor and texture and is always a real crowd-pleaser. Since my husband is a lover of the “man salad,” I pray that something green will make it on his fork while eating. While Hollywood may no longer consider the Cobb glamorous, it always takes the win for best salad in my house. However, tonight I am the real star because I nominated someone else to clean up the kitchen!
Rosemary (Clooney) Chicken Cobb Salad with a Honey Dijon Dressing
INGREDIENTS:
For the Chicken
- 1/4 cup coarse ground Dijon mustard
- 1/2 shallot, minced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
For the Honey Dijon Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Salad
- 6 slices bacon, cut into thirds
- 1 head romaine, roughly chopped
- 6 Campari tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 avocado, halved, seeded, peeled, and sliced
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup Blue cheese
- 4-6 soft boiled eggs, peeled and halved
- cucumbers and radishes, optional
DIRECTIONS:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together Dijon, shallot, honey, olive oil, rosemary, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; set aside 1/2 of the mixture in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- In a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken and Dijon mixture; marinate for at least 2 hours to overnight, up to 8 hours, and turn the bag occasionally. Drain the chicken from the marinade.
- Preheat grill to medium heat.
- Brush chicken with canola oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add chicken to grill, and cook, turning occasionally, until chicken is completely cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 8 minutes.
- Brush with reserved Dijon mixture, cooking for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- For the dressing mix oil, vinegar, Dijon mustard, and honey together. Season with salt and pepper.
- Place romaine lettuce in a large bowl; top with chicken, bacon, tomatoes, avocado, onion, and eggs. Pour the honey Dijon vinaigrette on top of the salad and gently toss to combine.
- Top with Blue cheese and serve immediately.
