With plenty of color and texture, this classic Cobb Salad uses shortcut rotisserie chicken and a homemade herby Ranch Dressing. We last featured a similar salad in 2018. Smarts: This is a great salad to serve bar-style. Set everything out and let everyone assemble and dress their own salads.
Boil eggs - Cover eggs with cold water and some salt. Bring to a boil and then turn off heat. Let eggs sit in hot water for 11 minutes and then run in cold water for easier peeling. Roll eggs against a hard, flat surface to break up shell and then peel. If making ahead of time, peel right before serving. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Carrots (if not pre-shredded) / Bacon - (If prepping right before serving, get bacon cooking while continuing with prep.) Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Make ranch dressing - Finely chop parsley and chives. Combine parsley, chives, mayonnaise, vinegar, sour cream, dried dill, and garlic powder. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Rotisserie chicken - Take meat off the bone and shred with a knife. If making Thursday night’s meal, shred chicken for that night as well and set it aside. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until bacon is crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate while preparing the rest of the salad.
While bacon cooks, peel and chop eggs.
If you’d like the chicken warm, drain off all but a thin layer of bacon grease from the pan and saute the chicken until heated through. (You can also serve the chicken chilled or at room temperature if you prefer.)
Give dressing a stir and season with some salt and pepper. Add a splash of water or milk if the dressing is too thick.
Form a bed of lettuce and layer all other ingredients on top - chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, cheese, carrots, and tomatoes. Drizzle dressing over top. Enjoy!
Tasty enough. We used a different recipe for the dressing. Didn’t use the avocado because it wasn’t ripe - I think that would have made it better. LOVED how quick and easy this was on a weeknight.