Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing

Nothin’ new & creative this time, folks… just my version of a classic entree salad.  If prepared with a high ratio of fresh produce and lean protein to flavorful but high fat extras, a cobb salad can be a healthy and filling meal. In other words, mound your plate high with plenty of crisp romaine lettuce, sweet grape tomatoes and juicy poached chicken, and top it with a modest serving of creamy avocado, tender hard-boiled egg, a bit of crisp drained bacon if desired, and a lightened homemade blue cheese buttermilk dressing.

There’s so much to love in a cobb salad: the variety of flavors and textures, the spectrum of vibrant colors, and of course the plethora of nutrients from so many fresh & healthy ingredients.

Another great characteristic of this salad is that it is easily customizable to suit each individuals’ preferences. For instance, John can’t stand hard-boiled eggs and I’m not a big bacon fan, so I only used 1 egg and 2 slices of bacon in total when I prepared this salad. As the recipe is written, there are enough eggs and bacon for both servings, but you can certainly change the amounts according to what you and your dining partner prefer.

Chicken Cobb Salad with Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing

Serves 2

Ingredients for the salad:

• 4-6 cups chopped romaine lettuce or mixed greens, preferably organic
• 1 large cooked organic chicken breast, (I poached my chicken)*, cooled, and chopped
• 1 cup halved grape tomatoes, preferably organic
• 1/2 large avocado, diced
• 2 peeled & chopped hard-boiled eggs**
• 4 slices cooked & drained center-cut bacon, chopped
• Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing***

Directions for the salad:

1. Lay chopped lettuce out onto two plates.
2. In side-by-side rows, divide the chicken, tomatoes, avocado, eggs, and bacon evenly between the two beds of lettuce.
3. Either drizzle dressing over the top, or serve alongside the salad.

*Directions for the poached chicken:

1. Bring a small pot of cold water to a boil over high heat. Slide chicken into the hot water, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15-20 minutes, depending on size of chicken breast.
2. Remove cooked chicken breast from water, let cool a few minutes, and cut into bite-sized pieces.
3. Chill until ready to use.

**Directions for the hard-boiled eggs:

1. Place eggs into a small pot and completely cover eggs with cold water. Bring water to a boil over high heat.
2. As soon as water comes to a rolling boil, cover pot tightly and remove from heat. Let eggs sit in hot water, covered, for 15 minutes.
3. Drain hot water from pot and gently shake to lightly crack the shells. Cover cooked eggs with cold water and let sit until cool, a few minutes.
4. Dry eggs, peel, and refrigerate until ready to use.

***Ingredients & Directions for Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing:

yields about 1 1/2 cups, more than you will need for the Chicken Cobb Salad

• 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 3/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 3/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat blue cheese
• Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, yogurt, and vinegar until smooth.
2. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese and season to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Refrigerate until ready to use.
4. Keep leftover dressing in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to a week.