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Say goodbye to boring Cobb salads and hello to this amazing Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad! This main dish salad is packed with hearty grilled toppings, grilled romaine hearts, and an incredible honey dijon dressing that doubles as marinade for the chicken.
If you’re skeptical about a salad filling you up for dinner then I urge you to give this Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad a try. This isn’t the basic side salad you serve with dinner, nope this packed with protein heavy toppings to keep you full and satisfied.
I have a lot of main dish salads on Recipe Runner because they’re one of my favorite things to make and eat. This grilled chicken and peach salad is a great one for summer and this southwest chicken salad with avocado lime dressing is a good any time of year.
This grilled chicken cobb salad can be made anytime of year, but if you live somewhere where it snow’s you might want to skip it then. Unless of course, you’re a diehard when it comes to grilling!
Why You’ll Love This Cobb Salad
- Grilled romaine lettuce has so much flavor! That’s right, the lettuce is grilled in this salad. The process of grilling it is so simple and you can do it while the chicken is grilling. It give a light smoky flavor, which I absolutely love.
- The dressing doubles as the chicken marinade. It’s an easy way to kill two birds with one stone and saves you time.
- It’s a hearty salad. Between the grilled chicken, bacon, hard boiled eggs, and avocado, this salad won’t leave you hungry.
Ingredients For Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
- Romaine hearts – You’ll want to use hearts because they’re sweeter and more compact. The tighter, smaller size make them easier to grill without falling apart.
- Bacon
- Hard boiled eggs – save time and buy the packaged hard boiled eggs at the grocery store. They’re more expensive, but convenient if you’re short on time.
- Avocado
- Cherry tomatoes – I like using cherry tomatoes because they’re generally sweeter, but go with whatever tomatoes you like best.
- Blue cheese – The type of cheese traditionally used in a Cobb salad. If you don’t like blue cheese use feta or goat cheese instead.
- Chicken breasts – Chicken thighs can also be used.
- Dijon mustard
- Honey – maple syrup can be used as a replacement.
- Lemon – Use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Garlic powder – If you want to use fresh garlic, use one clove or an equivalent to 1/2 teaspoon grated or minced.
- Olive oil
How To Make It
Start by making the marinade/dressing. Combine the dijon, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a jar or bowl. I always opt for a jar so I can put a lid on it and really shake it well.
Place the chicken into a freezer bag and add in a 1/4 cup of the dressing. Seal the bag and massage it into the chicken. I like to let the chicken marinate for at least an hour and up to 4 hours.
Once the chicken has marinated, preheat your grill to about 425° F. Cut the romaine hearts in half lengthwise leaving the root intact. This will keep the lettuce from falling apart on the grill. Drizzle the romaine with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Halve the avocado and remove the pit. Brush the flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the chicken, lettuce, and avocado on cleaned and oiled grill grates.
I like to keep the lettuce and avocado on the cooler parts of the grill. They won’t need as much time cook as the chicken. The avocado will only need 2-3 minutes on the grill. You just want to get some nice grill marks and a little of that smoky flavor.
The romaine lettuce will need about 5 minutes on the grill. Grill it cut side down first for about 3 minutes and then use tongs to flip it over and grill the other side for another 2 minutes.
Once the chicken’s internal temperature reaches 165° F. remove it from the grill and let it rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing it.
To assemble the salad, arrange the halved hearts of romaine onto a serving platter. You can leave them as is or chop them into smaller pieces if you prefer. Top the romaine with slices of chicken, sliced avocado, halved cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon and blue cheese and hard boiled eggs that have been cut into quarters.
Serve the salad with the remaining honey mustard dressing either drizzled on top of the salad or on the side.
Storage and Make Ahead Tips
Storage: This salad is best eaten the day it’s made. Unfortunately, grilled lettuce doesn’t hold up very well and it’s best to eat it right after it’s been grilled. If you want the salad for leftovers the following day, I recommend skipping grilling the lettuce.
Make Ahead Tips: Assembling the salad is best done the day you plan to eat it, however you can prep most of the time consuming components a day or two ahead of time.
- Make the marinade/dressing up to 2 days in advance.
- Marinate and grill the chicken 1-2 days in advance.
- Make hard boiled eggs 2-3 days in advance.
More Main Dish Salad Recipes
- Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad
- Buffalo Chicken Salad with Spicy Ranch Dressing
- Fall Cobb Salad
- Greek Salmon Salad with Tahini Yogurt Dressing
- Steak Salad with Sweet Potatoes, Feta, and Cranberries
Did you make this Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Ingredients
- Chicken Marinade/Dressing
- 5 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3-4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salad
- 3 romaine hearts halved lengthwise keeping the root intact
- 6 slices of bacon cooked and crumbled
- 3 hard boiled eggs quartered
- 1 avocado pit removed and halved
- 1/2 cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Instructions
- In a glass measuring cup whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade/dressing. Place the chicken in a freezer bag along with 1/4 cup of the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal it. Massage the marinade into the chicken then let it marinate in the refrigerator for 1-4 hours.
- Preheat your grill to 425° F. or medium-high heat. Clean and oil the grates and then add on the chicken. Grill for 5-7 minutes per side or until the internal temperature reaches 165° F. Let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing it.
- While the chicken is grilling, drizzle the romaine and cut side of the avocado with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place them cut side down on the grill. Grill the romaine for 3 minutes and then flip it over with tongs and grill another 2 minutes. Grill the avocado for 4-6 minutes. Remove the romaine and avocado from the grill. When cool enough, peel and slice the avocado.
- To assemble the salad, arrange the romaine hearts on a serving platter. Top them with the sliced chicken, avocado, bacon, tomatoes, hard boiled eggs, and blue cheese. Sprinkle the salad with salt and pepper and serve with the honey dijon dressing on the side.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
