Honey Mustard Chicken Cobb Salad
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The perfect summer salad! My honey mustard chicken cobb salad has a little bit of everything! The dressing doubles as a marinade for the chicken. Buttery avocado, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and soft boiled eggs – the gangs all there! This is one protein-packed, filling salad!
SUMMER SALADS!!
Like this honey mustard chicken cobb salad are on repeat over here. We either have days that are boiling hot or really rainy and just gross in general. So it’s a cold tortellini caesar salad for dinner one night followed by beef tips with mushroom gravy over egg noodles.
I’d like for the weather to figure it out so I can stick to a food season!
Usually, it’s boiling all the time in Texas, so a cold salad is a go-to, sometimes for both dinner and lunch because neither one of us can think about eating anything warm. And this isn’t your run of the mill cobb salad. Honey mustard cobb salad comes with a dressing that doubles as a marinade for the chicken. Then, we’ve got our usual suspects, romaine, tomatoes, red onions, and just when you thought it was all the same, we’ll throw in some soft boiled eggs.
Honey mustard chicken cobb salad is perfect for desk lunches!
Chicken salads are a staple in our house. Mainly because you can make the components ahead of time, store it all in containers and throw lunch or dinner together in just a few minutes.
Last summer I shared a crispy chicken salad with sriracha honey bbq dressing that I whole-heartedly love and could eat for every meal, every day if it wasn’t so unhealthy. Consider today’s honey mustard chicken cobb salad, a lighter version. There’s no frying, but a lot of the same flavors are there.
WHAT IS A COBB SALAD?
Ever wonder what it’s all about? A cobb salad is a staple in American lunch cuisine. It’s typically made with greens (be it romaine, spinach, or a spring mix), along with tomatoes, grilled or roasted chicken, avocados, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and crispy bacon.
My take the cobb is a little different. You won’t find cheese, bacon, or even a traditionally used red-wine vinaigrette. What you will find is a homemade dressing, tender cooked chicken, buttery avocado, tomatoes, red onions, and soft boiled eggs.
And, if you simply can’t imagine a cobb salad without bacon, do your thing, you can make it however you like!
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE THE HONEY MUSTARD MARINADE/DRESSING?
- honey
- olive oil
- coarse grain mustard
- apple cider vinegar
- seasonings
- salt and pepper
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED FOR THE HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN COBB SALAD?
- chicken
- romaine
- cherry tomatoes
- ripe avocado
- red onions
- soft boiled eggs
HOW TO MAKE PERFECT SOFT BOILED EGGS FOR HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN COBB SALAD
It took me a while to figure out this soft boiled egg thing. But, I’m happy to report that I have a fool-proof method to share with you! The key is to make sure you start with eggs cold from the refrigerator and that you have a pot of water that is boiling before you start.
- Start by heating a small pot with 2 inches of water and allow the water to come to a boil over high heat.
- Once the water is boiling, lower the heat to medium-low. Using a skimmer (affiliate link,) gently lower the eggs into the pot.
- Set a timer for exactly 6 minutes. While the eggs are cooking, be sure to check and make sure they aren’t bouncing around in the pot, if they are, lower the heat a bit more, so they stop.
- Prepare an ice water bath – grab a large bowl and fill it with ice. Add roughly 2-inches of cold water and set aside.
- When the egg timer goes off, using the same skimmer, remove the eggs from the hot water and move them directly into the prepared ice bath. Let them sit in the ice bath for about 10 minutes. Gently peel them and set them aside until ready to use.
Keep in mind that eggs that are at least 5-7 days old work best here! It’ll still work if they aren’t, but it might be a little more difficult to peel them.
DO I HAVE TO USE SOFT BOILED EGGS, CAN I USE HARD BOILED EGG IN THIS COBB SALAD RECIPE, IF I PREFER THOSE?
Absolutely! This is your salad, do what you like with it! Don’t like eggs at all? Leave them out!
CAN I ADD OTHER INGREDIENTS TO MY HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN COBB SALAD, IF SO, WHAT CAN I ADD?
You can add just about anything you like to this honey mustard chicken cobb salad that you like! Anees won’t eat raw tomatoes, so I swapped his tomatoes out for a handful of quartered strawberries – he loved it!
Other additions:
- crispy crumbled bacon
- crumbled feta or goat cheese
- roasted corn
- dried cranberries
- quartered strawberries, blueberries, blackberries
- chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
- croutons!
This cobb salad has it all and summer has never been more flavorful!
Honey Mustard Chicken Cobb Salad
The perfect summer salad! My honey mustard chicken cobb salad has a little bit of everything! The dressing doubles as a marinade for the chicken. Buttery avocado, crisp lettuce, juicy tomatoes, and soft boiled eggs - the gangs all there! This is one protein-packed, filling salad!
Ingredients
Dressing/Marinade:
- ⅓ cup honey
- 3 tablespoons EACH: olive oil AND coarse grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon EACH: garlic powder AND onion powder
- ½ teaspoon EACH: salt AND pepper
Salad:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 2 hearts romaine, chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 large avocado, sliced
- 1/4 cup sliced red onions
- 6 cold eggs
Instructions
- MARINADE/DRESSING: Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a bowl and whisk together. Add the chicken into a bowl, and drizzle half of the prepared marinade over the chicken. Keep the other half aside, this is your dressing for the salad so you don’t want it to come in contact with raw chicken. Toss the chicken using tongs in the marinade and set the bowl aside for at least 15 minutes and up to 8 hours (covered in the refrigerator.)
- SOFT BOILED EGGS: Heat two-inches of water in a medium stockpot or saucepan over high heat. Once the water comes to a boil, use a kitchen skimmer to lower the eggs into the pot of water carefully. Lower the heat to medium-low or low if the eggs are rattling, and set a kitchen timer for exactly 6 minutes. While the eggs are boiling, fill a large bowl with lots of ice and two-inches of cold water. When the egg timer goes off, use the same skimmer to remove the eggs from the hot water and gently place it into the prepared ice bath. Allow the eggs to sit for 10 minutes (you can cook the chicken while the eggs cool.) Then, peel the eggs and set them aside until ready to serve.
- CHICKEN: Spray a nonstick skillet or an indoor grill with cooking spray set over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place the chicken in the pan. *Be sure to toss out the marinade that the chicken sat in. You do not want to use this anywhere* Usually larger chicken breasts will require 6-8 minutes per side while smaller chicken breasts take about 4-6 minutes per side. Be sure to check for doneness with a meat thermometer. It’s done once it reads 165ºF. Let the chicken cool for 5-7 minutes before slicing or dicing.
- SERVE: If you are serving this family style, add the romaine to a larger platter (or individual plates) top with the cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, red onions, sliced chicken, and the eggs (cut in half.) Drizzle with dressing or serve it on the side as desired.
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