03.15.07

Healthier Cobb Salad

Posted in food, home cooking at 10:13 pm by wingerz

I’m always looking for good salads to make. This one’s got tons of good stuff (avocados, chicken, eggs, tomatoes) and an excellent dressing. All that dicing is pretty labor-intensive, so my pieces didn’t end up being that cube-like. I left out the bacon and bleu cheese since I was trying to keep it healthy.

Classic Cobb Salad
From America’s Test Kitchen’s The New Best Recipe

Vinaigrette
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 teaspoon)
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salad
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 6 ounces each), trimmed of excess fat
Salt and ground black pepper
1 large head romaine lettuce, washed, dried, and torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
1 bunch watercress (about 4 ounces), washed, dried, and stemmed (about 4 cups)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, preferably grape tomatoes (about 10 ounces), each tomato halved
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 medium, ripe avocados, preferably Haas (about 8 ounces each) pitted and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 slices bacon (about 8 ounces), cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces, fried in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 7 minutes, and drained on a paper towel-lined plate
2 ounces bleu cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoon minced fresh chives

1 For the vinaigrette: Whisk all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until well combined, set aside. (The dressing may be refrigerated in an airtight container for 1 day; bring to room temperature and shake well before using.)
2. For the salad: Meanwhile, season the chicken with salt and pepper. Adjust an oven rack to 6 inches from the broiler element; heat the broiler. Spray the broiler pan top with vegetable cooking spray; place the chicken breasts on top and broil until lightly browned, 4 to 8 minutes. Using tongs, flip the chicken over and continue to broil until the thickest part is no longer pink when cut into and registers about 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cube and set aside.
3. To finish the salad: Toss the romaine and watercress with 5 tablespoons of the vinaigrette in a large bowl until coated; arrange on a very large, flat serving platter. Place the chicken in the now-empty bowl, add 1/4 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to coat; arrange in a row along one edge of the greens. Place the tomatoes in the now-empty bowl, add 1 tablespoon of the vinaigrette, and toss gently to combine; arrange on the opposite edge of the greens. Arrange the reserved eggs and avocados in separate rows near the center of the greens and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Sprinkle the bacon, cheese, and chives evenly over the salad and serve immediately.

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