Cobb salads are often labeled unhealthy because of the oversized restaurant ones. This keto cobb salad recipe with chicken is a great low-carb meal for one or two people.
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There's one salad that often makes the list of the most unhealthy salads: cobb salad. However, this delicious salad is a low-carb favorite of mine!
The hard-boiled eggs, the crispy bacon, creamy bleu cheese... YUM!
I think the bad press is because so many restaurants make the salad with humongous portion sizes. So the fat and calories skyrocket which mainstream considers bad.
I agree somewhat with the calories, but a low-carb, high-fat diet has always helped me lose weight. Because the salad size at most restaurants is so large, I usually take at least half the salad home to eat later.
It's a win-win!
With that, here is a healthy cobb salad recipe with chicken that I like to make at home. I don't typically make chicken specifically for the salad but use leftover grilled or pan-fried chicken breasts.
Ingredients Needed For Keto Cobb Salad
From the lettuce to the chicken and bacon, this salad has all your favorite ingredients!
Here's what you need:
Lettuce
Any type of lettuce will work, just make sure you chop or shred it into bite-sized pieces. I used organic romaine lettuce, but a spring mix will taste amazing too.
Chicken
Any kind of chicken will work in this salad, too. I like using cooked chicken breast that is sliced really thin. You could even use shredded rotisserie chicken you pick up at the store!
If you plan to meal prep this cobb salad, you can also meal prep some shredded chicken in the crockpot to make multiple salads for your lunches.
Bacon
Always use no-sugar-added bacon when you cook on a keto diet.
Egg
Cobb salads are known for having hard-boiled eggs in them!
Make a batch of hard-boiled eggs in the Instant pot to make the perfect hard-boiled egg for your salad. When adding it to the cobb salad, make sure to slice or chop the egg.
Cheese
I used blue cheese crumbles, but if you don't like blue cheese, try feta cheese or goat cheese crumbles.
Avocado
Avocados have a lot of healthy fats, and I love to add them to my salads for a creamy taste. It's optional but really adds nutrition and texture.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are also optional since they do add carbs. I used grape tomatoes in this keto cobb salad with chicken.
Salad Dressing
As far as dressing the salad, I recommend using your favorite low-carb salad dressing. I love making my own and used my bleu cheese dressing on top.
Not into bleu cheese? Try using this raspberry vinaigrette or this keto ranch dressing!
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low-carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- When I cook a skinless chicken breast, I always butterfly it by slicing it in half in the middle. This makes it thinner, so it cooks more evenly and faster. If I try to grill a whole breast, the chicken will often turn brown on the outside but stays pink on the inside because it is rather thick.
- A half chicken breast is a good serving portion for a salad or meal.
How To Make A Healthy Cobb Salad
All of the steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I have some extra tips, along with photos to help you out.
Use A Food Scale
To be sure I don't overdo the cheese, I like to weigh out the correct portion size on a food scale. One ounce of blue cheese is a good amount for this salad.
If you'd like to cut the calories, you could use only half the amount of cheese or 0.5 ounces. It's not a big difference as half an ounce of blue cheese has about 50 calories with only 0.3g carbohydrate.
Slice The Eggs
An egg cooker makes perfectly hard, medium, or soft-boiled eggs as well as poached eggs. Some people like to chop them for a salad, but I like to use an egg slicer.
If you are in a weight loss phase of your low-carb diet, it's good to keep a stash of hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator. I have an egg cooker that I love for making them.
Prep The Toppings First
When making this healthy cobb salad recipe, I like to prep the topping first and put them on a plate. Then, I start putting together the salad.
Assemble Keto Cobb Salad
To make the salad, all you do is place your lettuce into a large bowl. Then top with sliced grilled chicken, sliced hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocadoes, and bacon.
Lastly, top off the salad with your preferred salad dressing!
Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Cobb Salad
Before we get to the recipe card at the bottom of this post, here are some questions people often ask about it.
What is the best way to cook bacon for the salad?
Who doesn't love bacon? Especially if you are on a low-carb diet. I prefer thick-cut bacon slices as I find them easiest to separate and cook.
My current method for cooking bacon is to lay the slices out on jelly roll pans lined with aluminum foil. Then, put them in the oven and turn them on at a temperature of 400°F.
I don't even preheat the oven. It takes about 25 minutes for the bacon to crisp up, and the foil lining makes clean up a breeze. Baking bacon in the oven is the easiest way to get crispy bacon!
How do you store leftovers?
Only assemble the salad and add the dressing if you think you will eat it all in one sitting. Store the salad topping and ingredients separately. If you try to store salad with dressing on it, it will make the lettuce and toppings soggy.
All of the ingredients should stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How do you find the best avocados?
Avocado is a "must-have" ingredient for this healthy cobb salad recipe. Recently, I've had problems buying avocados with brown spots inside that I have to cut out.
As I was searching the web for a way to pick out perfect avocados, I stumbled upon this article from Northwest Edible Life on how to avoid buying bad ones.
Most people see avocados as a vegetable, but they are really a fruit. And they are packed with nutrition!
Enjoy this easy and delicious salad! It might just become your new favorite low-carb lunch idea. Even people who aren't on the keto diet will love it.
More Salad Recipes To Try
If you enjoyed this keto cobb salad, here are some more low-carb salad recipes you should try next. They are some of my favorites!
- Easy Thai Chicken Salad comes together in minutes, especially if you use canned or rotisserie chicken.
- Big Mac Salad tastes just like the iconic burger, but without the bun and sugary sauce.
- Easy Keto Coleslaw only has 5 ingredients and is a fantastic way to enjoy cabbage.
- Mock Low-Carb Potato Salad is perfect for cookouts and tastes just like the real thing!
- Keto Taco Salad is a hearty meal by itself and is delicious on Taco Tuesday.
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Recipe
Chicken Cobb Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups organic romaine lettuce or spring mix
- ½ chicken breast cooked and sliced
- 2 slices no sugar bacon cooked crisp and chopped
- 1 hard boiled egg sliced or chopped
- 1 ounce blue cheese crumbled
- ½ avocado chopped
- 4 grape tomatoes optional, adds 5 calories and 1g carb
- 2 tablespoons blue cheese dressing optional
Instructions
- Place spring mix greens in a large bowl or on a plate.
- Top with sliced chicken, bacon, hard boiled egg, blue cheese and avocado.
- Add grape tomatoes and blue cheese dressing if desired.
Notes
504 calories, 30.3g fat, 808mg sodium, 10.2g carbs, 4.9g fiber, 5.3g net carbs, 47.1g protein Plain without tomatoes:
499 calories, 30.3g fat, 808mg sodium, 9.2g carbs, 4.9g fiber, 4.3g net carbs, 47.1g protein With tomatoes and 2 Tablespoons Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing:
572 calories, 36.5g fat, 996mg sodium, 11.1g carbs, 4.9g fiber, 6.2g net carbs, 49.3g protein With 2 Tablespoons Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing (no tomatoes):
567 calories, 36.5g fat, 996mg sodium, 10.1g carbs, 4.9g fiber, 6.2g net carbs, 49.3g protein
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First published on January 6, 2015. Post updated on June 8, 2021, with new images and additional recipe information.
Kimberly Bohnisch
Really liked this salad,chicken is much tastier than the traditional turkey in my opinion, i bought your book in october when i started this lifestyle change (we dont use the d-word)and i have really enjoyed it. Just want to give a shout out for us senior ladies this diet works well for us too and my arthritis is better because the low carb helps inflammation.Just wanted to send a virtual hug because your recipes have really helped me stay on plan,when you get to be my age , and you appreciate someone you let them know, so MY WARMEST THANKYOU
Lisa MarcAurele
Thanks so much Kimberly! It really means a lot. I'm in my 50s now and I can say that eating low-carb over the last two decades has really helped lower inflammation for me. I'm so happy it's helped you too!
Emily Kemp
This has got to be one of my favourite salads ever!
HazelP.
That is a gorgeous salad Lisa. I adore salads with protein (and lots of fat), and this recipe will be going into my low-carb recipe binder. Thanks a bunch.
Lisa
It's one of my favorite salads.