Sunny Days Cobb Salad

Up until a couple of months ago, our home was in the Caribbean. You know what that meant? Year. round. summertime. It was glorious. 

I do love warm, cozy, comfort food—soups, stews, dishes that cook all day long. We definitely did eat those things there, but often we ended up throwing something on the grill because it was just so hot and sunny days always make fresh, crisp greens taste better.

This chicken and this salad became a regular favorite; even my kids requested it. And now that the weather here in Virginia is finally beginning to warm up, it’s time for this salad to come back out to play.

The chicken is a recipe that a friend of mine makes; she’s fed us often over the years, and this is a delicious way to grill it up. The secret is in the sauce.

Once the chicken is grilled, just pile all the salad ingredients on a massive platter, cut the chicken up into chunks, and call it dinner. Maybe with a side of Lazy Sunday Morning Bread and a bowl full of fruit. If I’m feeding a crowd, I make two big platters—one for each end of the table. 

Ingredients

Chicken:

• 3 pounds chicken breasts or tenders

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt 

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon thyme

• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper

• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Sauce: 

• 1 cup mayonnaise 

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon black pepper

• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Salad:

• 8 cups mixed greens

  (kale, romaine, leafy green, red leaf, arugula, anything!)

• 1 English cucumber, sliced

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes 

• 3-4 ripe avocados, cut in chunks

• 3 ears of corn, grilled and kernels sliced off

• 1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

• 8-12 eggs, hard boiled and peeled 

• 6 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

  (or blue cheese, or parmesan cheese, or cojita cheese, anything!)

Directions:

• Mix the spice ingredients and rub on the chicken. It can sit in the fridge for a bit or go right on the grill. 

• Mix the sauce ingredients. Just before the chicken is cooked all the way through, brush on chicken. Flip and brush on the other side, continuing until sauce is gone. 

• Put it on a plate and cover with foil to rest until you’re ready to cut it up and serve.

• Rub the corn with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill, turning every minute until all sides are slightly charred. Cool briefly and slice off kernels. 

• Wash and chop lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes. Arrange on a platter and top with avocado, corn, bacon, and cheese. Arrange eggs around the edges. Top with chicken or just serve it alongside. 

• Smother with your favorite homemade or bottled dressing—our favorites are ranch or a cilantro-lime vinaigrette.

Happy Spring!

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Kitchen Essentials: Salad Edition

Here are a few tools similar to mine that you could use for this recipe.

A chef’s knife is a kitchen essential, regardless of what you’re making!

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