Classic American Cobb Salad

The History Behind This Recipe

The Cobb salad was invented in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Hollywood, when owner Bob Cobb raided the kitchen refrigerator late at night and chopped together leftover chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, tomato, and Roquefort. The striped arrangement — each ingredient in its own row over crisp greens — made it famous, and it's been a California icon ever since.

Ingredients (4 servings)

• 1 head romaine or iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 2 cooked chicken breasts, diced
• 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 2 ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (or Roquefort)
• 2 tbsp chopped chives
• Dressing: 1/2 cup mayonnaise + 1/2 cup buttermilk + 1 tbsp red wine vinegar + 1 tsp Dijon mustard + salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Whisk all the dressing ingredients until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Spread the chopped lettuce over a large platter or bowl.
3. Arrange the chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, avocado, and blue cheese in neat rows over the lettuce.
4. Sprinkle with chives and drizzle with dressing, or serve the dressing on the side.
5. Toss at the table so every forkful gets a bit of everything.

Tips & Variations

• The rows aren't just for looks — they make the salad easy to customize.
• Dice everything to a similar size so it mixes well when tossed.
• Make the dressing a day ahead; it gets better overnight.