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5.0 from 12 votes

BBQ Chicken Cobb Salad

This isn't your Grandma's Chicken Cobb Salad—it's packed full of flavor with juicy baked BBQ chicken, sweet corn succotash, and a creamy Cobb salad dressing. But don't worry, it still has all the other classic components we all know and love, like avocado, tomato, and hard-boiled eggs. This salad will convert any salad naysayer into a raving fan!

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 618 kcal
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

BBQ Chicken
  • 1 lb. chicken breasts cut into 4-ounce portions
  • 1 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 2 cloves garlic finely minced
  • ½ tsp. salt to taste
Creamy Cobb Salad Dressing
  • ½ cup oil avocado or olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp. red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. honey
  • 1 Tbsp. mustard yellow or Dijon
  • ¼ cup mayonnaise
  • salt to taste
Sweet Corn Mix
  • 1 Tbsp. oil or butter
  • 1 bell pepper red, finely diced
  • ½ sweet onion finely diced
  • 1 Jalapeno pepper finely diced
  • 15 oz. can sweet kernel corn rinsed and drained
  • ¾ tsp. salt to taste
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper to taste
Cobb Salad
  • 16 oz. mixed greens spinach, or romaine
  • 4 eggs hard-boiled
  • 4 oz. Bacon cooked and crumbled
  • 1 avocado pitted, peeled and diced
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
  • 4 oz. almonds roasted and salted, crushed
  • chives finely chopped, optional

Instructions

To Cook the BBQ Chicken:
    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Make the sauce. Mix together the barbecue sauce, honey, lime juice, garlic, and salt in a large bowl. Reserve ¼ cup of it. Add the chicken and toss until well combined. Optional: Marinade for at least 30 minutes, or up to overnight.
  3. Cook the chicken. Add the chicken to a 9x13-inch baking dish and bake in the preheated oven for 24-26 minutes, brushing with the remaining marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking. You’ll know the chicken is done when the middle is no longer pink and the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Cut into bite-sized pieces for serving in the salad.
To Make the Dressing:
  1. Combine ingredients. Add the oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, and mayonnaise to a mason jar. Shake until well combined.
To Cook the Sweet Corn Mix:
  1. Saute the veggies. Saute the butter, onion, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic in a large pan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
  2. Mix in corn. Add the rinsed and drained corn to the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the corn is slightly charred.
To Hard-Boil the Eggs:
  1. STOVETOP: Add the eggs to a large saucepan or pot and cover with water by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil. Once boiling, remove the pot from the heat and cover with a lid. Let eggs sit for 10-12 minutes.
  2. AIR FRYER: Add the eggs to an air fryer basket and cook at 270 degrees for 15-16 minutes.
  3. Chill in ice bath. Immediately immerse the hard-boiled eggs in an ice water bath and let sit for at least 5-10 minutes before peeling.
To Cook the Bacon:
  1. SKILLET: Place bacon in a single layer in a cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, or until crispy.
  2. AIR FRYER: Place bacon in a single layer and cook at 350 for 9-11 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate and then cut into small pieces for serving.
  3. OVEN: Place bacon in a single layer on a large sheet pan either lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil and a wire rack. Lift up pieces of the bacon to give it a wavy appearance, if you’d prefer. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-25 minutes. Regular-cut bacon will take 15-20 minutes while thick-cut bacon will take closer to 20-25 minutes.
  4. Drain on plate. Remove bacon from the oven and place strips on a paper towel-lined plate. Pat dry with additional paper towels to remove excess grease.
Assemble the Salad:
  1. Combine everything. Layer the greens on the bottom of the bowl or platter you're serving the salad on and then place the chicken, corn mix, tomatoes, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, and bacon in rows across. Drizzle with the salad dressing and top with crushed almonds. Enjoy!

Notes

  • How to prep ahead of time: You can make the pieces of this salad (the chicken, corn mixture, hard-boiled eggs, and dressing) a day or two early. But don't assemble the salad until you're ready to enjoy it.
  • How to store: You can store the chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 to 4 days, the hard-boiled eggs for up to one week, and the bacon for up to 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Once assembled, the salad should be enjoyed immediately or it will wilt.
  • How to freeze: Freezing is not recommended.

Nutrition Information

Calories 618kcal (31%) Carbohydrates 41g (14%) Protein 23g (46%) Fat 42g (65%) Saturated Fat 6g (30%) Polyunsaturated Fat 12g Monounsaturated Fat 22g Trans Fat 0.1g Cholesterol 130mg (43%) Sodium 1056mg (44%) Potassium 943mg (27%) Fiber 6g (24%) Sugar 24g (48%) Vitamin A 1711IU (34%) Vitamin C 55mg (61%) Calcium 95mg (10%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 618

% Daily Value*

Calories 618kcal 31%
Carbohydrates 41g 14%
Protein 23g 46%
Fat 42g 65%
Saturated Fat 6g 30%
Polyunsaturated Fat 12g 71%
Monounsaturated Fat 22g 110%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 130mg 43%
Sodium 1056mg 44%
Potassium 943mg 20%
Fiber 6g 24%
Sugar 24g 48%
Vitamin A 1711IU 34%
Vitamin C 55mg 61%
Calcium 95mg 10%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.