Crispy Cobb Salad With Breaded Chicken

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Why It's Yummy

• This crispy chicken salad is quick and EASY! You are less than 30 minutes away from fresh, nutrient-rich, and juicy breaded chicken filets.
• Great flavors. Creamy honey dijon dressing basically melts on top of the chicken and is one of the best condiments to serve with this hearty salad.
• Easy recipe. The recipe has simple ingredients, and no deep-frying is required to achieve crispy fried chicken!

Love crispy chicken recipes? Try these next: Crispy Chicken Ciabatta Sandwich and Chicken Crunchwrap Supreme.

Ingredients

• Chicken - Skinless boneless chicken breast, thighs (these will look darker in color than chicken breast once cooked), or chicken tenderloins. We make our crusted chicken that I've also used in my popular Crispy Chicken Wrap. But as with many salads, you can use grilled, boiled, or roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken from the store instead. Freshly cooked is better but any leftovers from previous dinner work just fine (but in this case you'll have to skip the breading).
• Blue cheese - your preferred blue cheese variety. I've used Roquefort cheese which is very strong in flavor and scent. If visibly moldy cheese is not your cup of tea, I'd recommend sharp cheddar cubes, crumbled feta cheese, or grated parmesan cheese instead.
• Lettuce - I used half butter and half large Romaine lettuce (How to cut romaine lettuce for a salad? See video). Want the salad to be super crunchy? Iceberg lettuce is the way to go.
• Salt - 8 cups of mixed lettuce need a generous amount of salt (you can use a Low sodium salt here). That's why I like to salt the leaves separately and also add some salt to the dressing itself. I cut the lettuce into large chunks first, sprinkle generously with salt, and massage the leaves well (I do this with regular cabbage too when making a cabbage salad). Then I left them to sit for 10-30 minutes until the leaves soften and become flavorful.
• Whisked egg - usually 1 egg was enough for me but sometimes I've needed a little extra. Usually, it's enough for 2 small to medium chicken fillets.
• Honey Dijon Dressing - traditional cobb salad uses red wine vinegar but I'm in love with my Honey Dijon Dressing with two types of mustard. You'll be pleasantly surprised how well it goes with this salad. A must-try definitely. If you want to have a really light dressing I highly recommend using a simple Lemon Vinaigrette instead.
• Olive oil - a good quality olive oil goes along the way! It will give extra creaminess to the dressing. You need to make sure to whisk vigorously to avoid the separation in the dressing. The dressing has the perfect texture - thin enough to pour over the chicken and creamy enough to incorporate it into salad leaves. 
• Seasonings - I used paprika, onion and garlic powder for chicken but you can use your favorite chicken seasoning such as cajun or barbecue. 
• Chill - after combining dressing ingredients, I recommend to chill for 15 minutes as it helps all the flavors blend nicely. 

Tips

• Chicken cooking tips. It is common sense, but don't overcook the chicken. I highly recommend using a meat thermometer for poultry and meat (chicken doneness is 165 degrees Fahrenheit). If you don't have a thermometer, the easiest way for you is to cut the chicken into small strips or the chicken breast in half lengthwise. This way it will cook even faster and you can taste test a small part to see the doneness level. For even cooking pound each breast lightly before cooking.
• Cobb salad has many ingredients, but the beauty of it is that many things can be prepared in advance and stored separately before assembling the salad. The only thing I recommend is cooking the chicken as close to serving as possible, other than that you're good to follow your own rhythm!
• If you feel Honey Dijon Dressing is too much, I'd recommend simple olive oil-based dressing, store-bought salad dressings such as Italian dressing, Ranch Dressing, Blue cheese dressing, or Balsamic Vinegar with olive oil.
• Substitute. While this recipe does call for the use of chicken, you can substitute it with turkey or any cooked leftover poultry. This recipe is versatile and perfect for using up any leftover baked, pan-fried meats, or any deli meat that you have in the refrigerator. Panko crust however will stick only with raw poultry as directed in the instructions.
• Breaded chicken. Be sure to add plenty of seasoning and thoroughly coat and dip the chicken in each step, especially the last one, the breadcrumbs. Don't overuse the paprika as the panko crust may become too dark. If you are doing this for the first time, add the paprika only to the flour mixture.
• Cook the chicken in batches, to allow the oil to be absorbed evenly and not too quickly which will result in soggy chicken breasts.

Serving Suggestions

As far as the presentation goes, this crispy chicken cobb salad is a perfect side dish for a lighter dinner dish. I'd serve this for 5-6 people as a side dish and for about 3-4 as a main course along with some gluten free crusty bread on the side. 

More ideas that we have served this chicken salad with:

Freezing And Storing Instructions

• Make the crispy fried chicken salad for 3-4 bigger portions or about 5-6 side salad servings. Make as much as you'd consume as this salad (in particular the panko chicken) doesn't store well. The chicken will become soggy very quickly and lose its texture and crispiness. 
• Make ahead. Salad ingredients can be arranged on a platter 1-2 hours in advance and kept covered and separate from the dressing and the chicken. Cook the chicken once you are ready to sit down to have dinner. 
• Although I don't recommend cooking the chicken in advance, this is an option too. Once cooked keep refrigerated and consume it within 2-3 days. For easier meal prep, season the raw chicken breast with spices, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 2 days. Or use your favorite chicken marinade instead. On the day, pan-fry as described in the recipe instructions.

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