Italian Cobb Salad with Gorgonzola, Eggs and Guanciale is my husband’s favorite. It’s on the menu at most American restaurants. Cobb salad is perfect for those who are hungry and want to have a decent lunch. It’s loaded with veggies and there are plenty of hearty toppings – avocado, Guanciale (bacon), ham or chicken and eggs. Gorgonzola (blue cheese) adds a gourmet flavor to the Italian Cobb salad. It is great as a snack and adds vibrant character to dishes. You can give character to this salad also by the creative, beautiful arrangement of ingredients in lines. Go for it, it’s fun.

Watch the Italian Cobb Salad Video Tutorial:

Italian Cobb Salad Ingredients

Salad: You can use arugula, Spinach, Romaine lettuce, or any other fresh salad mix you like.

Meat: Italians adore prosciutto di Parma. Use your favorite kind of ham. My husband loves chicken, so I made it with chicken.

Cheese: I love blue cheese, so I made this salad with Italian Gorgonzola. Italy has the highest variety of cheeses in the world, with over 2500 traditional varieties. If you want to make it Italian-style. You can use all the Italian favorites such as Mozarella, Burrata, Robiola, Fontina and of course Parmigiano.

Bacon: Use regular bacon or find real Italian Guanciale or Pancetta.

Olives: Olive trees have been grown in Italy and the Mediterranean for over 6,000 years. In fact, 90% of the world’s olive production comes from this region. If you want an Italian Cobb salad, add some Italian olives. My hubby hates olives, so I skipped them in my recipe.

Nuts: You can add walnuts or pistachios.

Veggies you can use: Avocado, cherry tomatoes, Portobello mushrooms, Italian green beans, Brussels sprouts,

This recipe makes 2 servings

Salad

chicken breast fillet (500 g) or prosciutto di Parma (Italian ham)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 tablespoons cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon ground paprika

4-6 pieces of thinly sliced Guanciale or Pancetta (Italian bacon)

2 free-range eggs

1 medium head of romaine lettuce

salt

1 cup cherry tomatoes

pepper

1 ripe avocado

¼ cup (50 g) Gorgonzola (Italian Blue cheese)

1 small red onion

Dressing

1 tablespoon lime juice

salt

1 teaspoon honey

pepper

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

3 tablespoons cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove

How to make Italian Cobb salad

Here’s how I make Italian Cobb Salad with Gorgonzola, Eggs and Guanciale(Bacon): Sprinkle the chicken breast with oil, add spices and rub it with your hands so that the chicken is evenly covered with oil and spices.

Prepare Sliced Guanciale or Pancetta (Italian bacon): saute the bacon strips for a few minutes on both sides, until they get crispy and brown. Place the crispy bacon on a paper towel, it’ll soak up excess fat.

Let’s make chicken: Throw the chicken in the pan with the bacon fat. Let it cook on high heat for 3 minutes on each side. Next, reduce the heat to minimum, cover the pan and cook for another 15 minutes. Leave the chicken to hang out at room temperature for 5 minutes, then cut it into strips.

Boil the eggs.

Make the honey lime dressing: mix all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.

Wash the lettuce, let it drain, then tear it with our hands. Cut all the veggies.

Serving: add lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, onions, boiled eggs, fried chicken to the plate, then top with roasted bacon and blue cheese.

Drizzle with the sauce you’ve made. Italian Cobb Salad is ready. Enjoy!

Hor to store Italian Cobb Salad

Don’t leave Chicken Cobb Salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Store in airtight container in the fridge, the salad will stay good for up to 3 days. It will stay the freshest without the dressing on it. Keep the dressing separate.

Italian Cobb salad substitutions

• You can use beans or chickpeas instead of chicken or ham to make a vegan Cobb salad version.
• Use your favorite cheese kind. Parmesan or feta work nicely.
• Pepperoncini in place of tomatoes will add extra spiciness.

More salad recipes:

• Salmon mango salad
• Tableside Caesar salad
• Cucumber carrot salad (Asian dressing)

If you are looking for inspiration click here

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