About This Recipe
Oh will this summer never end!! It’s almost October and the highs have been near 90°F this week. I don’t really like summer because I don’t like heat and humidity. I like the cool crisp temperatures of fall and the leaves changing color and wearing sweaters. Go away summer! In the meantime, I’ll just sigh and make this fabulous recipe for Chicken Pasta Cobb Salad that is one of my all-time favorites.
Cobb Salad is an arranged salad; that is, the ingredients are placed next to each other on a serving platter in strips. You add dressing and toss everything together yourself, then eat. My version is much simpler – all of the ingredients are tossed with the dressing so you can just dig in. And I added pasta to stretch the ingredients and add more interest.
There really aren’t a lot of rules for a recipe like this. You can increase or decrease the ingredient amounts as you like, or add or subtract some. The ingredients you do need, however, are the chicken, bacon, pasta, lettuce, and a creamy salad dressing.
For the chicken, I like using a rotisserie chicken, of course, but you could use any leftover chicken. Just make sure it is perfectly cooked and tender.
And you need to plan ahead when making this salad for one important reason: the avocados. Ripe avocados are impossible to find at the store. You have to buy unripe ones and let them sit. When they are perfect, make this salad. Yum.
Tips for the best Chicken Pasta Cobb Salad:
- Make sure that the bacon is cooked as crisply as possible. You don’t want it to get soggy in the dressing.
- The blue cheese salad dressing adds fabulous flavor. But you could choose ranch or a Parmesan dressing or even choose a honey mustard dressing.
- I always use cooked cubed chicken breast in this recipe because I think the texture and flavor of this meat is best.
Why this recipe works:
- The combination of tender chicken and pasta, crisp and salty bacon, sweet vegetables, creamy salad dressing, and crisp and fresh lettuce is outstanding.
- Not only is this salad beautiful to look at, it’s fun to eat. Every bite is different and interesting.
Steps
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1
Done
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Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt. Cook the pasta until it is al dente according to the package directions. |
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2
Done
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While the pasta cooks, stir together the salad dressing, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Parmesan cheese in a large bowl. |
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3
Done
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When the pasta is done, drain and immediately add to the bowl with the dressing and stir to coat. |
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4
Done
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Add all of the remaining ingredients to the bowl with the dressing and pasta except the lettuce and the avocado. Stir to coat. |
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5
Done
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Cover and chill for 3 hours. When you're ready to eat, line plates with the lettuce and dish out the salad. Top each serving with some of the avocados and dig in. |
