Southwestern Cobb Salad is made with a spicy cilantro lime vinaigrette. This easy cobb salad recipe is out of this world! The vinaigrette is something I make almost once a week, and this salad is one of my favorites to put it on!
Southwestern Cobb Salad with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
Say hello to my favorite salad right now. Yep, a salad. On my “baking” website. Sorry, but not really at all.
You see I try to share only foods I love here. I understand Cookies and Cups isn’t the first place you would go to find an epic salad situation…but oh friends…I’ve got one for you today. In a major way.
Let me explain. I am probably the most predictable person in humankind when I go out to eat. If there is ANY version of a Tex-Mex Chopped/Cobb salad I will order it. Every. Dang. Time.
I don’t know what it is about the crunchy lettuce (no leafy greens for me kthanks), the warm grilled chicken, the corn, the beans, the avocado, the JALAPENOS….but yeah it’s probably my most favorite food. There, I said it.
And of course I am under no fall illusions that this is health food in any way. I get it, I am sure I am consuming more calories than an entire Thanksgiving meal. But dudes, the crunchy tortilla strips make everything in the world happy.
Mostly I find that when dining out at one of our frequented dinner establishments (*cough Chilis *sneeze Cheesecake Factory *ahem Red Robin) their chopped salads are mostly served with some sort of creamy-ranch-avocado-y mess. This is where I had to take matters into my own hands.
With this Spicy Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette. OHHHHHHH MYYYYYY YESSSSSS.
You guys MUST make this. Like MUST. Even if you’re not a salad person, you should totally marinate meat in it…serve it on top of a grilled steak, eat it by the spoonful. Srsly. I would never get this excited about a salad dressing if it weren’t legit. We’re sugar friends. That’s a bond I ain’t messing with.
How to Make The Best Cobb Salad
You can make the vinaigrette way ahead, so make it early in the week…heck double the recipe…and use it on all the food. Just make sure to wash that cilantro well. It’s dirty stuff.
I make my dressing in my blender, but you can use a food processor totally fine. You can even just use a whisk if you chop up everything itty-bitty.
If you want to go the extra mile and make the salad grab some chicken breasts and season them with a taco seasoning packet. Yep, it’s a shortcut.
Grill them up. Again, you can do this part ahead too if you don’t mind the chicken being cold on your salad!
And then assemble your salad. I listed what I used on mine in the recipe below, but feel free to use what you like and omit what you don’t. That’s the great thing about a salad…it’s mix and match.
Drizzle that vinaigrette on top, or toss the whole thing in a big bowl!
I’m not kidding when I say you’re going to love it!
Description
Southwestern Cobb Salad is made with a spicy cilantro lime vinaigrette. This easy cobb salad recipe is out of this world! The vinaigrette is something I make almost once a week, and this salad is one of my favorites to put it on!
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
- 2 cups cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Salad
- 1/2 pound boneless chicken breasts
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 2 Hearts of Romaine, cleaned and chopped
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup jalapeno slices
- 3/4 cup grated Monterrey Jack Cheese
- 1 cup grape tomatoes sliced in half
- 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 cup lightly crushed tortilla chips
Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
- In your blender or food processor combine the garlic, jalapeno and cilantro. Pulse this until the cilantro is finely chopped.
- Add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until the dressing is combined.
- Transfer the dressing into a container, cover and chill until ready to use.
Salad
- Sprinkle the chicken breasts with the taco seasoning evenly. Grill the chicken breasts until they are cooked. Allow the chicken to cool for 5-10 minutes and cut into bite sized pieces.
- Place the lettuce in a large bowl or on a large platter.
- Top with the remaining ingredients.
- Toss with the Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette and serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 860
- Sugar: 12.3 g
- Sodium: 2138.3 mg
- Fat: 63.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 35.8 g
- Protein: 41.5 g
- Cholesterol: 118.8 mg