Crispy Chicken Cobb Jar Salad (Printable Version)

Vibrant layered salad featuring crispy chicken bites, bacon, blue cheese, and hard-boiled egg in convenient mason jars.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crispy Chicken

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - 1 cup buttermilk
03 - 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
04 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
08 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
09 - Olive oil spray

→ Salad

10 - 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
11 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
12 - 1 cup cucumber, diced
13 - 2 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
14 - 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
15 - 1 avocado, diced
16 - 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
17 - 1/2 small red onion, finely sliced

→ Dressing

18 - 1/3 cup mayonnaise
19 - 2 tablespoons Greek yogurt
20 - 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
21 - 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
22 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
23 - 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
24 - Salt and pepper to taste

# How-To Steps:

01 - Submerge chicken pieces in buttermilk and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to enhance tenderness and flavor.
02 - Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
03 - Remove chicken from buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off. Coat each piece thoroughly in the breadcrumb mixture and arrange on prepared baking sheet. Lightly mist with olive oil spray.
04 - Bake for 18 to 20 minutes until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to cool slightly before assembling.
05 - Whisk together mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, white wine vinegar, fresh lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and chopped fresh chives until smooth and well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Distribute 2 tablespoons of prepared dressing into the bottom of each 16-ounce mason jar. Layer ingredients in the following order: cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, crumbled bacon, crumbled blue cheese, quartered hard-boiled eggs, crispy chicken bites, and chopped romaine lettuce. Reserve diced avocado to add immediately before consumption.
07 - Securely seal mason jars and refrigerate until ready to consume. When serving, shake jar vigorously or transfer contents to a bowl to combine all components.

# Tips for Success:

01 -
  • Every ingredient stays crisp and separate until youre ready to eat, no soggy lettuce emergencies.
  • The crispy chicken tastes like fried but bakes in the oven, so you can make four servings without standing over hot oil.
  • One jar feels like a full restaurant Cobb salad, but you control exactly what goes in and how much dressing you use.
02 -
  • Misting the chicken with olive oil spray before baking is the secret to getting that crispy, almost fried texture without any actual frying.
  • Always put the dressing at the bottom of the jar first, it keeps the lettuce from getting soggy and everything else stays fresh for days.
  • If you skip the buttermilk marinade, the coating will slide right off the chicken during baking, I learned this the hard way on a rushed Sunday.
03 -
  • Use wide mouth mason jars, they make layering easier and you can actually fit a fork in to eat directly from the jar.
  • Let the baked chicken cool completely before adding it to the jar, warm chicken will steam and wilt the lettuce above it.
  • Prep all your ingredients on Sunday and store them separately, then assemble jars each morning if you want maximum freshness.
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