Chicken Cobb Salad

In my world a salad is, almost by definition, an invitation to experiment. Some of the best salads come by combining what is on hand. Some of my favorites have a few predictable elements I always like to include, with enough room for variation to keep things interesting. And so it is with a Chicken and Cobb salad. Some form of Cobb salad can be found on many restaurant menus, but beyond the inclusion of corn, its ingredients vary widely. The basic form of this salad can be successfully put together in minutes, it makes for a hearty and informal lunch, and is great for summertime. This post also includes BBQ chicken salad with corn and beans as a tasty variation.

After making Montreal Chicken, I had one chicken breast left over. The next day at lunchtime that delightfully tangy and seasoned chicken breast was calling to me. When I opened the fridge to get the chicken breast I scanned for other elements that would add flavor, texture, and color to the salad. The final result:

Ingredients

2 cups spring greens
1 Tbsp sliced red onion or
1 Tbsp crumbled Feta Cheese
1/3 C sliced red and orange sweet peppers
4 slices of pepperoncini
½ seasoned chicken breast, sliced
4 mini cobs of corn

Drizzle of white wine vinegar. Spritz of olive oil. If I was feeling impulsive, I would have also considered adding chopped fresh herbs to the salad, such as dill, oregano, or basil.

BBQ chicken salad variation: Add ¼ C black beans (rinsed and drained), top with 1 Tbsp BBQ dressing and 1 Tbsp Ranch dressing. You can bake a corn tortilla to make crispy tortilla strips for topping, if desired. If you prefer, you can substitute 1 Tbsp sharp cheddar for the Feta. I recommend leaving the cheddar in a block. By selectively eating from the slice of cheese you will have some bites without cheese, but other bites where you can really savor the cheese flavor. A little bit of cheese can otherwise get lost with all of the other flavors if it is too spread out. This allows you to really taste and enjoy the cheese.