Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cobb Salad (Printable version)

Crispy Parmesan chicken tops a vibrant Cobb salad with fresh vegetables, eggs, and bacon in a tangy dressing.

# Needed ingredients:

→ Parmesan Crusted Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
02 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
03 - 1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
07 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
08 - 2 large eggs
09 - 2 tablespoons olive oil

→ Salad

10 - 6 cups mixed salad greens
11 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
12 - 1 large avocado, sliced
13 - 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
14 - 4 strips cooked bacon, chopped
15 - 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
16 - 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
17 - 1/2 cup cucumber, sliced

→ Dressing

18 - 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
19 - 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
20 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
21 - 1 teaspoon honey
22 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
23 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

# How to make it:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and lightly grease the surface.
02 - In a shallow bowl, combine grated Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper.
03 - In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until well combined.
04 - Dip each chicken thigh into the beaten eggs, then coat thoroughly with the Parmesan-breadcrumb mixture, ensuring complete coverage.
05 - Place coated chicken thighs on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil.
06 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking, until the coating is golden brown and crispy. Internal temperature should reach 165°F. Allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes, then slice into strips.
07 - While the chicken bakes, arrange mixed salad greens on a large platter. Arrange cherry tomatoes, avocado slices, hard-boiled egg quarters, chopped bacon, blue cheese, red onion, and cucumber in organized rows for traditional Cobb presentation.
08 - Whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl until emulsified.
09 - Arrange sliced Parmesan-crusted chicken over the assembled salad. Drizzle vinaigrette over the salad immediately before serving.

# Expert advice:

01 -
  • The chicken stays impossibly juicy under that crispy, savory crust because thighs are naturally forgiving.
  • It's technically a salad, so you can eat a huge portion and feel virtuous about all those vegetables.
  • Everything can be prepped ahead, which means you're really just roasting chicken and assembling when people arrive.
02 -
  • Don't skip the rest period after roasting; those five minutes let the juices redistribute, and slicing into hot chicken releases all that moisture onto your cutting board instead of into your mouth.
  • If your coating looks pale after fifteen minutes, don't panic and turn up the heat; it'll continue darkening, and high heat will dry out the chicken before the crust finishes crisping.
03 -
  • Toast your breadcrumbs lightly in a dry pan before mixing them with Parmesan; this deepens the flavor and ensures they crisp up faster in the oven.
  • Save your dressing vinegar; if you have champagne vinegar instead of red wine, it's actually more delicate and won't overpower the salad, though it'll taste noticeably different and that's wonderful too.
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