Spring has finally started to make itself known here on southern Vancouver Island. That means it’s time for seasonal spring recipes! To kick off the season, I made this delicious Spring Cobb Salad with tons of fresh spring produce and meats from Red Barn Market. It’s a salad that is full of flavour, texture, and crunch…plus it’s a great meal prep recipe!
This hearty Spring Cobb Salad is made with seasonal spinach, asparagus, radish, and peas, and is topped with Red Barn Double Smoked Bacon, hard-boiled eggs, and Island-raised chicken breast. A light and tangy lemon and chive salad dressing pulls the entire salad together!
Recipe in collaboration with Red Barn Market.
Just like Spring in a Bowl!
My Spring Cobb Salad is a seasonal take on the traditional Cobb Salad. I’ve kept the lettuce, eggs, chicken, and bacon from the original version but have added some fun seasonal ingredients. Blanched asparagus adds a great texture to the salad, while radish adds lots of freshness and crunch. Green peas are another seasonal addition that add a slight sweetness to the salad and balances everything out. I also use spring’s first flush of spinach to add more vitamins and minerals to the salad.
A Great Meal Prep Salad
What I love so much about Cobb Salad in general is that there are lots of different ingredients, flavours, and textures. Overall, I prefer salads this way, rather than just a few ingredients on top of plain lettuce leaves. But this amazing salad doesn’t come without a little bit of prep work. However, preparing all the ingredients (and dressing) in advance is a great time saver and will allow you to have this salad fresh throughout the week.
Here is my quick guide to meal prep my Spring Cobb Salad:
- Season and cook the chicken and let it cool completely. Then chop into bite-sized pieces and store in a container.
- Cook and chop the bacon, then store with the prepared chicken or in a separate container. You can also bake the bacon in the oven if you want to make a larger batch.
- Boil the eggs, peel them, and store them whole in a container.
- Blanch the asparagus for 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Then rinse with cold water, pat dry, and store in a container.
- Blanch the peas for 1 minute in boiling water. Then rinse with cold water, pat dry, and store in a container.
- Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients, then store in a jar. You can actually use this dressing for 5 days before it goes bad!
Get the Recipe!
Spring Cobb Salad
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
For the Salad:
- 6 slices Red Barn Markets Double Smoked Bacon
- Water for boiling
- 4 large eggs
- 1 bunch asparagus trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup green peas fresh or frozen
- 1 bunch radish thinly sliced
- 3 cups fresh spinach leaves
- 3 cups green leaf lettuce cut into 1-inch pieces
For the Dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice from 1-2 lemons
- 3 tablespoons chives finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons shallot finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
To Prepare the Bacon:
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bacon to the pan and fry for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the bacon is crispy.
- Remove from the pan and set aside to cool before chopping into 2-cm pieces.
- Drain all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan.
To Prepare the Chicken:
- Use a sharp knife to slice the chicken breasts through the middle to create 4 thin chicken breasts. Place the chicken breasts in a bowl and season with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and paprika.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot add the seasoned chicken breasts to the pan. Fry for 3-4 minutes per side, or until the chicken is fully cooked through.
- Remove from the pan and cover with aluminum foil. Allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes before chopping into 2-cm cubes.
To Prepare the Eggs:
- While the chicken is resting, prepare the eggs. Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, carefully add the eggs to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Once the eggs are cooked, drain the water from the pot and run cold water over the eggs to cool them down. Let the eggs stand in the cold water for 5 minutes before peeling and slicing into quarters.
To Prepare the Asparagus & Peas:
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, add the trimmed asparagus and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the asparagus is bright green.
- 30 seconds before the asparagus is cooked, add the peas to the pot and cook for 30 seconds.
- Drain the asparagus and peas into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking.
- Place in a salad spinner (or between a clean kitchen towel) to remove any excess water. Set aside.
To Prepare the Salad Dressing:
- To prepare the salad dressing, add the lemon juice, chives, shallot, salt, pepper, and Dijon mustard to a bowl. Use a whisk to combine.
- Slowly drizzle the olive oil into the bowl to create an emulsion, then set aside.
To Arrange the Salad:
- To arrange the salad, mix the green leaf lettuce and spinach together and place on a large platter.
- Top with a row of bacon, followed by rows of asparagus, diced chicken, radish, peas, and egg.
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve immediately. Enjoy!
Such an appetizing salad, with all these fresh ingredients and bright colors. It has “spring” all over it. 🙂