Spring Cobb Salad with Lemon Dill Dressing

This seasonal take on a traditional Cobb Salad is packed with spring flavors, like asparagus, radish, dill and chives. We use a spring greens mix instead of romaine and feta instead of blue cheese, but we keep classic ingredients like chicken, avocado, bacon and hard boiled eggs. This Spring Cobb Salad is packed with flavor in every bite and it's easy to assemble for a weeknight meal!

A Fresh Take on a Cobb Salad

This spring, we've been so busy with cookbook launch events, and the number one question that everyone keeps asking is: "what's your favorite recipe in the book?". It's almost impossible to choose, but one recipe that keeps coming up is our Fall Cobb Salad with butternut squash, candied nuts, and a maple dijon vinaigrette. (Check out the Crowded Kitchen cookbook!)

(P.S. – if you're vegan, check out our 100% vegan fall cobb salad or our cobb with mushroom 'bacon'!)

This inspired us to develop a spring version with bright, fresh flavors and some seasonal additions, like asparagus, radish, and dill. We like a Cobb salad with lots of hearty protein, so we use rotisserie chicken and perfectly cooked hard boiled eggs. It's definitely filling enough for a full meal, but light enough that it doesn't feel heavy.

You can prep a lot of components for this salad ahead of time – the dressing, hard boiled eggs, chicken, bacon, and even the vegetables. When it's time to eat, just assemble everything on a big platter and drizzle with dressing.

It's super easy to make this salad look absolutely gorgeous. Just arrange everything in neat lines and it will definitely be the showstopper for any spring entertaining occasion!

Pair this salad with a refreshing Limoncello Spritz and homemade Garlic Herb Fan Rolls for a springy dinner party!

Key Ingredients Needed for our Spring Cobb Salad

• We strongly recommend fresh dill and chives for a big punch of fresh flavor, but you can substitute dried herbs if needed.

• Watermelon radish is totally optional, and you can just use regular red radishes if that's what you can find. We just love the vibrant pop of color!

How to Make this Spring Cobb Salad

1. Make the dressing: Whisk together all dressing ingredients until smooth and set aside to let the flavors develop while you prep the rest of the ingredients. Whisk well again before serving.

1. To prepare the asparagus, cut the bottom 2 inches off of each stem to remove the tough woody part. Cut the remaining stems into 1-1 ½ inches pieces. Add a ½ cup of water to a skillet over medium high heat and bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and add the asparagus.
2. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes until the water has largely evaporated. Adjust the heat to medium low, and add about 1 tablespoon of the dressing and a pinch or two of salt and cook for an additional 2 minutes until the asparagus is fork tender but still slightly firm. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Add the greens to a large bowl or platter and top with all ingredients. Drizzle the dressing over the top, then toss gently and enjoy right away!

Top Tips from the CK Test Kitchen!

• We chose to lightly sauté the asparagus rather than blanch it, we find it helps develop a deeper flavor. Cooking them with some of the homemade dressing also helps infuse more flavor.
• When picking out asparagus, try to get stalks that aren't too thin. Medium to thick pieces work better for sautéing, this way they don't break apart as much in the process.
• Rotisserie chicken simplifies preparation, but if you want to use grilled chicken, you can double the dressing and use it as a simple marinade for 2 chicken breasts.
• I prefer a slightly soft boiled egg, which can be achieved by taking the eggs out of the pot about 2 minutes before you usually would.

More Hearty Salad Recipes You'll Love

We can't wait for you to make this Spring Cobb Salad in your own home! If you do, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @crowded_kitchen on Instagram. We can't wait to see what you're cooking!

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