Tomorrow is Mardi Gras or “Fat Tuesday” in French! I wanted a Cajun inspired dish to celebrate Mardi Gras with a simple week night dinner, and this Cajun Chicken Cobb Salad is just the thing. It’s easy and delicious and even…dare I say healthy…..ish! It’s definitely a salad that eats like a meal and will easily feed 4 adults.
I’ve never been to Mardi Gras or New Orleans for that matter but it seems like such a great time. Great food, lots of fun cocktails, masks, beads… Now, that’s a theme party I haven’t thrown yet….hmmmm….next year! For now …I’ll just make this Cajun Chicken Cobb salad for an awesome Fat Tuesday dinner.
Start with pre-heating your oven to 350°. Prepare the Cajun Seasoning by blending all spices and seasonings and mixing well. Of course this will make much more of the seasoning mix than you will need for this recipe, but it is awesome on so many things….fish, steaks, shrimp, potatoes….you name it! It is especially good in the Spicy Cajun Dressing that goes great on this salad. Prepare the dressing by combining mayo, sour cream, milk, Cajun Seasoning, vinegar, and salt. Whisk until well combined and place in the fridge until ready to dress the salad. The longer those flavors have time to marry the better the dressing is. If you are a blue cheese lover then you can add a few tablespoons of blue cheese crumbles and now you’ve got a Spicy Cajun Blue Cheese Dressing!
Cook your eggs, if you don’t have them already prepared. Put eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring to boil. Once water has come to a boil, cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove eggs with tongs or a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice-water until completely cool. To me, hard-boiled eggs are much easier to peel after they have been sitting in the fridge for a day or so. So if you’re thinking ahead….go ahead and get your eggs cooked ahead of time.
Heat cast iron skillet on stove top for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add the bacon to the cast iron skillet and cook until crispy. Drain and cool on paper towel. Coat the chicken breasts with the Cajun Seasoning. Add the oil to the skillet if needed. If you have enough bacon drippings in the skillet you may not need to add much oil. Sear the chicken on both sides until they get that crispy blackened char. Place the skillet in the preheated oven and bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The chicken should reach 165° using an instant read thermometer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking get the rest of your salad prep completed. Chop lettuce and other veggies, dice the bacon, crumble the blue cheese, and peel and slice eggs as desired. Once the chicken is cooked and has rested, slice into fairly thin pieces, on the bias.
Now to assemble the masterpiece! In a large bowl or on a large serving platter, lay down a bed of the chopped lettuces. Arrange the chicken first and all the other ingredients in sections around the chicken. Be creative and make it look pretty! Drizzle with the chilled dressing and serve extra on the side!
Cajun Chicken Cobb Salad
Ingredients
Cajun Seasoning
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp granulated garlic
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp Hungarian hot paprika
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp celery salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Cajun Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts
- 1-2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
- 2 tsp olive oil
Salad Ingredients
- ½ head iceberg lettuce
- 1 bag romaine hearts
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- ½ small red onion
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- 1 avocado
Spicy Cajun Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ cup milk
- 1-2 tsp Cajun Seasoning
- 2 tbsp tarragon vinegar (or any vinegar you prefer)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°
- Prepare the Cajun Seasoning by blending all spices and seasonings and mixing well.
- Prepare the Spicy Cajun Dressing by combining mayo, sour cream, milk, Cajun Seasoning, vinegar, and salt. Whisk until well combined and place in the fridge until ready to dress the salad.
- Cook your eggs, if you don’t have them already prepared. Put eggs in a saucepan and cover with water by 1 inch. Cover saucepan and bring to boil. Once water has come to a boil, cook for 7-8 minutes. Remove eggs with tongs or a slotted spoon and place in a bowl of ice-water until completely cool.
- Heat cast iron skillet on stove top for 3-4 minutes over medium-high heat. Add bacon to the skillet and cook until crispy. Drain and cool on a paper towel.
- Coat the chicken breasts with the Cajun Seasoning. Add the oil to the skillet and sear both sides of the chicken. (If you have enough bacon drippings in the skillet you may not need to add much oil). Place the cast iron skillet in a preheated oven. Bake for 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken breasts. The chicken should reach 165° using an instant read thermometer. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, prep the rest of your salad ingredients. Chop lettuce and other veggies, dice the bacon, crumble the blue cheese, and peel and slice eggs as desired.
- When the chicken is cooked and rested, slice into thin pieces on the bias.
- In a large bowl or on a large serving platter lay down a bed of the chopped lettuces. Arrange the chicken first and all the other ingredients in sections around the chicken. Be creative and make it look pretty!
- Drizzle with the chilled dressing and serve extra on the side!
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