Parmesan Crusted Chicken Cobb Salad (Printable)

Crispy parmesan chicken over a classic Cobb salad with fresh vegetables, avocado, bacon, and tangy dressing.

# Ingredient List:

→ Parmesan Crusted Chicken

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
02 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
03 - 1 cup gluten-free or regular panko breadcrumbs
04 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
05 - 1 teaspoon paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
07 - 1/2 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 - 1 cup cucumber, sliced
14 - 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and quartered
15 - 4 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
16 - 1/2 cup blue cheese, crumbled
17 - 1/4 cup red onion, thinly 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 small garlic clove, minced
23 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a shallow bowl, whisk eggs. In another bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, breadcrumbs, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
03 - Dip each chicken thigh into the egg mixture, then coat thoroughly in the Parmesan breadcrumb mixture. Place on prepared baking sheet.
04 - Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over the coated chicken thighs.
05 - Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165°F. Allow to rest for 5 minutes, then slice.
06 - While chicken bakes, arrange salad greens on a large serving platter. Top with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, blue cheese, and red onion in neat rows.
07 - In a bowl, whisk together extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until emulsified.
08 - Top salad with sliced chicken. Drizzle dressing just before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The Parmesan crust gets impossibly crispy in the oven without deep frying, so you get that satisfying crunch with less guilt.
  • It's colorful and fun to assemble—those neat rows of toppings feel fancy but take zero actual skill.
  • Everything can be prepped while the chicken bakes, so you're never rushing at the last second.
02 -
  • Don't skip the oil drizzle on the raw breaded chicken—oven-baked breading needs fat to brown and crisp, otherwise you'll end up with a pale coating.
  • Flip the chicken halfway through baking so both sides get equal heat and color; this is the difference between good and great.
  • Add the dressing at the very last second, not before—warm chicken and cold dressing are perfect together, but soggy greens will make you regret everything.
03 -
  • If your Parmesan crust isn't crispy enough, it's probably because you didn't use enough oil on top of the raw chicken—oil is your friend here.
  • Slice the chicken while it's still warm so it stays tender; cold sliced chicken gets tougher and less appealing.
  • If you're serving this to people who are weird about blue cheese, just put it on the side so they can add as much or as little as they want.
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