Strawberries in a salad are always a good bet. Every time I put them in any salad, I always wonder why I don’t use them more often. They’re also great during spring while you wait for tomato season every year. The sweet juicy element they add is so welcome, especially along with these savory flavors of bacon, and a mustard vinaigrette. This particular cobb salad is a bit different than the traditional, but not by much. Aside from using strawberries in place of tomatoes, I also left out the blue cheese. However if you can have cheese, my 2 favorites in a cobb salad is of course the traditional blue cheese. But if blue cheese isn’t your thing, feta is a really good pairing with these flavors as well.
Meal Prepping Tips:
How to make this Strawberry Cobb Salad (Whole30):
Tips:
And one final tip about hard boiled eggs – if you’ve ever struggled like me with the peels always sticking no matter what tricks you try, definitely start cooking hard boiled eggs in the Instant Pot. You can make the dressing honey mustard by adding 1 Tablespoon of honey, (of course then it’s not Whole30, but it’s a delicious variation). They come out perfectly every single time, and I’ve never had the shells stick. Before I got my Instant Pot, I had completely stopped making hard boiled eggs because it was always a hassle, but not anymore! 5 from 14 reviews 4 peeled hardboiled eggs, see notes, sliced or cubed 1–2 ripe avocados, cubed 6 strips bacon, cooked and cut into bits 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1 cup 1 pound strawberries, hulled and quartered/sliced, 4 cups 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 4–5 Avocado oil for cooking – 1 Tablespoon Mustard Vinaigrette: 2 Tablespoons whole grain mustard 1 clove garlic, minced 1/2 Teaspoon sea salt 1/4 Teaspoon black pepper 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, or white wine vinegar 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil To pan fry the chicken, preheat a cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add a touch of oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken thighs to the pan and turn the heat down to medium. Cook for about 6-8 minutes until browned, and then flip the chicken over to cook for an additional 6-8 minutes, or until no longer pink. If you’re grilling the chicken, preheat the grill until you reach a temperature around 400ºF. Place the chicken on the grill, and lower the heat to medium high. Grill until the chicken loosens from the grill and is easy to flip, about 6-8 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook until done in the center, about 6-8 more minutes. Timing varies a little depending on the size of your chicken thighs. While the chicken is cooking making the dressing. Whisk together the mustard, garlic, sea salt, pepper, and lemon juice to combine. Then whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a thin steady stream and continue whisking until all the olive oil has been added and the dressing is emulsified. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut it into bite sized pieces and add it to the salad. Toss with the dressing and serve. Or you can serve everything separately, and let each person assemble their own salad.
