This easy copycat Chick-fil-A Cobb Salad pairs crispy chicken bites with grape tomatoes, corn, shredded Mexican blend cheese and mixed greens, finished with a creamy avocado-lime buttermilk dressing. It recreates the fast-food flavor at home—faster, more economical, and fully customizable. Skip the drive-thru and assemble this simple dupe in minutes.
What We Love About This Recipe
- A faithful copycat of Chick-fil-A’s Cobb Salad that’s quicker and cheaper to prepare at home. Ingredient amounts are flexible—add more or less of anything to suit your taste. Use the avocado-lime dressing included here, or swap in honey mustard or ranch if you prefer.
- Built from simple, satisfying ingredients. Cook the chicken, blend the dressing, toss with greens and toppings, and dinner is ready—no fuss required.
- The avocado-lime buttermilk dressing is versatile and keeps well. Stored in an airtight container, it will stay fresh in the refrigerator for about a week, making it handy for salads, bowls, and sandwiches.
Cheryl’s Tips
- Cooking your own chicken is an option, but using frozen popcorn chicken or nuggets speeds things up. Some store-bought chicken breast bites mimic Chick-fil-A’s texture and flavor very well and work great in this salad.
- Fire-roasted corn adds extra flavor, though any corn will work. If using canned corn, drain and rinse well; if using frozen, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and bring to room temperature before adding to the salad.
Other Copycat Recipes We Love
- Chicken Bryan (Carrabba’s copycat)
- Texas Roadhouse herb-crusted chicken
- Firebirds-style chicken pasta
- Chick-fil-A coleslaw copycat
- Kardashian Salad (La Scala chopped salad)
- Texas Roadhouse cinnamon honey butter copycat
- McAlister’s chicken tortilla soup copycat
Chick-Fil-A Cobb Salad Recipe
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 0 minutes
Chill: 1 hour
Total: 1 hour 20 minutes
Crispy chicken, grape tomatoes, corn, and Mexican blend cheese tossed with mixed greens and topped with a rich avocado-lime buttermilk dressing.
Cheryl Malik
4 servings
Ingredients
For the Avocado-Lime Dressing
- ½ cup buttermilk plus more if needed
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 cup avocado peeled, pit removed, cubed
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
For the Cobb Salad
- 2 cups chicken nuggets store-bought or homemade; see notes
- 9 cups mixed greens
- 12 cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup fire-roasted corn drained if canned, defrosted if frozen
- ½ cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
Equipment
- Blender
- Airtight jar
- Serving bowls
- Salad utensils
Instructions
- Add the buttermilk, sour cream, mayonnaise, cubed avocado, chopped cilantro, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, ground cumin, and black pepper to a blender.
- Blend until smooth and fully combined. If you prefer a thinner dressing, blend in additional buttermilk a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.
- Transfer the dressing to an airtight jar, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to let the flavors meld.
- Prepare the chicken nuggets according to package directions or your chosen recipe. If pieces are large, chop into bite-sized pieces after cooking.
- Divide the mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, fire-roasted corn and shredded Mexican blend cheese evenly among serving bowls and toss to combine.
- Top each salad with the cooked chicken nuggets and serve immediately with chilled avocado-lime dressing on the side or drizzled over the top.
Notes
- Store-bought chicken: Many frozen chicken breast bites and popcorn chicken products work well here—choose a brand you like and chop larger pieces after cooking so every bite fits a fork.
- Homemade nuggets: If you prefer homemade, any reliable chicken nugget or breaded chicken recipe will make this salad taste fantastic; cook and cut into bite-size pieces before assembling.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1 serving
| Calories: 387 kcal
| Protein: 16 g
| Fat: 29 g
| Total Carbs: 19 g
| Fiber: 3 g
| Sodium: 831 mg
| Calories: 387 kcal
| Protein: 16 g
| Fat: 29 g
| Total Carbs: 19 g
| Fiber: 3 g
| Sodium: 831 mg
Servings and nutrition are approximate and will vary depending on portion size and specific ingredients used.
© Author: Cheryl Malik