If you love Cobb salads as much as I do, you will love this Mexican Cobb Salad. Filled with Southwest flavors, it's hearty and delicious, and topped with a creamy, mildly spicy dressing.
This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated with step-by-step instructions, tips, and new photos.
I love loaded salads, especially Cobbs, like my Green Goddess Chicken Cobb and Tortellini Cobb Pasta Salad. This Mexican Cobb salad is bursting with taco-spiced chicken, fresh corn, black beans, and Colby Jack cheese.
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Ingredient Notes
The acronym EAT COBB is an easy way to remember the traditional Cobb salad ingredients: eggs, avocado, tomatoes, chicken, onions, bacon, and blue cheese.
With a few tweaks, we're adding a Mexican-inspired vibe.
- Chicken: I like to use taco-seasoned chicken breast for bold flavor, but rotisserie chicken is an easy shortcut.
- Tomatoes: Sweet cherry or grape tomatoes are my favorite.
- Lettuce: Any crisp lettuce works well. I love green leaf lettuce, but romaine or iceberg can also be used.
- Creamy salsa dressing is a blend of mayo, sour cream, salsa, and seasonings. It's cool, creamy, mildly spiced, and the perfect finishing touch to this salad.
See the recipe card for complete instructions and ingredient amounts.
Variations
- Protein: Swap fajita-style steak or shrimp for the chicken.
- Cheese: Use cotija cheese.
- Meat-free: Omit the chicken and bacon. This salad will still be hearty and satisfying.
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Abbey's Tips
- Start with a block of cheese and shred it fresh. Blocks have more flavor, more moisture, and stay fresher than pre-shredded varieties.
- To prevent the avocado from browning, slice it right before serving and season it with salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Season the hard-boiled eggs with black pepper.
- Serve the dressing on the side to keep the salad fresh in case you have leftovers.
How to Make a Mexican Cobb Salad
Step 1: Blend the dressing in a food processor.
Step 2: Arrange the lettuce on a large platter.
Step 3: Mix the red onions and scallions in one bowl, and the corn, black beans, and red pepper in another.
Step 4: Arrange the chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, and cheese on the lettuce. Top with the onion mixture and the corn mixture. Drizzle with dressing and garnish with cilantro and tortilla strips. Serve extra dressing on the side. Cover and store leftovers in the fridge for up to two days.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! Many components can be prepared in advance and stored separately for optimal freshness.
Try jalapeño ranch or Green Goddess dressing for a similar creamy, herby vibe.
Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add the eggs, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-13 minutes. Then, transfer the eggs to ice water to cool for 5 minutes. Peel the eggs and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. This foolproof method ensures easy-to-peel eggs every time.
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📖 Recipe Card
Mexican Cobb Salad
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Ingredients
Creamy Salsa Dressing
- ½ cup salsa (with excess liquid drained)
- 1 jalapeno (seeds removed)
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ lime (juiced)
- ¼-⅓ cup cilantro leaves (and stems)
- kosher salt (to taste)
Salad
- 1 head green leaf lettuce (or romaine, chopped)
- ½ cup corn
- ½ cup black beans (rinsed and drained)
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup sliced scallions
- 2 cooked taco-seasoned chicken breasts (sliced or chopped, or rotisserie chicken)
- 6 slices thick-cut bacon (cooked and chopped)
- 3 hard-boiled eggs (quartered)
- ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- 4 ounces Colby Jack cheese (cubed or shredded)
- cilantro (for garnish)
- tortilla strips (for garnish)
Instructions
- Add the salsa and jalapeno to the bowl of a small food processor and blend until well combined. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, chili powder, cumin, and lime juice. Blend until well combined. Add the cilantro and pulse to incorporate. Season to taste with salt.½ cup salsa, 1 jalapeno, ½ cup mayonnaise, ½ cup sour cream, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ lime, ¼-⅓ cup cilantro leaves
- Arrange the lettuce on a platter. In a small bowl, toss together the corn, black beans, and red pepper. In another bowl, toss together the red onions and scallions.1 head green leaf lettuce, ½ cup corn, ½ cup black beans, ½ cup diced red bell pepper, ¼ cup diced red onion, ¼ cup sliced scallions
- Arrange the chicken, bacon, eggs, tomatoes, corn mixture, onion mixture, avocado, and cheese over the top. Season the avocado with salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Season the eggs with black pepper.2 cooked taco-seasoned chicken breasts, 6 slices thick-cut bacon, 3 hard-boiled eggs, ½ cup halved cherry tomatoes, 1 avocado, 4 ounces Colby Jack cheese
- Garnish the salad with cilantro and tortilla strips. Drizzle with dressing and serve extra dressing on the side. Store leftovers in the fridge, covered, for up to two days.
Notes
- Use freshly shredded cheese for the best flavor and freshness.
- Slice the avocado right before serving. Add a squeeze of lime to prevent browning.
- Make ahead: Many components can be prepared in advance and stored separately for optimal freshness. Cook the chicken and bacon, thaw the corn, chop the veggies, hard-boil the eggs, and blend the dressing.
- To substitute salsa dressing, try jalapeño ranch or Green Goddess dressing for a similar creamy, herby vibe. For a non-creamy alternative, this cilantro lime dressing can be enjoyed as a vinaigrette.
- To hard-boil the perfect egg: Add the eggs directly to boiling water, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12-13 minutes. Then, transfer the eggs to ice water to cool for 5 minutes. Peel and store in an airtight container in the fridge. This foolproof method ensures easy-to-peel eggs every time.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific ingredients used.
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