The fall recipes continue today with this Harvest Cobb Salad with Honey Dijon Ranch Dressing. Yes, for real…I doctored up some ranch dressing for this! I knew I wanted a creamy dressing on top (it’s a cobb salad, duh) but regular ranch just wouldn’t have worked with the sweeter flavors of apple and dried cranberries. A little sweet and and a little acidity = honey and dijon. It’s perfect! And I might need to make it again for other salads, because YUM.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s what you’ll need to recreate this Harvest Cobb Salad:
- Lettuce – I love romaine hearts or green leaf lettuce for this one because you get a good balance of crunch and lots of green color.
- Chicken – I can’t recommend enough that you brine the chicken for maximum juiciness and flavor! Check out this post with details about brining chicken and my homemade brine mix recipe.
- Bacon – Because what’s a cobb without bacon?! Use whatever kind you like.
- Eggs – Another essential part for a cobb salad! Check out this post for my secrets to getting perfectly pealable eggs every time.
- Apple – Now we start getting into the fall flavors. Use any kind of apple you like – pears would work too!
- Dried cranberries – I like the reduced sugar ones! You can skip them if you don’t like them, but I do think they brink a great pop of sweet-tart flavor to each bite.
- Pecans – Go for toasted, untoasted, candied…whatever you like. Or opt for a different nut entirely!
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Harvest Cobb Salad
Cobb salad gets a fall makeover with chunks of sweet-tart apples, dried cranberries, and pecans.
Servings: servings
Ingredients
Juicy Air Fryer (or Grilled) Chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast, raw
- 3 tbsp homemade brine mix
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Oh My Spice! Lemon Pepper Seasoning
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 10 cups romaine lettuce, chopped, (500 grams)
- 6 slices Wegmans Naturally Smoked Center Cut Bacon, 25% Less Sodium, (151 grams)
- 8 eggs, hard boiled and chopped
- 1 large Macintosh apple, chopped, (200 grams)
- 1/2 cup 50% less sugar Ocean Spray dried cranberries, (80 grams)
- 1/3 cup pecan halves, (10 grams)
Honey Dijon Ranch Dressing
- 1/2 cup Hidden Valley Fat Free Ranch Dressing, (4 fl oz)
- 3 tbsp dijon mustard, (45 grams)
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey, (21 grams)
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
Juicy Air Fryer Chicken
- Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Add brine mix and stir until dissolved. Pour over ice in a flat bottomed resealable container. Add chicken, then add additional water until chicken is submerged. Brine for at least 5 hours or up to 12 hours.
- Remove chicken from brine and rinse with cold water. Pat dry on a paper towel, then pound down the thicker end of the chicken breast until they are even thickness across.
- Rub the chicken with 1 tsp olive oil until evenly coated. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, and Oh My Spice! seasoning.
- Air fry or grill the chicken at 400°F for 11 minutes, flipping halfway through. Set aside to cool for about 5 minutes before slicing. (If grilling, I up the temp to at least 450°F for crispy edges.)
Salad Prep
- Whisk dressing ingredients together until well blended. Set aside in refrigerator.
- Prepare bacon according to package directions, then allow to cool on a paper towel lined plate and chop into bite sized pieces.
- As chicken cools, assemble salads. Add a base layer of lettuce, then top with chopped eggs, bacon, apple, dried cranberries, and pecans, then top with honey dijon ranch dressing before serving.
Tips & Tricks
- Chicken: My Juicy Air Fryer (or Grilled) Chicken is the best way to make super flavorful and juicy chicken for this salad.
- Hard Boiled Eggs: Get perfectly peelable eggs every time with my Instant Pot method!
- Nutrition: Scan the barcode below or search for “Peanut Butter and Fitness Harvest Cobb Salad 2025” to log this food in My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 495kcal (25%), Carbohydrates: 39g (13%), Protein: 42g (84%), Fat: 18g (28%), Saturated Fat: 5g (31%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 463mg (154%), Sodium: 1297mg (56%), Potassium: 623mg (18%), Fiber: 9g (38%), Sugar: 23g (26%)
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