Yard House Chopped Salad Recipe
This Yard House Chopped Salad Recipe brings crisp iceberg lettuce, grilled chicken, bacon, eggs, avocado, tomatoes, blue cheese, and a tangy red wine vinaigrette together in one hearty restaurant-style salad. Inspired by the popular Yard House, it takes about 30 minutes to prepare and makes an easy lunch or light dinner. I love the mix of creamy, crunchy, salty, and fresh flavors in every bite. Serve your chopped salad with crusty bread, roasted potatoes, or grilled vegetables for a complete meal.
Ingredients
- For the Salad
- 1 large head iceberg lettuce washed and chopped into small pieces
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast grilled or pan-seared and diced
- 6 slices bacon cooked and chopped
- 3 large eggs hard-boiled and cut into small wedges
- 1/2 small red onion finely chopped
- 1 cup grape tomatoes halved
- 1 large avocado diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- For the Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 small garlic clove finely grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Step 1 - Prepare the Lettuce: Wash and dry the iceberg lettuce thoroughly, then chop it into small, bite-sized pieces. Iceberg gives the salad its cold, crisp texture, but you can replace part of it with romaine if you prefer a little more variety.
- Step 2 - Prepare the Chicken: Cook the chicken breast by grilling or pan-searing until fully cooked. Let it rest briefly, then dice it into small, bite-sized pieces. If you want to save time, cooked rotisserie chicken also works well.
- Step 3 - Cook and Chop the Bacon: Cook the bacon until crisp, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cool enough to handle, chop it into small pieces. For a larger batch, you can cook the bacon on a sheet pan for easier preparation.
- Step 4 - Prepare the Eggs: Hard-boil the eggs, let them cool, then peel them. Cut each egg into small wedges so the pieces are easy to distribute throughout the salad.
- Step 5 - Prepare the Vegetables: Finely chop the red onion and halve the grape tomatoes. Dice the avocado just before assembling the salad. Drizzle the avocado with the lemon juice and gently toss to coat. The lemon helps keep the avocado bright and adds a fresh flavor.
- Step 6 - Assemble the Salad: Spread the chopped iceberg lettuce over a large serving platter or bowl. Arrange the diced chicken, chopped bacon, egg wedges, red onion, grape tomatoes, and avocado in separate rows over the lettuce. Sprinkle the crumbled blue cheese over the top. Keeping the toppings in rows gives the salad its classic Cobb-style appearance.
- Step 7 - Make the Vinaigrette: Add the red wine vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, grated garlic, salt, black pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. Close the jar and shake vigorously until the dressing is well combined.
- Step 8 - Dress and Serve: Drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving. If you are preparing the salad ahead of time, keep the dressing separate until you are ready to eat. Serve the salad as a hearty lunch, light dinner, or family-style meal.