This Paleo Kale Cobb Salad is a super delicious, semi-fancy way to get in those leafy greens and anti-inflammatory foods. It is bright and filling, with a richly flavored dijon mustard dressing.
Dressing: In a large bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients (or combine in a jar and shake).
Marinate the chicken: Remove 2 Tablespoons of the dressing and add to a shallow dish. Coat chicken in this marinade and set aside for about 20 minutes or overnight.
Hard-boiled Eggs: add several cups of water to a medium sauce pot (you want enough to be able to cover the eggs). Bring to a boil and gently place the eggs into the boiling water. After 2 minutes, cover pot and reduce the temperature to a simmer. Cook for about 8-9 minutes. (11 minutes total) Immediately remove from water and place in an ice bath. (Aka a bowel with ice water in it.) Let rest until cool to the touch. Peel and chop into bite-sized pieces.
Bacon: cook the bacon in a large skillet. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Drain the grease, leaving about 1 Tablespoon in the pan for cooking the chicken. Once the bacon is cool, chop into pieces.
For the Salad: de-stem the kale and wash in a large bowl, then dry (using a salad spinner if you have one). Then finely chop. Drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt (coarse is best if you have it), and using clean hands, massage the kale well for about 30-60 seconds. This softens the cell walls of the kale and makes it much more tender and easier to digest.
Wash the tomatoes and slice in half long-wise.
Cut open the avocado and cut into cubes, or if preferred, pretty little slices.
Chicken: Season then chicken with a sprinkling of salt on both sides. As noted above, combine the chicken thighs with 2 Tablespoons of the dressing and 1 Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and marinate for at least 20 minutes. Bring the skillet with the bacon grease to medium heat and place the chicken in the pan. Cook on each side for about 5ish minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165ºF.
If you wait until the pan is very hot (and a drop of water makes it sizzle), you should get a nice char on the first side of the chicken, which is helped along by the honey in the marinade.
For Serving: I recommend adding about half of the dressing to the kale and tossing to coat. Then divide the kale among 4 bowls. Top with each of the ingredients and drizzle each bowl with the remaining dressing.
Notes
If you prefer chicken breasts, I recommend pounding them prior to marinating. To do this, place chicken in a zip-top bag and pound with a mallet or heavy-bottom skillet until even in thickness. This will help it cook more evenly and more quickly. You can certainly do this with chicken thighs as well, but it isn't as necessary since it is harder to overcook chicken thighs.This salad is quite low carb. If you, like me, need more carbs in your meals, feel free to add some fruit, chips, bread, quinoa, chickpeas, or other carbs of choice.