Let’s pause on all of the holiday recipes that are taking up your feed for a moment. I mean, I love them, don’t get me wrong, but it also makes me feel like a need a salad. And not a simple little salad- a hearty, flavour-packed salad like this one.
Homer Simpson said “you don’t make friends with salad” but Homer Simpson never had this salad. Autumn Cobb Salad with roasted squash, maple balsamic baked chicken, toasted pepitas, avocado, cherry tomatoes and of course bacon, all topped with a dairy free, creamy hemp dressing.
Sound good?
Let’s give it a go.
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The components of this salad are as follows:
- Creamy Hemp Dressing (yes please to pouring this on ALL of the things)
- Maple Balsamic Roasted Chicken. SO SO SO GOOD.
- Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash. Who doesn’t love roasted squash this time of year? And sweet dumpling squashes are just that- SWEET!
- Toasted Pepitas(pumpkin seeds). When in doubt, add toasted pepitas
- Avocado- because avocado
- Bacon- because bacon
- Sweet halved cherry tomatoes
- Hard Boiled eggs (or soft, you do you)
- Fresh, crisp, romaine lettuce
All of these together create one darn good salad. You can make some things ahead of time so you just have to assemble when you are ready to eat it. I like to cook the bacon and chicken right before serving because I like the warm component and fresh bacon but it’s not necessary.
Looking for more salad recipes? Try these:
Wild Rice and Nectarine Salad with Green Honey Dressing
Grapefruit Winter Salad with Roasted Fennel and Avocado
Tried the recipe? loved it? Rate it and tag #sweetlizzy on Instagram!
PrintAutumn Cobb Salad with Creamy Hemp Seed Dressing (paleo, dairy free)
The perfect salad for fall! Maple balsamic baked chicken, roasted squash, toasted pepitas, avocado, hard boiled eggs and cherry tomatoes make up this crowd pleasing meal!
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: Main course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: paleo
Ingredients
Maple Balsamic Chicken
3 tbsp avocado oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp coconut aminos
1 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp dried thyme
2 chicken breast (about 1 lb)
Hemp Seed Dressing
3/4 cup hemp seeds
1/4 cup avocado oil
2 garlic cloves
2 dates
1 tsp dijon mustard
6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
5–6 tbsp water
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
Autumn Cobb Salad
2 maple roasted chicken breasts
1 large bunch romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
2–3 hard boiled eggs*
1 avocado, thinly sliced
4 slices cooked bacon
1 sweet dumpling squash
1/4 cup toasted pepitas**
2 apples, thinly sliced and brushed with lemon juice (to avoid browning)
Instructions
For the Chicken:
Whisk together all of the marinade ingredients. Place the chicken breasts in a glass jar and pour the marinade over them, flipping the meat once to ensure everything is covered. Place in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours, up to 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cover a square baking dish with tinfoil and place the chicken in it. Pour the marinade over it and bake for 18-22 minutes, until the chicken reaches in internal temperature of 165 F. Let the chicken rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
For the Hemp Dressing:
Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add more water as needed. Taste and add salt and pepper as desired.
For the Salad:
Preheat the oven to 400 F
Cut the top off the sweet dumpling squash and scoop out the seeds. Slice the squash into 1/4 inch thick pieces. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 minutes, flipping the squash over halfway through.
To arrange the salad add the romaine lettuce as the base. Layer on your chicken, avocado slices, bacon, apple slices, eggs and squash slices. Sprinkle with the toasted pepitas.
Notes
*I like soft/medium boiled eggs. To make mine I like to add the eggs to simmering water and boil for 7-8 minutes, depending on the size of the egg.
**I dry toast my pepitas in a pan on the stovetop.
Keywords: salad, cobb salad, autumn, paleo, maple balsamic chicken
I love how you’ve built in so much flavour in every single item. You certainly don’t miss the dairy in here!
Corinna | Friendly Pantry
Thanks Corinna! You definitely don’t miss the dairy!
Holy heck! THAT is how you make a salad. Love it. Pinned to try later 🙂 Amazing!
★★★★★
Yay!! Thanks Jo! I hope you love it!
Love everything about this salad Lizzy! The ingredients and the dressing look delicious, and the photos are great! I really enjoy your photography style!
★★★★★
Thank you so much Leanne! I have been working hard on taking better pictures so I’m glad you like them!
This salad sounds absolutely fantastic, can’t wait to give it a go.
★★★★★
Thanks Kristin! It definitely is a tasty recipe. I hope you enjoy it!
This is such an insanely gorgeous salad and I love the seasonal spin you’ve put on it! The photos are so moody, cozy, and fitting, too.
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Thank you so much Dana!!