Chef Salad

You can never beat a classic Chef Salad that is loaded with lettuce, sliced meats and cheese, hard-boiled eggs and more then topped with your favorite dressing! It’s the perfect light meal and or great for serving to guests!

Skip the restaurant and make the best chef salad right at home! Meat, cheese, crispy bacon, eggs, and fresh vegetables piled on lettuce is a salad you can serve as a main course. This classic chef salad recipe is super filling and full of fresh flavors.

I love to make this salad for my friends when we have a girl’s dinner or as a light lunch or dinner for the family. The kids don’t get super excited about salad normally, but a chef salad has a lot of things they love like hard-boiled eggs, bacon, and cheese. Oh, and adding ranch dressing makes everything better for them!

Why is it called a chef salad?

The Chef Salad has been around a long time, in fact you can trace salads all the way back to Roman rule times. People would gather nuts, fruits, vegetables and greens and create dishes out of them. Louis XIV in Versailles had beautiful table spreads loaded with greens and topped with cheese, meats, nuts, and vegetables.

Louis Diaz, the chef at the Ritz Carlton in New York is often tied to the Chef’s Salad in history in the 1940s. However, historians believe Victor Seydoux at Hotel Buffalo or Jacques Roser at the Hotel Pennsylvania in New York City is the one who created it.

No matter where it came from or who created the chef salad one thing is true, it’s delicious!

Why You’ll Love this Chef Salad Recipe

• The best part about this chef salad recipe is that it’s super easy. You can cook the eggs and bacon ahead of time, so all you have to do is assemble it and serve!
• It only takes 5 minutes to prep this dish! It’s a wonderful way to quickly get some tasty food on the dinner table.
• There are loads of health benefits to a chef salad depending on the ingredients used. Try not to use too many fattening or high calorie ingredients so that you can maximize the benefits of all the veggies!

Ingredients for a Chef Salad

• Lettuce – We love romaine hearts because it’s crisp and sturdy enough to hold up all the other ingredients.
• Tomatoes – Grape tomatoes are great or you can dice bigger tomatoes.
• Cucumber – I like to use an English cucumber because it’s a little less bitter and doesn’t have a lot of seeds.
• Red onion – thinly slice it!
• Deli meat – I love to use sliced or cubed deli turkey and ham.
• Cooked and crumbled bacon – I cook bacon in the oven to make it easy!
• Cheese – you can use your favorite! I like cubed Swiss and cheddar cheese.
• Hard-boiled eggs – cook your eggs on the stove, in your Instant Pot, or in your air fryer!
• More topping ideas – Croutons, black olives, hot peppers, and green peppers are optional toppings you might like to try, too!

Don’t forget the dressing – we love Thousand Island or ranch dressing, but you can use your favorite!

What kind of cheese goes in a chef salad?

Usually a cheddar or Swiss cheese goes in chef’s salad, but any type of cheese that is in your refrigerator will work. Blue cheese, provolone, American, Colby jack etc.

Swaps for Chef Salad Ingredients

• Leafy Greens – Romain hearts, iceberg lettuce, or a mixture of both are most popular. Another great option is mixing spring greens in with it. Some fresh spinach adds a nice touch.
• Meat – The most popular meat is turkey, but deli ham and bacon are great additions. You can also use things like roast beef or chicken.
• Cheese – Pick Swiss, Cheddar, Provolone, American etc. or a mixture.
• Vegetables – Broccoli, carrots, celery, peppers, tomatoes, avocados, red onions or cucumbers are among the most popular options. However, you can use any fresh veggies you want!
• Toppings – There are loads of delicious toppings to choose from. Some favorites are olives, Pepperoncini, croutons, hard-boiled eggs, sunflower seeds, onions, snap peas, etc.
• Salad dressing – Popular dressing options are ranch, thousand island, blue cheese dressing, Italian dressing, honey mustard, chipotle ranch, and avocado ranch.

How to Make a Chef Salad

To begin making your chef’s salad, wash your lettuce thoroughly Then tear it into bite-sized pieces or use a knife to chop it up. Transfer the lettuce onto your serving platter.

Then take your other ingredients and chop them up as needed. Arrange them on top of the lettuce to make a pretty presentation, or just toss them all in.

Here’s the order I add them:

• Cubed Swiss cheese
• Sliced deli turkey
• Sliced onions
• Halved eggs
• Sliced cucumber
• Cubed ham
• Crumbled bacon
• Tomato wedges
• Cubed cheddar cheese

Be sure to use tongs or salad serving utensils to make it easy for everyone to make their own plate. I like to serve the dressing on the side so everyone can have the amount they want. Feel free to add homemade croutons or air fryer croutons too.

Serve and enjoy!

Can you assemble chef salad ahead of time?

You can make this classic chef salad recipe ahead of time if you wish, but I wouldn’t make it more than a few hours in advance. It is also important that you leave the dressing out of the salad until serving. If you do make it ahead, cover the serving bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then store in the fridge until needed.

Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for a few days. But store the dressing separately.

If you are looking for a great make ahead salad check out our delicious Seven Layer Salad!

What to Serve with Chef Salad

This hearty salad recipe is actually fabulous to serve as a main course, but it can also be a great side dish. Serve it alongside some hearty favorites like chicken spaghetti or marry me chicken.

But it’s also great with side dishes like tomato soup or some homemade breadsticks.

What is the difference between a cobb salad and chef salad?

The two salads are similar, but a cobb salad is usually made with chicken, bacon, avocado, tomatoes, eggs, and a vinaigrette dressing. It is also made with several kinds of lettuce. Chef’s salad has deli meat, cheese, eggs, bacon, veggies and is served with a variety of dressings.

What is the difference between a chef salad and an antipasto salad?

A Chef’s Salad usually included ingredients like leafy greens, hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and meat. Whereas, an Antipasto Salad usually includes ingredients like meat, cheese, peppers, olives, and artichokes. The biggest difference between these two salads is that the chef salad includes leafy greens and the antipasto salad does not.

Doesn’t this homemade chef salad just look like a plate of deliciousness?! I just love all the colors and textures – the flavors are great, too! Make this the next time you want something light but filling – I know you will love it!

More Easy Salads

• Antipasto Salad is a fresh and fast Italian-style salad with salami, prosciutto, cheese, and a tangy dressing.
• Lettuce Frito Salad is the best salad for a potluck! Crisp lettuce, crunchy Fritos, and bacon with a lemon poppyseed dressing is a quick and easy salad to make.
• Mediterranean flavors combine to make the best Greek Salad that’s fresh and full of flavor!
• Not a fan of lettuce? Then make this incredible classic Italian Pasta Salad instead!

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