This beautiful and delectable Chef Salad brings all the best hearty protein together with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned croutons. This main meal salad is perfect for those busy spring nights and hot summer days.
May is here and there is just so much to do. There are graduations, spring concerts, field days, school award ceremonies, baby showers, and weddings. Sometimes a great salad recipe is all you need to satisfy your awesome family. This fabulous Chef Salad will fit that bill perfectly!
What is a Chef Salad?
This traditionally America salad combines hard-boiled eggs, and several varieties of meats such as ham, turkey, roast beef or chicken, cheese, tomatoes, and cucumbers. It is a gorgeous salad and is usually presented with the ingredients aesthetically placed before it is tossed.
How to make a chef’s salad
First hard boil a few eggs. Please see my helpful tips for hard-boiled eggs. Once completely cooled peel and cut into quarters lengthwise. Meanwhile, cook four slices of bacon either in a skillet or in the oven until crispy. Coarsely chop and set aside for a few minutes.
Next, chop and rinse a large head of romaine lettuce. Feel free to add a couple of handfuls of spring greens or torn iceberg lettuce. Shake or spin the lettuce as dry as you can and place it in a large salad bowl. Top the bowl with the hard boiled eggs, crispy chopped bacon, Swiss cheese, ham, turkey, cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons.
Top with your favorite salad dressing! Some of our favorites are ranch, chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, bleu cheese, Italian, and even a honey mustard vinaigrette. There is really not any wrong dressing for this beautiful salad. Even thousand island and French dressing would be delicious on this salad.
Recipe notes and helpful tips
- For best results choose eggs that are as close to expiration as possible for easier peeling. Try steaming the eggs for even more ease in peeling. I have had a lot of success with this method.
- Purchase good quality deli meats and cheeses.
- If you don’t like swiss cheese try cheddar, bleu cheese, or provolone. It is your salad so fix it to your liking.
- Sun-ripened tomatoes always take this salad over the top but in the winter months, I use grape tomatoes. They seem to have the most flavor during the cold chilly months.
- Other fruits and vegetables to include are olives, pepperoncini, avocado, red onions, and carrots.
- Homemade Croutons are always a huge hit and really bring out the best that the salad has to offer.
- Do you have a favorite creamy homemade dressing? This salad is great with ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island, and even Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing.
Other Salad Recipes to try
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Classic Chef Salad Recipe
This beautiful and delectable Chef Salad brings all the best hearty protein together with fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and seasoned croutons. Top with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing.
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: salad
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1 small head romaine chopped
- 2–3 cups spring greens or iceberg lettuce torn into bite-sized pieces
- 4 hard boiled eggs peeled and quartered lengthwise
- 4 slices crispy cooked bacon
- 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style Swiss cheese
- 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style ham
- 1/2 cup julienne strips deli style turkey
- 1 cup sliced English cucumber (about 1/3 English cucumber)
- 1 cup halved grape tomatoes
- 1 cup seasoned croutons
- 2/3–1 cup salad dressing (ranch, chipotle ranch, avocado ranch, bleu cheese, Italian, honey mustard)
- kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add romaine and spring greens to a large bowl.
- Top the lettuce with eggs, bacon, Swiss cheese, ham, turkey cucumbers, tomatoes, and croutons.
- Drizzle with your favorite salad dressing and toss to coat. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste.
Notes
- For best results choose eggs that are as close to expiration as possible for easier peeling. Try steaming the eggs for even more ease in peeling. I have had a lot of success with this method.
- Purchase good quality deli meats and cheeses.
- If you don’t like swiss cheese try cheddar, bleu cheese, or provolone. It is your salad so fix it to your liking.
- Sun-ripened tomatoes always take this salad over the top but in the winter months, I use grape tomatoes. They seem to have the most flavor during the cold chilly months.
- Other fruits and vegetables to include are olives, pepperoncini, avocado, red onions, and carrots.
- Homemade Croutons are always a huge hit and really bring out the best that the salad has to offer.
- Do you have a favorite creamy homemade dressing? This salad is great with ranch, bleu cheese, thousand island, and even Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing.
Keywords: what is a chefs salad, what’s in a chef salad, julienne salad, how to make a chef salad
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Clarice
Wow! This looks really delicious and easy to make. I agree with you that you won’t get wrong with whatever dressing you choose for this salad. Would love to try it with avocado ranch next time. Thank you for sharing your recipe notes and tips.
Beth Pierce
You are most welcome, Clarice! Enjoy!!
Sonia
This is a great chef salad with all my favorite toppings. I had it with your homemade avocado ranch dressing and loved it.
Chloe Arnold
I’m not normally a huge salad person but this looks DIVINE!! And so easy!! I might have to make this tomorrow!
Mary
I’m not sure I have ever had a chef salad before. This sounds like a delicious combination of flavors.
Joe
I am liking this salad already! The ingredients alone, are some of my favorites! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
brianne
This is one of my favorite salads because it’s a healthy and low-carb but enjoyable recipe. The recipe is so simple and easy to make.
★★★★★
Claudia
I love that chef’s salad ingredients are simple and customizable. I can make this any time of the day.
Luna S
I love a good salad for dinner, it is easy to make, tastes delicious, and is healthier than many other dinner options. This was so good, thanks for sharing this!!
★★★★★
Tara
This has been a favorite salad at my house! My family loved it!
★★★★★
LAUREN KELLY
My favorite go-to salad! I make it all the time!
★★★★★
Toni Dash
I love everything about this salad! So easy to make and so flavorful!
★★★★★
Jen
I’ve been making this almost every other week and my kids just love it! They love hard boiled eggs.
★★★★★
Allyson Zea
I always order the salad when we go out to eat, but now I’m gonna try to make it at home things to your recipe!
Lindsay Cotter
We needed a quick and filling dinner last night! This salad fit the bill perfectly!
★★★★★
wilhelmina
You totally nailed it with this salad! It is the perfect lunch and I even love it as a light dinner. So tasty and satisfying!
★★★★★
Sue
I love everything about this salad! Quickly became a favorite at my house!
★★★★★
Lauren Kelly
We loved this salad. I served it with EVOO and a little lemon! YUM!
★★★★★
Julie
Thank you for jogging my memory! We had this a lot in the summer when I was a kid. We had a large family so it was set up buffet style so everyone could build their own salad. I need to make it again!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Julie! I hope you enjoy it.
Catalina
This salad is exactly what I need! So rich and delicious!
★★★★★
Allyson
I love making a hearty chef salad! Thanks for the step-by-step directions.
★★★★★
Cathy
Love chef salad and love that you added bacon!
Beti
I LOVE how easy and delicious this is! Perfect for summer!
★★★★★
katerina
Such a gorgeous chef salad! I would love this for lunch!
★★★★★
Jen
I prepped everything for this salad in my fridge so I can easily make this all week. Love that my entire family can customize their own too.
★★★★★
Valentina
This salad is so EASY and delicious! My favorite salad recipe for lunch time!
★★★★★
Julie Blanner
Such a beautiful salad! A great and filling summer meal.
★★★★★
Lily
This was a great side for our family BBQ night, so easy to make and so delicious. I replaced the Swiss with Cheddar because I love the sharpness of it and it was amazing!
★★★★★
Jen
Sounds good, and I love chef’s salads! My old cookbooks often specify using tongue as the meat. I would skip that! We’re really lucky these days!
I’m a new reader and I see that you are talking about it being May, but it’s January 5!
Beth Pierce
Thanks! I love Chef salads too! I may have updated a post.
April
I just love a good Chef’s Salad! It’s perfect for lunch or a starter at dinner time.
★★★★★
Kristyn
Love everything about this salad!! I could eat it everyday! It’s filling, easy to put together, & so good!
★★★★★
Kim
This salad was so good! Something I’d love to make again and again!
★★★★★
Eden
Classic, easy and delicious!!
★★★★★
Kelly
What a great classic staple recipe. This chef salad recipe will be perfect for sharing with friends this summer!
★★★★★
Taylor
Such a delicious and easy dinner! Perfect for busy weeknights!
★★★★★
Tara
Love the presentation! All the flavors in this salad sound wonderful. Definitely perfect for summertime.
★★★★★
Noelle
Super simple classic recipe! Great for a lunch option
★★★★★
Kristina
Love, love, love this dish! Can’t get enough of salads these days and this one will be making it to the top of my must make list!
★★★★★
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Kristina! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Pam
Love your hard boiled eggs tips! It’s been way too long since I’ve had a chef’s salad!
★★★★★
Amanda
This is by far the best salad I have ever tasted!
★★★★★
krissy
i love love love chef salad. and this was no acception! this is such a delicous salad. i highly reccomend it!
★★★★★
Natalie
I think I never had chef salad before. But this recipe sounds so super delicious that now I really must give it a try. I love all the ingredients. I printed the recipe and will give it a try. Can’t wait!
Beth Pierce
Awesome! Thanks Natalie! I hope you enjoy it!!
Tawnie
So easy and perfect for summer and bbq season! Thank you!
★★★★★