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Classic Chef Salad Recipe

Published January 22, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

You will absolutely love this meat-filled vegetable-packed classic chef salad recipe served up alongside a delicious thousand island dressing.

I’m doing my best to eat as many salads as possible throughout the week. If you’re on the same journey then definitely check out my Shaved Brussels Sprouts salad or Strawberry and Spinach.

Chef Salad

The chef salad has been around for centuries. While it never had a title way back when you can certainly trace salads back to Roman rule times where people would gather nuts, fruits, vegetables, and greens. Fast forward to Louis XIV in Versailles and his beautiful table spreads that were loaded with greens that had cheeses, meats, nuts, and vegetables on them.

If looking for an exact recipe, the best you will find is from Louis Diaz of the Ritz Carlton in New York during the 1930s. I believe Louis provided some context around the recipe and simply made a salad based on what was on the refrigerator. When ordering a chef salad at a restaurant in present times, you will find variations across the board. This is solely based on the restaurant’s interpretations and using what they have on hand or that’s already currently on their menu.

What’s In It?

A classic chef salad is a greens salad that is served with assorted meats, cheeses, and vegetables and coasted in a homemade thousand island dressing. Here are the basic staples in this salad:

Iceberg Lettuce
Boston Bibb Lettuce
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Avocados
Hard-Boiled Eggs
Cheese (Swiss, Provolone, Mozzarella, Cheddar, and American)
Meat (Duck, Turkey, Chicken, and Roast Beef)

How to Make a Chef Salad

Follow these easy to prepare instructions for how to make a classic chef salad from scratch:

Prepare the lettuces by cutting and rinsing. Set them aside.

Cut and prepare all vegetables, meats, and cheeses.

slicing chunks of swiss cheese on a cutting board

Add the lettuces to a bowl and serve with vegetables, meats, and cheeses.

Serve alongside a thousand island dressing or a dressing of your choice.

serving a jar of thousand island dressing

Variations

If you take a look at all of those ingredients, a chef salad can certainly get extremely expensive. I believe you should pick and choose what you want, see what you have on hand, and then see what’s on sale at the grocery store. I recommend you at least use the lettuce and vegetables as a base and build your own meats and cheeses.

Here are a few things you could add or swap out within a chef salad:

Beans
Chickpeas
Salami
Romaine Lettuce
Watercress
Radishes
Carrots
Onions
Olives
Pepperoncini’s
Celery

Make-Ahead and Storage

Make-Ahead: This salad was meant to be eaten as soon as it’s made.

How to Store: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will only last this long if it is not yet coated with salad dressing.

Chef notes + tips

You can absolutely use whatever salad dressing you like.

More Salad Recipes

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