Classic Chef Salad Recipe - Little Sunny Kitchen (2024)

A well-made Chef Salad is not just a salad – It’s an entire meal on a plate! This hearty salad is packed with fresh veggies, meat, cheese, bacon, and hardboiled eggs. To top it all off, the best creamy and tangy chef salad dressing ties everything together.

What is a Chef Salad?

The Classic Chef Salad with meat, cheese, and eggs has been served in restaurants in the US since the mid-1920s. It’s so good, that it has been on menus for over 100 years!

One version of the chef salad’s history tells that it was created in a Buffalo, NY Hotel by chef Victor Seydoux. The salad was later introduced at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel where it then became famous!

The Waldorf Astoria was also the launching point for Thousand Island Dressing, Eggs Benedict, and of course, the Waldorf Salad.

Chef Salad is similar to Cobb Salad, in that it looks amazing when the ingredients are arranged in beautiful rows. Try my classic Cobb Salad with chicken, or Shrimp Cobb Salad next!

Shrimp Louie Salad is another similar recipe that I know you’ll enjoy.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

1. Easy to Customize –There are probably hundreds or thousands of ways to make a chef salad since each chef or each restaurant adds its own spin and ingredient choices. Since you’re the chef here, you can decide what type of cheese, meat, and veggies you like the best!
2. The Perfect Homemade Dressing –The chef salad dressing recipe that I’m sharing is delicious on just about anything, and it’s easy to make with ingredients you probably already have.
3. Easy Instructions – You don’t need any special skills to put together this easy salad. I’ll show you exactly how to make the best chef’s salad and give you helpful tips and tricks along the way.

Chef Salad Ingredients

The fun part about this recipe is that you can mix and match just about all of the ingredients! Here’s what I’m using today:

• Lettuce: Choose crisp lettuce, such as romaine for a chef salad.
• Veggies: Other classic salad vegetables include cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, and red onion.
• Cheese: Cubes or thick slices of cheddar cheese are my favorite, but other types of soft cheese work equally well.
• Meat: Chef salad can be made with any type of cooked meat. Here I’m using cubes of salami, but you can also try other deli meats like turkey, ham, or roast beef. Shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled steak will also be delicious!
• Eggs: Hard-boiled eggs make this salad extra filling and protein-packed. Check out my easy and fool-proof method for steaming eggs on the stovetop. They come out perfectly every time.
• Bacon: Cook the bacon first, and make sure that it’s nice and crispy! You can use regular or turkey bacon.
• Croutons: I highly suggest that you make homemade croutons rather than buying them in the store. It’s super easy following my traditional croutons recipe or my air fryer croutons recipe.
• Chef Salad Dressing: This creamy, tangy, and sweet dressing is perfect! You’ll need mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.

Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

How To Make a Chef Salad

1. Arrange the Salad Ingredients: To a large platter or salad bowl, arrange the lettuce, then top with cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, hard-boiled eggs, cheese, meat, and bacon. Make pretty rows if you like, or just combine everything together with a light toss!

2. Make the Chef’s Salad Dressing: In a small bowl, combine mayo, mustard, apple cider vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until combined.

3. Dress and Serve: Drizzle the chef’s salad with the homemade dressing and toss to combine. Add the homemade croutons just before serving so that they stay crispy.

Recipe Tips

• Use Fresh Ingredients: The key to making the best chef salad is to use good quality and fresh ingredients. Buy the best that you can find!
• Prep Ahead of Time: You can chop the meat and cheese and cook the bacon and eggs up to a day ahead of time. Then when you’re ready to make the salad, prepare the veggies and dressing and put it all together.
• Make Your Own Substitutions: You can make a chef salad with any type of meat, cheese, and veggies that you like!

Storing Tips

This salad is best enjoyed right away after adding the dressing. If needed, you can refrigerate the salad, undressed and covered, for up to a day. Add dressing and croutons just before serving.

What To Serve With Chef’s Salad

This salad is loaded with meat, cheese, and crunchy croutons, so it’s truly a meal on its own!

Just like my Seven Layer Salad, it works well as a holiday dish or a party salad, particularly if you’re offering other hot dishes too – Potluck style. Try it with Funeral Potatoes, Instant Pot Pulled Pork, or Broccoli Chicken Casserole.

Need the perfect dessert idea? Try another NYC classic, and make a New York Style Cheesecake, or Black and White Cookies.

Recipe FAQs

Now that you know how to make a Chef Salad, you can make it any time you like! All you need are some basic salad veggies and your favorite meat and cheese to make this easy meal. Don’t forget to pin the recipe – You’re going to want to remember how to make this amazing homemade dressing!