Name: Classic Chef Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 6 cups Salad Greens (- roughly chopped); 8 ounces Deli Turkey ( - diced); 8 ounces Deli Ham (- diced); 2-4 ounces Cheddar Cheese (- diced); 2-4 ounces Swiss Cheese or Colby Cheese (- diced); 1 cup Diced Cucumber; 1 cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes; 4 Hard-Boiled Eggs ((or Soft-Boiled Eggs)); 1 cup Gluten-Free Croutons ((or Your Favorite)); 1/4-1/2 cup Your Favorite Salad Dressing ((see notes) )

Our classic Chef Salad recipe is a delicious low-maintenance dinner that even your kids can enjoy! Try our classic combo below, or check out our list of ideas to craft your own favorite blend!

a classic chef salad with turkey, ham, cheese, croutons, and colorful veggies.

In my opinion, a chef’s salad recipe is not a hard-and-fast rule. It’s more of a suggestion (as so many good salad recipes are!), developed to use what’s on hand. Think of it as a lower maintenance cousin of a classic cobb salad. It’s loaded a few varieties of meat, some delicious goodies, and a great dressing. That’s why…

This Easy Salad Is The Perfect Dinner To make When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking

When it’s too hot to cook, you’re running on empty, or you just need an EASY dinner that everyone in your family will actually eat, this Chef Salad recipe comes to the rescue.

🥒 IT’S EASY. While you can certainly compose the salad, I usually just prep the ingredients and let everyone build their own just the way they like it. I can have everything prepped in about 15-20 minutes!

🥗 FLAVORS: While the prep is simple, we don’t skip on color, crunch, or flavor! You’ll get salty, savory elements from the turkey & ham, some crunch from the croutons, plenty of colorful fresh veggies, and some creaminess from the cheese & eggs. It’s a well-rounded blend of textures & flavors that makes for a non-boring salad you can enjoy any time!

🍅 KID-FRIENDLY. Seriously. Even salad-averse kids can build a pretty well-balanced plate from the options available, and you can set out bite-sized ingredients for your littlest eaters.

💡 TOP TIPS: Feel free to save time with pre-cut veggies, store-bought dressing, or croutons! (If you have an extra 3-5 min, try one of our yummy homemade dressings below!)

Happy (not!) cooking! xo, Emily

Gather Your Ingredients

So what goes into a chef salad? It depends a bit on the chef, but a classic chef’s salad is typically made from 1-2 meats, 1-2 cheeses, salad greens, some colorful veggies, and an easy dressing. You can mix and match this a lot of ways, but here’s our go-to combo for the ultimate chef salad recipe…

Salad Greens. Anything that looks fresh and delicious works well here. We like green leaf lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and romaine lettuce best, but whatever salad greens look great at the store will work just fine!
Ham & Turkey. Deli meats are a staple in this classic salad. I usually use a mix of diced deli ham and deli turkey. I look for uncured meats made without nitrates, and often choose a smoked ham and peppered or seasoned turkey for extra flavor. Other variations can swap in other meats, like chicken or even roast beef. Keep it simple, and you’ll be good to go.
Cheese. Cheddar cheese and Swiss cheese are popular, but you can also swap in Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, provolone, or whatever else you have on hand!
Colorful Veggies. Next comes the fresh veggies. I usually reach for sliced cucumbers and grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, but celery, carrots, green onion or red onion are all welcome, too!
Crunchy Croutons. We’re gluten-free, so we make my easy gluten-free homemade croutons, but you can pick up brands you like from the grocery store!
Boiled Eggs. Then, I add some creaminess with soft-boiled eggs or hard-boiled eggs. I like yolks that still have a bit of softness to them (they have milder flavor and better texture, IMO). You can chop them, halve them, quarter them, or slice them!
Some Simple Seasonings. My secret to an extra delicious salad? A little bit of seasoning! I usually reach for a sprinkle of flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
A Good Dressing. You can’t have a chef salad without a great dressing!

4 salad dressings that go well with chef salad

What Salad Dressing Goes With Chef’s Salad?

It depends a bit on the chef! Chef salad is often served with ranch dressing, Italian dressing, or something simple like a French-style dressing or honey mustard dressing. Choose your favorite or set out a few choices and let everyone pick their fave. Store-bought works fine, but if you want a homemade dressing, we love…

Easy Homemade Ranch Dressing
Italian Dressing
Catalina Dressing (French Dressing)
Honey Mustard Dressing
Easy House Salad Dressing (A simple vinaigrette!)
Creamy Parmesan Dressing
Caesar Dressing

Or, go for your favorite dressing–blue cheese dressing, a simple balsamic vinaigrette, thousand island dressing or anything else that sounds yummy!

How To Make a Good Chef Salad, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below.

pouring homemade catalina dressing over a chopped salad

Mix Up Your Dressing. If needed, mix up your favorite salad dressing recipe
Layer. Next, layer salad greens into a large bowl or on your plate. Top with ham, turkey, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons. Season with salt & pepper, then drizzle with dressing.
Toss. If desired, toss salad with the dressing until well coated. Enjoy right away!

a large chefs salad next to a bottle of homemade salad dressing

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Chef Salad

Consider Color & Crunch! A great salad needs a variety of textures, colors, and flavors, and it’s REALLY easy to do that with a chef salad recipe like this. The ingredients are more of a suggestion than a hard-and-fast rule, but if you’re swapping out ingredients, make sure to keep the general principles of a variety of textures (crunchy, crispy, creamy, soft), colors (red tomatoes, green cucumbers, etc.), and flavors (salty, sweet, savory, umami, tangy) in your salad for best results.

Try Seasoning Your Greens! Another restaurant trick is to season the greens in your salad. Adding a little salt and pepper elevates and enhances the other flavors in the salad.

Complete The Meal. This easy salad can stand on its own, or you can serve it with a cup of soup on the side, like our Homemade Tomato Soup or this popular Autumn Squash Soup. Or, simply add some crusty bread, a slice of cornbread, or a biscuit on the side!

Other Mix-Ins To Try

Creamy Avocado. I love the creaminess of an avocado! It’s a great way to add healthy fats and make this salad more filling. (It’s also a great alternative if you’re dairy-free and looking for that creamy savory factor!)
Crispy Bacon. Duh.
More Veggies! Celery, bell peppers, carrots, red or green onions, diced jicama…whatever you have on hand or looks great at the store!
Beans. Some drained chickpeas can be a great way to add some plant-based protein and fiber to this salad.
Nuts or Seeds. Some crunchy sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds can be a great grain-free alternative to croutons!

More Main Dish Salad Recipes To Try

Sesame Chicken Salad

Strawberry Chicken Salad

BBQ chicken salad with black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and cilantro

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad

gluten-free chicken caesar salad in a white serving bowl

Cajun Chicken Caesar Salad

Did You Make This Recipe?

Tell me all about it! Leave a star rating below when you try our easy Chef Salad recipe. I can’t wait to hear how it goes!

Tap to Leave a Review

Classic Chef Salad

5 from 1 vote

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

Our classic Chef Salad recipe is a delicious low-maintenance dinner that everyone can enjoy! Try our classic combo below, or check out our list of ideas to craft your own favorite blend!

Prep Time: 20

Total Time: 20

Print Pin Rate

Servings: Servings

Calories: 397kcal

Ingredients

6 cups Salad Greens – roughly chopped
8 ounces Deli Turkey – diced
8 ounces Deli Ham – diced
2-4 ounces Cheddar Cheese – diced
2-4 ounces Swiss Cheese or Colby Cheese – diced
1 cup Diced Cucumber
1 cup Halved Cherry Tomatoes
4 Hard-Boiled Eggs (or Soft-Boiled Eggs)
1 cup Gluten-Free Croutons (or Your Favorite)
1/4-1/2 cup Your Favorite Salad Dressing (see notes)

Instructions

Mix Up Your Dressing. If needed, mix up your favorite salad dressing recipe
Layer. Next, layer salad greens into a bowl or on your plate. Top with ham, turkey, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons. Season with salt & pepper, then drizzle with dressing.
Toss. If desired, toss salad with the dressing until well coated. Enjoy right away!

Notes

Salad Dressing. Popular choices for Chef’s salad are ranch dressing, Italian dressing, and French Dressing (Catalina-Style), but feel free to use your favorite!
Make-Ahead Tips. Feel free to prep the ingredients and dressing ahead of time and store them separately for the best texture. Then, right before serving, you can easily assemble this salad!
More Mix-Ins To Try: Other meats or cheeses, avocado, sesame seeds, more veggies (jicama, bell pepper, carrots, olives, etc.), crispy bacon bits, or beans (like chickpeas or kidney beans).
MOM TIP. Set out all the components and let everyone build their salad just the way they like it!