Chef’s Salad: A Deliciously Easy Meal to Prepare in 30 Minutes or Less!
Chef’s Salad is an easy and delicious meal to prepare in 30 minutes or less. A traditional Chef’s Salad consists of hard-boiled eggs, various meats such as ham, turkey, chicken, or roast beef, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and a bed of tossed lettuce. This flavorful salad is perfect for busy days when you don’t have much time to spare in the kitchen. In this blog post, you will learn how to make a delicious Chef’s Salad that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.
The origin of the Chef’s Salad dates back to the early 1900s. It is thought that the original dish was created by Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz-Carlton in New York City. The inspiration behind the dish was a traditional French salad known as Salade de Fruits, which consisted of a mix of diced apples, oranges, and grapes in the salad bowl.
In the 1920s, the recipe was adapted by Chef de Cuisine Henry Saxe of the same establishment. He changed the fruit to vegetables and added hard boiled eggs, meats, and cheese to make it more substantial. Since then, the classic Chef’s Salad has become a staple of American cuisine.
Over the years, the dish has been modified to suit different tastes and diets. Vegetarians often omit the meat and cheese and add a variety of nuts and seeds for extra crunch. In addition, some recipes call for a vinaigrette or other type of dressing to be drizzled over the salad.
No matter what ingredients are used, the Chef’s Salad remains a classic and popular dish that is easy to prepare and can be made ahead of time for quick meals. With its combination of flavors and textures, it is sure to please any palate.
Serve this with some crusty English Muffin Bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread or homemade Ciabatta Bread.
PrintChef’s Salad
A Chef’s Salad consists of hard-boiled eggs; varieties of meat, such as ham, turkey, chicken, or roast beef; tomatoes; cucumbers; and cheese; all placed upon a bed of tossed lettuce.
- Prep Time: :25
- Total Time: :25
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: Mix
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds Boston, Bibb, green or red leaf lettuce, or a mixture, washed, trimmed, and dried
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup dressing of your choice, such as shallot or herb vinaigrette, ranch, or blue cheese
- 4 ounces imported Swiss cheese, cut into 2-inch long matchstick pieces
- 4 ounces baked ham, cut into 2-inch long matchstick pieces
- 4 ounces smoked turkey, chicken or duck breast, cut into 2-inch long matchstick pieces
- 4 ounces rare roast beef, cut into 1/4-inch by 2 inch matchstick pieces
- 2 hard-cooked eggs, shelled, cut into wedges
- 1 ripe Hass avocado, diced
- 16 vine-ripened cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 kirby (pickling) cucumbers, sliced
- 1 cup toasted croutons
Instructions
- Tear the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and put into a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste and toss with 1/2 cup of the dressing. Divide the lettuce among 4 large individual serving bowls. Arrange the cheese, meats, eggs, and avocado, like the spokes of a wheel, on top of each salad. Scatter the tomatoes, cucumbers, and croutons on top. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve and pass the remaining dressing at the table.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4