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American

Chef's salad

Non-vegetarian

A hearty American main-course salad of crisp lettuce topped with rows of ham, turkey, Swiss and cheddar cheese, hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes, with a buttermilk ranch-style dressing.

Chef's salad is an American salad from United States, ready in about 30 minutes and made with lettuce and ham. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Chef's salad with lettuce, tomato, ham, cheese strips and hard-boiled egg
Photo: Gesalbte / Wikimedia Commons · public-domain
Prep
20 min
Cook
10 min
Total
30 min
Serves
4
Level
Beginner
Calories
417

Ingredients

4 servings

For the dressing

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Lower the eggs (opens in a new tab) into boiling water and cook for 10 minutes, then cool in cold water, peel and quarter.

    Food safety: Hard-boil eggs until both white and yolk are firm (about 10 minutes from the boil) and refrigerate within 2 hours.

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the mayonnaise (opens in a new tab), buttermilk (opens in a new tab), lemon juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab), chives (opens in a new tab), salt and pepper (opens in a new tab) until smooth. Chill while you assemble.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Spread the lettuce (opens in a new tab) over a platter or four plates. Arrange the ham (opens in a new tab), turkey (opens in a new tab), both cheeses, eggs (opens in a new tab), tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and cucumber (opens in a new tab) in neat rows over the top.

    • 10 min

  4. Step 4

    Serve the dressing on the side or drizzle it over just before eating.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
United States · Commonly attributedA mid-20th-century American hotel and diner salad; several restaurants claim it.Also popular in CanadaMore food from United States
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Salads · Main courses
Cooking method
Boiled, Raw
Taste
savoury, creamy, herby, salty
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Meal-prep friendly
Cook more with
Lettuce · Ham · Egg · Mayonnaise · Buttermilk · Lemon juice
Techniques
Boiling

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom buttermilk, swiss cheese, cheddar
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg, mayonnaise
  • May contain: Mustardfrom mayonnaise

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

417 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 354 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 27%
  • Carbohydrate 10%
  • Fat 63%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy417 kcal118 kcal
Protein28.2 g8 g
Carbohydrate10.2 g2.9 g
Net carbohydrate7.2 g2 g
Sugars5 g1.4 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre3 g0.9 g
Fat29.5 g8.3 g
Saturated fat9.4 g2.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol259 mg73 mg
Sodium904 mg255 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
680 mg
Calcium
345 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
56 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
539 µg
Vitamin C
16 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
1.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
151 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the toppings in separate rows so everyone can see what they are getting — that's the point of a chef's salad.

Common mistakes

  • Dressing the lettuce in advance — it wilts under the weight of the toppings.

Serve with

  • With crackers or a bread roll for a full lunch.

Food safety

  • Mayonnaise-dressed salads should not sit at room temperature for more than 2 hours (1 hour above 32 °C).

Storage

  • Undressed components keep 2 days in the fridge in separate containers; dressing keeps 4 days.

Variations

  • With Thousand Island: Swap the ranch-style dressing for mayonnaise mixed with ketchup and chopped pickles.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Sauces, chutneys & dips for this dish

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Egg, hard-boiled, peeled and quartered (step 1)4 piece · 200 g
  • Lettuce, torn into bite-size pieces300 g
  • Ham, cut into strips120 g
  • Turkey, cooked, cut into strips120 g
  • Swiss cheese, cut into strips60 g
  • Cheddar, cut into strips60 g
  • Tomato, cut into wedges2 piece · 240 g
  • Cucumber, sliced0.5 piece · 150 g
Used in steps 1, 3

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