{"id":65248,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-09T00:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/garden-fresh-chef-salad\/"},"modified":"2024-02-16T12:14:53","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T18:14:53","slug":"garden-fresh-chef-salad","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/garden-fresh-chef-salad\/","title":{"rendered":"Chef Salad"},"content":{"rendered":"

I don’t know about you, but I crave salads in the summertime. Partly because there’s no way I’m heating the house by turning on the stove! But mostly because summer is when vegetables are at their peak. There is so much great seasonal summer produce<\/a> to choose from, and it all works well in a chef salad. This isn’t one of those veggie dishes that will leave you wanting, either. The addition of sliced meats and boiled egg provides plenty of protein to make this salad filling for lunch or dinner.<\/p>\n

Chefs generally take a lot of creative freedom when making this dish, so feel free to do the same. Make a personalized chef’s salad with ingredients from your garden<\/a>. Or raid the fridge and use this recipe to use up leftover meats and vegetables.<\/p>\n

What is a chef salad?<\/h2>\n

\"ATaste Recipes<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Chef salad (also called “chef’s salad”) is a garden salad made with lettuce, hard-boiled eggs, meat, vegetables and sometimes cheese. Most recipes use deli turkey and ham, although it’s not uncommon to see roast beef, chicken or bacon. The vegetables also vary, so choose options that add flavor, texture and color to this hearty salad.<\/p>\n

Finally, the dressing is flexible. Early chef salad recipes often cited French or Thousand Island dressing. However, modern recipes allow for more variation. You can use a vinaigrette, honey mustard, ranch or blue cheese. Homemade salad dressing<\/a> is best, but store-bought works in a pinch.<\/p>\n

Why is it called chef’s salad?<\/h2>\n

The salad’s origins are somewhat murky, but we do know the name pays homage to the chef who makes it. Based on the rumors, this chopped salad appeared as an off-menu item at New York hotels in the early 20th century. The chef would add cuts of deli meat, cheese and hard-boiled egg to the hotel’s house salad.<\/p>\n

Over time, the salad’s popularity grew. Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz-Carlton in New York City is often credited with putting chef’s salad on the map. He was certainly not the first to make it, but he included it on the hotel’s menu in 1975. The Ritz-Carlton’s fame helped propel the dish to the mainstream.<\/p>\n

Chef Salad Ingredients<\/h2>\n