Chef Salad
Published December 15, 2022 • Updated July 20, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
This low carb loaded salad is packed with deli meat, hard-boiled eggs, cheddar, and fresh vegetables, all drizzled with my homemade ranch. I make this as a full meal, not a side dish.
I used to think of salads as something you eat alongside the real food. This one changed that for me. It’s loaded with so much protein and crunch that I serve it as the entire meal, and nobody at my table complains.
The base is two full heads of green leaf lettuce mixed with arugula for that peppery bite I love. On top of that goes sliced deli ham and turkey, quartered hard-boiled eggs, cheddar, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, and thinly sliced radishes. Every bite has something different going on, which is exactly why it works as a keto lunch or dinner.
What pulls the whole thing together is the dressing. I always use my homemade ranch because most store-bought versions are loaded with inflammatory seed oils and hidden sugars. A good blue cheese dressing works too, especially if you lean into the savory side.
I make this at least once a week during the summer, and it shows up year-round whenever I have deli meat in the fridge. The whole thing takes about 15 minutes from cutting board to table. Most of that is just chopping.
If you like hearty, protein-forward salads, try my grilled steak salad or the broccoli chicken salad. Both follow the same idea: build the salad like a meal, not a garnish.
One thing I’ve learned: dry your lettuce completely before you dress it. Wet leaves dilute the ranch and make everything watery. I run mine through a salad spinner twice, then let it sit on a clean towel for a few minutes. It makes a real difference in how the dressing clings to each leaf.
What is a chef salad?
It’s a big, hearty salad built from whatever proteins and vegetables you have on hand. The traditional version includes hard-boiled eggs, deli ham or turkey, cheese, and fresh vegetables on a bed of lettuce with dressing. There are no strict rules, which is exactly why it’s called a “chef’s” salad. You use what you’ve got.
How to make it
I julienne my deli meats and cheeses into matchstick-sized pieces instead of leaving them in big flat slices. It distributes better through the salad so you get protein in every forkful, not just one giant ham slab on top.
- Wash and dry the lettuce. I run mine through the salad spinner twice. Wet leaves make the dressing slide right off.
- Julienne your meats and cheeses. Cut them into thin strips about 2 inches long. Slice vegetables, quarter the eggs and tomatoes.
- Toss everything in a large bowl (except the dressing).
- Drizzle with dressing and season with salt and pepper. Toss once more and serve.
Key ingredients and substitutions
- Green leaf lettuce: This soft, tender lettuce is my go-to base. Romaine, iceberg, or butter lettuce all work if that’s what you have.
- Arugula: Not traditional, but I always add it. The peppery flavor balances all the rich, salty proteins.
- Cucumber: I use English cucumbers sliced into half moons. Keep the skins on unless they’re tough or bitter.
- Radishes: Also my addition. Thinly sliced radishes add crunch and a peppery kick that complements the meats.
- Cherry tomatoes: I prefer cherry tomatoes for their sweetness and size. Grape tomatoes or a diced Roma work too.
- Hard-boiled eggs: I hard boil mine in the air fryer, but stovetop or oven works. You can also buy them pre-boiled.
- Deli ham and turkey: Choose brands without added sugars to keep this low carb. I trust Applegate and 365 from Whole Foods.
- Cheddar cheese: Shredded or sliced. Colby, Swiss, or blue cheese crumbles all work.
- Ranch dressing: My homemade keto ranch is what I use every time. If buying store-bought, Primal Kitchen is my pick.
Explore hundreds of keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
1 cucumber, peeled & cut into half moons -
2 heads green leaf lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces
-
8 oz arugula
-
3 oz radishes, thinly sliced
-
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
-
3 hard boiled eggs, quartered
-
8 oz deli ham, sliced
-
8 oz deli turkey, sliced
-
8 oz cheddar cheese, sliced
-
2/3 cup ranch dressing
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Chop, slice and dice
Prep all of your vegetables, meats, cheeses and eggs by slicing, dicing, chopping and quartering. Wash the lettuce and let dry.
Toss the salad
In a large bowl, toss all salad components, drizzle with ranch dressing or your favorite dressing. Season with salt & pepper. Toss again and serve.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Your Macros. Your Recipes. Calculated in 60 Seconds.
Get personalized keto macros and instantly see which recipes fit your targets. No more guessing what to eat.
Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Why do they call it a chef salad?
I love this question. It's called that because it's traditionally made from whatever the chef has available in the kitchen. There are no fixed rules. My version has deli ham, turkey, eggs, and cheddar, but yours could look completely different depending on what's in your fridge. That's the whole idea.
What's the difference between a Cobb salad and a chef salad?
I get asked this all the time. They're similar in structure (big salads with protein, vegetables, and cheese), but Cobb salads always include avocado, blue cheese, and bacon as core ingredients. My version here skips those as defaults, though I add avocado and bacon as variations when the mood hits. The dressing is different too. I typically dress this with ranch, while Cobb salads lean toward a red wine vinaigrette.
What kind of cheese goes in a chef salad?
I use cheddar because it's what my family prefers, but I've made this with Swiss, provolone, Colby, and blue cheese crumbles. They all work. My personal favorite swap is blue cheese crumbles with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing. It doubles down on that sharp, tangy flavor.
Can I make this ahead of time?
I do this every single week. The trick is keeping everything in separate containers until you're ready to eat. I prep my vegetables, slice the meats and cheese, and hard boil eggs up to 3 days in advance. When it's time to eat, I toss it all together and dress it. Takes about 2 minutes from fridge to table.
How many net carbs are in this salad?
I track my macros pretty closely, and this salad stays well under 10 net carbs per serving with my standard build. Most of the carbs come from the tomatoes, cucumbers, and ranch dressing. The deli meat and cheese contribute almost nothing if you pick brands without added sugars. On days I want it even leaner, I cut back on the cherry tomatoes, but I usually keep them for the sweetness.
What dressing is traditionally served with this?
Traditionally it's served with either ranch or Thousand Island, and I've made it with both. I almost always go with my homemade ranch because it coats the leaves better and I know exactly what's in it. A good blue cheese dressing is my second pick, especially when I use blue cheese crumbles in the salad. For something completely different, I've used a chipotle ranch similar to what I put on my taco salad, and it works surprisingly well with the deli meats.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of deli meat?
I do this all the time, especially when I have leftover rotisserie chicken in the fridge. I shred it into big pieces rather than dicing it small so it feels more substantial in each bite. The flavor is different from deli meat (more roasted and savory, less salty) but the salad still holds up as a full meal. I sometimes add a few strips of crispy bacon when I use chicken, since it doesn't bring the same saltiness the ham does.
How do I scale this for a crowd?
I've made this for groups of 8-10 by tripling the recipe and laying everything out in sections on a big platter instead of tossing it together. Each person builds their own bowl. I put out 2-3 dressing options and let people choose. It's the easiest way I've found to feed a group without any real cooking.
What meats go in this salad?
I build mine with deli ham and turkey, but the traditional version is really just a mix of whatever proteins you have on hand. Roast beef sliced thin, leftover rotisserie chicken, and crispy bacon all work, and I'll often stack two or three of them together. I julienne the meats into matchstick pieces so you get protein in every forkful instead of one giant slab on top. That stacked combination is exactly what pushes this into a real meal and gets it to 30 grams of protein per serving.
We've made this three times this week, it's that good!!
Three times in one week, Michelle. I've been there too. Try half green leaf, half arugula if you haven't yet. Arugula has a bitterness that cuts through the ranch in a way plain lettuce doesn't. I actually prefer it with more arugula now. Keeps the whole thing from feeling heavy.
This is exactly the salad I've been looking for on a hot day. Pool party Saturday, trying to prep Friday night. Does the arugula hold up overnight once assembled, or should I keep the ranch and greens separate and toss right before serving?
Keep them separate. Arugula wilts faster and once the ranch sits on it overnight you'll have a soggy mess by Saturday. I prep the meat, cheese, eggs, and veg in containers the night before, then toss everything together right before serving. Greens go in last.
Did exactly this Saturday, kept the greens and ranch separate and tossed everything together right before serving. Not a wilted leaf in sight.
Six and a half net carbs and 30 grams of protein is why I even tried this. And it's the first salad that's actually kept me full until dinner, which my previous 'salad as a meal' attempts very much did not. The arugula with green leaf was new to me. Wasn't sure it would work without getting too bitter, but the ranch coats them differently and the arugula's peppery bite cuts right through the ham and cheddar. Starting to see why there are two lettuces. Sliced the radishes thin like it says and they almost vanish but still give each bite a little crunch. Genuine question: does this hold up if you dress it ahead for a packed lunch? Wondering if the greens here would survive better than spinach, or if packing the ranch separate is just the move.
Used store-bought ranch the first time. Homemade's worth it.
Right? It actually stays on the lettuce instead of just sitting in a puddle at the bottom.
Not sure when I started slicing the hard-boiled eggs instead of quartering, but they spread through the bowl more evenly and hold together when you toss. One thing that's stuck: a teaspoon of Dijon whisked into the ranch first. Takes some sweetness out and ties the ham and cheddar together.
Never would have thought to whisk Dijon into the ranch first, Steve. I'm trying that this week. Takes the edge off the sweet and makes sense against the ham.
Get a block of sharp cheddar and cut your own cubes. Pre-sliced collapses in the ranch, but thick pieces hold their shape and you actually taste them in every bite. Six runs in and that's the one change I won't walk back.
Dan, thick-cut is yes. I've done pre-sliced when I'm in a rush and it works, but a real chunk of sharp cheddar that holds its shape against the ranch is a different bite.
confession: seed the cucumber first. SO much less watery.
I started doing this after too many bowls where the ranch had gone completely thin by the end. Seeds send water straight into the dressing.
Had half an avocado that needed to go, so I threw it in my chef salad. Gave it enough creaminess that I only used half the ranch. Actually liked it better that way. The cheddar and turkey came through more. Quarter to half per serving before it starts taking over.
Avocado basically covers what the ranch was doing creamy-wise. Makes sense you needed less of it. Half feels like the ceiling before the whole salad reads as avocado.
Yep, learned that one the hard way. Mine was basically just guacamole in a bowl.
I swapped the ham for prosciutto and it was a completely different salad in the best way. The saltiness hit differently layered over the arugula. Making this one on repeat all summer.
Prosciutto and arugula is already an Italian combo. Ham's not even close on salt.
I made this with leftover rotisserie chicken instead of the deli turkey because that's what I had, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. Shredded chicken soaks up the ranch in a way sliced deli meat just doesn't. Every forkful had more going on flavor-wise. I'm not a salad person, but this one got me. The hard boiled eggs and cheddar are what push it into actual meal territory instead of something you eat while wishing you had a sandwich. Already planning a double batch this weekend. Probably won't bother with the turkey now.
Shredded chicken in that ranch is just different. Big uneven pieces, not diced. Sliced turkey doesn't come close.
I always treated salad as a side dish, but made this for lunch this week and the hard-boiled eggs and deli meat kept me full straight through dinner. Going in the rotation.
Right. Three eggs and 8oz of ham will do that. Not a side dish situation.
My daughter spent the first three bites carefully picking around the arugula, then quietly scooped up the rest once it had soaked up enough ranch. Highest compliment I've gotten all month.
The arugula calms way down once it soaks in the ranch. Three bites and she came around - that counts.
Made this last week and it was really good, but by the time I got to the bottom of the bowl there was a ton of liquid pooled from the cucumbers and tomatoes and the lettuce got pretty soggy. Is it better to salt the cucumbers and let them drain first, or is it more about just dressing it right before eating? Trying to figure out what I did wrong because I want to make it again this weekend.
Dress it right before eating, that's the bigger fix. I've salted cucumbers for this and it helps a little, but they keep releasing either way. Separate containers until you're ready, then toss.
Made this three days in a row, which I think proves my point. The arugula was the right call (holds up so much better than romaine by day two when you're packing leftovers). One thing: 2/3 cup of ranch for six servings goes fast, especially if you're layering instead of tossing. I started making 1.5x the dressing and that fixed it. Exactly the kind of lunch I needed back in my rotation.
Yeah the ranch goes fast when you layer. 1.5x is where I end up too when I'm building it for the week.
Brought this to my sister's Easter thing and the bowl was gone before I got a plate. Ranch on everything, apparently. Brand new to keto and was nervous it'd feel like a consolation salad next to everything else, but nope.
Gone before you got a plate on your first Easter with it. That's fast. 30g protein a serving, it doesn't feel like rabbit food because it isn't.