I just wondered how many, besides myself, are fond of a "Chef's Salad". And yep, a Chef's Salad means different things to different people, I guess, since the recipe can vary. In our house, a Chef's Salad (as with most salads) has to start with chopped lettuce, tomato, onion, and grated cheese. After that . . . , well, I like a boiled egg; she doesn't. I like a few olives; she doesn't. She likes a little cucumber; I don't. But we both agree that if we have a little grated carrot, chopped broccoli and cauliflower, and even a little finely chopped celery, throw it in there.
Now most Chef's Salads that I've eaten in restaurants had either cold turkey strips or ham strips, or both. And they're all good; some just a bit better than others.
But I've invented the ultimate in Chef's Salads. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] Well, OK, just for my own taste maybe, but you might want to try it sometime. [img]/forums/images/icons/blush.gif[/img] After the ingredients in the first paragraph above, I skip the turkey and ham. Instead, I cut a few strips of bacon into very small pieces (about 3 slices for 2 people). Frying that in a skillet will substitute for "bacon bits" and provide the grease for the next step. I'll have one or two boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced into quarter to half inch pieces, which I'll add to the skillet with the bacon after the grease or oil had pretty well cooked out of the bacon. After spreading the chicken pieces fairly evenly in the skillet, I sprinkle pretty liberally with red (cayenne) pepper. Then I stir and cook over medium heat until the chicken is well done.
The chicken and bacon are then added, still hot, to the salad. I top with Ranch dressing. My wife sometimes uses Ranch and sometimes uses Thousand Island. I eat crackers with mine (sometimes saltines, sometimes club crackers) while my wife prefers corn chips, such as dorritos.
So that's my favorite salad! [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]