Tequila Lime Chicken from Applebee's

Submitted by Grimms Restaurant T

"I started making this recipe years ago. It was probabley the first "out of my comfort zone" recipe I had ever tried and my family LOVED it. I actually think this recipe is better then the restaurant dish. On the mexi-ranch dressing I add much more cumin, chili powder, and dill weed then the recipe calls for so just keep mixing until you have the kind of flavor you desire."

 

• Ready In: 50mins
• Ingredients: 28
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 236.59 ml shredded cheddar cheese or 236.59 ml monterey jack cheese, blend
• 473.18 ml crumbled tortilla chips

• Marinade

• 236.59 ml water
• 78.78 ml teriyaki sauce (I like the kikoman brand)
• 29.58 ml lime juice
• 9.85 ml minced garlic
• 4.92 ml mesquite liquid smoke flavoring
• 2.46 ml salt
• 1.23 ml grated ginger
• 1.23 ml tequila (optional)

• Mexi-Ranch dressing (i usually double this recipe bc my family devours it as dip before the meal)

• 59.14 ml mayonnaise (generic brand is better)
• 59.14 ml sour cream
• 14.79 ml milk (or buttermilk if you've got it handy)
• 9.85 ml tomatoes
• 7.39 ml white vinegar (or more if you like)
• 4.92 ml canned jalapeno slices (sometimes I throw in a few more)
• 4.92 ml onion
• 1.23 ml dried parsley
• 1.23 ml Tabasco sauce
• 0.61 ml salt
• 0.61 ml paprika
• 0.61 ml dill weed
• 0.61 ml cayenne pepper
• 0.61 ml cumin
• 0.61 ml chili powder
• 0.61 ml garlic powder
• 0.61 ml black pepper

directions

1. Marinate 2-3 hours.
2. For mexi-ranch blend all ingredients in blender.
3. Grill chicken on outdoor or indoor grill. When done, place in casserole dish.
4. Top with mexi- ranch dressing and cheese. Bake at 350 F until cheese is melted.
5. Arrange on dinner plates on top of crushed tortilla chips. Seve with extra mexi- sauce.

Reviews

[alinasls]

Made the chicken last night or dinner and doubled the sauce recipe as recommended. Since we had 4 people and only 3 chicken breasts, I cut them in half and pounded as one review had suggested. After marinating for almost 4 hours, I seared the chicken on the stove for 3-4 minutes per side and then it took 35 minutes in the oven to fully cook. Served on top of crumbled tortilla chips with rice and black beans and got rave reviews. The 6 pieces of chicken were enough to feed 3 adults and a teenager. Today for lunch I made a double portion of the sauce only to serve as dip for chips. I thought the sauce was a bit too thin, so this time I substituted half of sour cream with cream cheese (2 oz of cream cheese = 1/4 cup) and skipped the milk. Better, but would still prefer it thicker. A couple of things I will tweak next time are: a) will use 1/2 cup of cream cheese, 1/4 cup of sour cream and 1/4 of mayo for a double recipe; b) let the chicken marinate overnight. Thank you for a great recipe!

 

[JOY1998]

Great recipe! This was a delicious tender chicken in a tangy flavorful sauce and topped with melted cheese. I toasted my tortilla chips before crumbling and serving the chicken on top them. Also, I marinated the chicken breasts (which I had pounded just a little bit so as not to be too thick) for 24 hours and doubled the sauce as other reviewers recommended. This was out of my comfort zone too, but it was sure worth it and I will put this into my regular rotation of recipes. Thank you for posting this recipe.

 

[Chattes]

This is a very tasty recipe. I've had the Applebee's version and this is close. The dressing is so good and I kept tasting it with the chips. I think it would also be wonderful on a mild fish- especially for my husband who isn't a fish fan. I served it with steamed rice and pinto beans with a little chopped lettuce and green onions for garnish. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Queen Roachie]

Rating the marinade since that's all I did. Wonderful flavor and juicy chicken off the grill. I added more tequila, and a splash of triple sec. Used soy vay teriyaki sauce. Can't wait until I try the whole recipe. Thanks for sharing.

 

[mikedachef]

Holy cow, this was delicious! I always loved Applebee's tequila lime chicken but have missed it since I stopped eating meat. I made this using Quorn Chik'n cutlets and it was awesome. I did everything to the recipe specs accept of course the meat, and me and my wife loved it. I'm sure it's fine with chicken but you can eat just as good with veg meat. I have made it twice now and we love it.