MENU DESCRIPTION: “A tender boneless chicken breast marinated with lime juice and tequila flavors and
grilled. Served on a bed of crisp tortilla strips. Topped with a Mexi-ranch and Jack-Cheddar sauce. Served with
Southwest rice and pico de gallo.” Because of the huge success of this dish, Applebee’s has recently changed the name to “Fiesta Lime Chicken” and trademarked the name. Most people still know this dish by its original title, so that’s what I’m going with for this book. When making your clone, just be sure not to marinate the chicken for much longer than the 2 to 3 hours specified, or the acid in the lime juice may toughen your chicken. The bed of crispy corn tortilla strips can be easily made by simply crumbling store-bought tortilla chips, or, if you want strips more closely resembling those served at the restaurant, just follow the Tidbits below. Serve this dish with your choice of rice, and some salsa or pico de gallo on the side.

Serves 4.

INGREDIENTS

FOR MARINADE:

• 1 cup water
• ⅓ cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon liquid mesquite smoke
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon tequila
• 4 skinless chicken breast fillets

FOR MEXI-RANCH SAUCE:

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 2 teaspoons minced tomato
• 1½ teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon minced canned jalapeno slices (nacho slices)
• 1 teaspoon minced onion
• ¼ teaspoon dried parsley
• ¼ teaspoon Tabasco pepper sauce
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon dried dill weed
• ⅛ teaspoon paprika
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
• ⅛ teaspoon chili powder
• dash garlic powder
• dash ground black pepper
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar/Monterey Jack cheese blend
• 2 cups crumbled tortilla chips or fried tortilla strips

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare marinade by combining marinade ingredients in a medium bowl. Add the chicken to the bowl, cover and chill for 2 to 3 hours.
2. Make the Mexi-ranch dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well until smooth, then cover the dressing and chill it until it’s needed.
3. When you are ready to prepare the entree, preheat the oven to high broil. Also, preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat. When the grill is hot cook the marinated chicken breasts for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until they’re done.
4. Arrange the cooked chicken in a baking pan. Spread a layer of Mexi-ranch dressing over each piece of chicken (you’ll have plenty left over), followed by ¼ cup of the shredded cheese blend. Broil the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes, or just until the cheese has melted.
5. Spread a bed of ½ cup of the tortilla strips or crumbled tortilla chips on each of four plates. Slide a chicken breast onto the chips on each plate and serve with your choice of rice, and pico de gallo or salsa.

TIDBITS:

• Crumbling store-bought tortilla chips is the easy way to make the bed of crunchy chips that the tequila lime chicken rests on.
• But, you can make tortilla strips like those served at the restaurant by cutting a stack of eight 6-inch corn tortillas in half.
• Stack the halves on top of each other and slice the tortillas into thin strips.
• Fry the tortilla strips in batches in 2 cups of preheated oil in a large skillet for 3 to 5 minutes or until crispy.
• Salt lightly and cool on paper towels.