Tasty Thursday :: Applebee's Fiesta Lime Chicken

Ever eat something at a restaurant and wish you could recreate it at home? Well that's exactly what I did. My favorite dish at Applebee's is the Fiesta Lime Chicken (formerly known as Tequila Lime Chicken), unfortunately my husband isn't a huge Applebee's fan so we never go there. So one night I went on a mission, a mission to find my beloved Fiesta Lime Chicken recipe. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard. There are tons of websites dedicated to helping you find the recipe for your favorite restaurant dish. The recipe below seemed the easiest and that it was. My husband even liked it! As for me... throw some chachkies on the wall and some goofily dressed waiters and I would have thought I was in an Applebee's. Enjoy!

SUPPLY LIST

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken breast
• teriyaki sauce
• lime juice
• garlic
• liquid smoke (found in the bbq sauce aisle)
  
• ground ginger
• 1 nip of tequila
• jalapeno slices
• taco seasoning packet
• ranch salad dressing
• salsa
  
• shredded cheddar/Monterey jack cheese blend
• corn chips or tortilla chips

MAKE THE MARINADE

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup tequila

Combine all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl. Mix well. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes but no more than 4 hours.

MAKE THE MEXICAN RANCH DRESSING

• 1 cup of Ranch dressing
• 2 tablespoons of red salsa
• 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix
• 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno peppers

Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl. Mix until smooth. Cover and chill until needed.

MAKE THE CHICKEN

Preheat your oven to broil and heat up your grill. Cook the chicken on the grill. When the chicken is done, arrange the breasts in a baking pan. Spread a layer of mexican ranch dressing and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese over each piece of chicken. Broil the chicken for 2 to 3 minutes or just until the cheese has melted.

HOW TO SERVE

Spread a bed of 1/2 cup of crumbled tortillas or corn chips on each of four plates. Slide a chicken breast on top of each plate of chips. Serve with your choice of rice, pico de gallo, guacamole or salsa.

Tasty Thursdays :: Liberty Market

From the creators of Joe's Real BBQ comes Liberty Market! This amazingly quaint little market is full of delicious treats, from brick oven pizzas to hearty sandwiches and paninis to caprese pasta salad and a fantastic coffee bar. I've only been here twice, but each time I find a new reason to love it.

On both occasions I indulged in the Italia panini with a side of the Caprese Pasta Salad. They are delicious and a perfect compliment to each other. Every time I go, I stare and begin to drool at the three-layer red velvet cake that sits behind the glass and every time I thankfully convince myself that if I ate that much red velvet, I may very well pass out.

Needless to say, you need to venture out to downtown Gilbert to give Liberty Market a try. It's pretty much my new favorite spot. Hats off to you Chef David!

Tasty Thursdays :: BBQ Chicken

I saw this recipe on Home Made Simple and it looked delicious so I took a stab at it and it WAS delicious! This sauce is great with other meats too and makes a great dipping sauce. So here it goes.

Tip: I put the chicken in the oven first and then started to make the sauce for timing sake. Also, you can make this with boneless skinless chicken breasts or bone-in chicken pieces. Directions are the same for both. For two of us, I halfed the sauce recipe and did three chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs.) Enjoy!

P.S. This one's for you Dani!


BROWN SUGAR BBQ SAUCE

INGREDIENTS
1 32-oz. bottle of ketchup
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 cup molasses
1 tablespoon Liquid Smoke (mesquite or hickory)
1 bay leaf

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pan and simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Spoon generously over Perfectly Baked Chicken and serve.

PERFECTLY BAKED CHICKEN

INGREDIENTS
6 lbs. chicken, cleaned
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Rub each piece of chicken generously with olive oil, then season with salt and pepper.
2. Place chicken pieces in a 9”x 9” (or larger) baking dish and place in oven. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until skin is golden brown and meat is cooked through.
3. Remove baking dish from the oven and coat generously with Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce. Return to the oven for 10 minutes, then serve.

Chicken Garcia

One of my favorite types of foods is casseroles...all of them. If it has some sort of creamy soup as an ingredient and involves layers and baking, count me in. That being said, this recipe is one of my favorites. Just a warning, like most casseroles, it makes a TON of food and makes great leftovers.

Chicken Garcia
Preheat oven to 400 degrees

4lbs chicken tenders, boil the chicken and then shred it (if chicken is frozen, be sure to thaw first) 1 lg bag of shredded cheddar cheese

1 family size can cream of chicken soup

1 family size can cream of mushroom soup

1 lg jar Pace picante sauce (mild, medium or hot)

2 dozen corn tortillas

Cut the tortillas in triangles
Combine soups, picante sauce and cooked/shredded chicken
In a casserole dish cover bottom with a layer of the cream and chicken mixture, then a layer of cheese, then a layer of tortillas, repeat all layers until everything is gone, then cover entire mixture with cheese
Cover with tinfoil and bake 30 to 40 minutes @ 375 degrees

Tasty Thursdays :: Sol y Sombra

If you love tapas or have never had tapas, you need to visit Sol y Sombra up at DC Ranch. This restaurant has everything just right. From the posh decor to the fabulous food and the great service we just love Sol y Sombra.

Our favorites are the Pollo Colonial ($10) and the Patatas Bravas ($7). I really think that I could live off of these two items alone. The wonderful thing about Sol y Sombra is that they continually change their menu to match the seasons, so there is always something new to try.

The music is always refreshing here especially on the weekends when they bring in a dj that spins unusual mixes of ambient and hip hop. I absolutely love it.

So the next time you're searching for something a little different head down to Sol y Sombra, I promise you won't be disappointed.