{Recipe} Fiesta Lime Chicken

Do you have that ONE dish at that ONE restaurant that you always have to get? Even when the restaurant has added new things to the menu? But you've been looking forward to that favorite dish for SO LONG that you can't bring yourself to deviate from the tried-and-true dish?

For me, at Applebees, that was Fiesta Lime Chicken.

Eventually, as I became more adept at cooking, I got tired of going out to a restaurant just for that one dish. So I learned to replicate it at home!

Recipe after the jump!

Marinade -
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thin-sliced or pounded to 1/2" thickness
1 c water
1/3 c teriyaki sauce
3 cloves minced garlic
1 tbsp tequila
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (or liquid smoke if you so choose)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
juice from 1 lime

Sauce -
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c sour cream
2 tbsp salsa
1 tbsp milk
1 tbsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp hot sauce

Also-
2 c shredded cheddar cheese

(I had to double this recipe since Mr. Cheddar was adamant on having leftovers, plus we were feeding Brother Cheddar)

This requires a bit of foresight, since you want to marinate your chicken for at least an hour before you cook it. In a container large enough to fit all of your chicken, combine the following for the marinade:

The minced garlic

The soy sauce and the water

The Worcestershire sauce and the tequila. We had spiced tequila on hand but usually I use the clear version.

The lime.

(Usually you use the juice from one lime... but Mr. Cheddar forgot the limes on not one, but TWO trips to the supermarket. Luckily we had some lime juice on hand.)

And the salt and ginger!

While at the store, Mr. Cheddar texted me and asked, "Can I get regular chicken breasts instead of thin-sliced chicken breasts? I'll cut them in half for you if you want." I'm pretty bad at cutting chicken breasts in half, which is why I always opt for the thin-sliced ones. Sooooo...

(Communies may want to pay special attention to his shirt)

Thin-sliced breasts cook up a lot faster, which is why they're my favorites.

So when they're all sliced up, put them in the marinade and make sure they're all covered. Sometimes I have to add more water, especially when I'm feeding a small army like I normally am.

Let that marinate for at least one hour in the fridge.

Meanwhile, assemble the sauce:

Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, salsa*, hot sauce, Creole seasoning, parsley, and milk.

*We were out of salsa (so ashamed) so I had to improvise with... ketchup. Not ideal but it needed that tomato flavor and I didn't have any tomatoes on hand.

For Creole seasoning, you cannot go wrong with Tony Chachere's. This is what Mr. Cheddar uses on his Beer Can Chicken (yeah, that will be a post!) and what he injects into his Thanksgiving fried turkey. He basically feels about Tony Chachere's the same way I feel about rosemary: It should be on everything.

And... I am not ashamed to admit that I could eat this sauce as a soup, happily.

Chill the sauce in the refrigerator.

When it's time to cook, place the chicken on a cooking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until done.

Spoon the sauce over each breast. Usually I just make a line of it down the middle of each breast and the heat spreads it out evenly on its own.

Don't dawdle! Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on each piece and pop it back in the oven for five more minutes to melt the cheese.

You have several options--lay it over corn chips like Applebee's does, or over a bed of fresh greens, or just plain like I did. It's a messy, cheesy, DELICIOUS dish so the presentation is a little sloppy.

As for the side, I made this:

Sesame Spinach with Ginger and Garlic

As easy as it sounds--cook the garlic and ginger in oil for thirty seconds, then add the spinach in handfuls until it all cooks down, then add the sesame seeds. It was a great complement to the chicken, since ginger is a player in both of them.

What do you think? Are you gonna try this recipe tonight? (I think you should!)