Can't Get to Applebee's??? Make Tequila Lime Chicken at Home

A few days ago, I opened up a Top Secret Recipes book and found this recipe. I hadn't had it in ages, hadn't been to an Applebee's in awhile and decided this was the thing I needed to make. I adapted the Mexi-Ranch Dressing a bit and made the dish a bit healthier - used greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise in the dressing and used gluten-free tamari sauce instead of normal soy sauce. I am trying to get rid of a lot of gluten and dairy from my son's diet. The allergist said that yogurt is good. He is not allergic to dairy but should try and cut it down a bit. She said that the fact that the yogurt is fermented is good for him and that he needs the probiotics that are in it. So, I used the 0% Fat Fage Greek Yogurt instead of fat free mayonnaise. This was really good. My son loved the dressing, ate 2 servings of the chicken and we all loved the dish. I served it with quinoa and a vegetable. This was good stuff.

Tequila Lime Chicken Thighs

Marinade:

1 cup water

1/3 cup teriyaki sauce (use a gluten-free version if you can find it)

2 tbsp lime juice

2 tsp minced garlic

1-half inch piece ginger root (or 1/2 tsp dried ground ginger)

1 tsp mesquite liquid smoke flavoring

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup tequila

Mexi-Ranch Dressing:

1/4 cup fat-free Greek Yogurt (or fat free mayonnaise)

1/4 cup fat free sour cream

2 tbsp reduced fat milk (or soy milk)

2 tbsp water

2 tsp minced tomato

1 tsp canned jalapeno, minced

1 tsp minced onion

1 tsp white vinegar

1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

1/4 tsp salt

4 drops hot sauce, or more to taste

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp cumin (original recipe calls for 1/4 tsp)

1/8 tsp chili powder (or more if you like things spicy)

Dash garlic powder

Dash black pepper

Chicken:

8 skinless boneless chicken thighs

Salt and pepper

For marinade: Throw all ingredients into a blender and puree. Put chicken in a ziptop bag and cover with marinade. Seal and refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

For Mexi-Ranch: Throw everything into a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into a bowl and set aside in refrigerator until ready to serve.

For chicken: Remove chicken from marinade, dry off a bit, discard the remaining marinade. Preheat a cast iron grill pan (or prep real grill outdoors). When hot, brush with some oil , brush chicken with oil and place on grill. Cook on each side 4-6 minutes until you get good grill marks. When all chicken is cooked most of the way, place the pan and chicken into a warm oven and let it finish cooking – 3-6 minutes. Check for doneness.

Serve drizzled with Mexi-Ranch Dressing (or place some in a small bowl at each serving like they do at Applebee’s). If you want this to be more like the real dish, melt some Monterey Jack cheese on each piece of chicken and then serve. Garnish with a bit of chopped cilantro if you wish.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Source: adapted from Todd Wilbur’s Low Fat Top Secret Recipes

Posted by RisaG