Anyone who loves Olive Garden is probably also a big fan of the bottomless basket of warm, garlicky breadsticks served before each meal at the huge Italian casual chain. My guess is that the breadsticks are proofed, and then sent to each restaurant where they are baked until golden brown, brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt. Getting the bread just right for a great Olive Garden breadstick hack was tricky—I tried several different amounts of yeast in all-purpose flour, but then settled on bread flour to give these breadsticks the same chewy bite as the originals. The two-stage rising process is also a crucial step in this much requested Olive Garden breadstick copycat recipe.

Complete the bottomless experience with my Olive Garden Italian salad dressing recipe.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

Researchers at University of Florida’s College of Medicine developed Gatorade in 1965 when the head coach of the Florida Gators football team requested a specially designed drink that could replace lost fluids during hot weather games. With players pounding the new sports drink, the Gators went on to take their first Orange Bowl victory in 1967 against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. When the head coach of the Yellow Jackets was asked why his team lost, he said, “We didn’t have Gatorade. That made the difference.” Later that year, Gatorade became the official drink of the NFL.

The secret to making Gatorade at home is not just about getting the flavor right but also about locating a simple source of the drink’s important supplemental ingredients, potassium and dextrose. Potassium (along with salt) replaces electrolytes that are lost when you sweat to ensure proper functioning of your brain and organs. I discovered that a good source of potassium is Morton’s salt substitute, which is made with potassium chloride. Most supermarkets should have it stocked near the salt.

Dextrose, on the other hand, is a natural sugar that absorbs quickly into your body to restore glycogen in muscles lost during physical activity. Bodybuilders and athletes use it during and after games and workouts to speed up recovery and stimulate muscle growth. Luckily, I was able to find the perfect product that added just the right amount of dextrose to 64 ounces of water and that also came in the perfect orange flavor: Willy Wonka Pixy Stix. Find the large 1-ounce size in the giant plastic straw, and grab two. I found them online for 50 cents each.

For my Gatorade copycat recipe below, you'll dump all the ingredients into a 64-ounce pitcher of water, stir to dissolve, and in just a few minutes you’ll have the same taste and energy benefits of one of the two original flavors of Gatorade, but at about half the price.

Find more recipes for more famous drinks here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur.

The nautical-themed store that Joe Columbe opened in Pasadena, California, in 1967, took its name from the well-known Los Angeles bar, Trader Vic’s. And if you look closely around the store, there’s a good chance you’ll spot the plastic lobster they hide there every day.

The chain has gained popularity for its branded products, which began with granola in 1972. One of its most popular items is this hot dip, a seasonal product available after the summer Hatch chile season. If you want to knockoff this delicious dip today, and Hatch chilies aren’t available where you are, don’t worry. Anaheim peppers are similar and can be found year-round. 

For my Trader Joe’s Roasted Hatch Chile and Jalapeño Dip copycat recipe, you’ll roast some garlic and peppers, then combine them with cream cheese, sour cream, shredded cheddar, and spices. Heat it in your oven for 15 minutes, then bust out the chips or crackers for a big serving of the popular dip, which is more than twice the size of the original.

Find more of your favorite dip copycat recipes here.

This delicious crispy chicken in a citrusy sweet-and-sour sauce is the most popular dish at the huge Chinese take-out chain. Panda Express cooks all of its food in woks. For my Panda Express Orange Chicken copycat recipe below, you can use a wok, a heavy skillet, or a large sauté pan.

Find more copycat recipes for your favorite Panda Express dishes here.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Some recipes require going through the tedious (and more expensive) task of steaming fresh clams and dicing up all the good parts. For my Red Lobster New England Clam Chowder copycat recipe, you can use the more affordable and convenient canned clams found in any supermarket without sacrificing flavor. Just remember to not toss out the clam juice in the cans when you open them, since you'll need that flavorful liquid in the first step.

Make a batch of my Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits to go with your chowder, and find more of my Red Lobster recipes copycat here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

When I checked out the ingredients for the Banana Nut Bread Loaf—the most popular baked item at Bob Evans Farms—I was surprised to discover that the banana bread has very little real banana in it. In fact, banana is the second-to-last ingredient, just before water. The banana taste in the loaf appears to be artificial banana flavoring, but I assume that there was once a time when these delicious loaves were made with more real banana, and with real butter instead of the less expensive margarine that is used in the loaves today. So, that's how I crafted my Bob Evans banana bread copycat recipe.

This upgraded recipe calls for old-school wholesome ingredients, and it produces a moist, delicious banana bread loaf that tastes like the original—and maybe even a little bit better. So, if you’re a big fan of the real thing, you're sure to love this new recipe hack.

Making bread is fun, right? Find more of my copycat recipes for famous bread here. 

The secret to super creamy cheesecake that's not cracked on top—just like those you get at The Cheesecake Factory—is baking the cheesecake in a water bath. You will need a 10-inch springform cake pan for my Cheesecake Factory Vanilla Bean Cheesecake copycat recipe, and another pan that is larger than the springform pan to hold some water for the cheesecake to sit in while it bakes. 

This cheesecake has vanilla bean seeds in each of the three layers (cheesecake filling, vanilla bean mousse, and spreaded whipped cream), so you'll need three vanilla bean pods. Those vanilla beans can be pricey at $3 to $4 per pod, but you're cloning a cheesecake that at the restaurant costs around 60 bucks for a whole 10-inch cake. Even when you figure in the other ingredients, your home knockoff will still cost much less than the real thing. And any leftovers will freeze well for a month or two.

Try more of my Cheesecake Factory hacks here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: “Two lightly fried parmesan-breaded chicken breasts are smothered with Olive Garden’s homemade marinara sauce and melted Italian cheeses. We serve our Chicken Parmigiana with a side of spaghetti for dinner.”

Chicken parmigiana is a forever favorite, and it’s not a difficult dish to whip up at home. But for it to taste like the Olive Garden signature entree, we’ll need to take some very specific steps.

Olive Garden’s chicken is salty and moist all the way through, so we must first start by brining the chicken. Give yourself an extra hour for this important marinating step. The marinara sauce used on the chicken is an Olive Garden specialty and no bottled sauce compares, so we’ll make our own from scratch using canned crushed tomatoes and the formula below.

While the sauce cooks, filling your house with its intoxicating aroma, the chicken is breaded and browned. When the marinara is done, top the chicken with the sauce and mozzarella and stick it under your hot broiler until bubbling.

Hopefully, everyone at your house is hungry, because the Olive Garden dinner portion is two chicken fillets, and my Olive Garden Chicken Parmigiana recipe will yield a total of four 2-piece servings. Add a small serving of spaghetti on the side, topped with more of the delicious sauce, and you'll have a perfect match to the restaurant plate.

Can't get enough Olive Garden? Click here for more of your favorite copycat recipes. 

A good French onion soup is packed with onions, and since the beef broth is responsible for most of the flavor, you’ll want to pick a good one to copy this chain’s tasty take on the classic formula.

For my Outback French Onion Soup copycat recipe, I chose Swanson for the beef broth, but also found that beef broth made with Better than Bouillon worked well. With either one though, the broth wasn’t quite beefy enough so I added ½ of a small beef bouillon cube, and the flavor matched beautifully.

For the bread on top, I first tried using toasted French bread, but it was too chewy and tough to cut with a spoon, so I had to come up with another solution. Upon closer inspection of my soup sample from the restaurant, I noticed that the circular crouton looked like the bottom half of a hamburger bun. Inspired by my discovery, I toasted a hamburger bun, topped it with two slices of provolone, then broiled it until melty and browned.

This time, when my spoon cut right through the soft bread with no problem, I had a great clone.

Find more of my Outback Steakhouse copycat recipes here.

Much of Wingstop’s success can be pinned on its great selection of unique wing flavors such as Korean, Louisiana Rub, Garlic Parmesan, and Hawaiian. But it’s the traditional buffalo-style hot wings that are one of the top two picks at the 1,124-unit chicken wing chain (the other one is Lemon Pepper, which I cloned here).

The chain’s buffalo-style sauce is darker red than most buffalo wing sauces, which are typically made by combining Frank’s RedHot sauce with melted butter. Frank’s is more orange than red, so I set out to find an alternative Louisiana-style hot sauce that looked the part.

My market had several other Louisiana hot sauces, but the one whose color best matched Wingstop was called “The Original Louisiana Brand Hot Sauce.” This particular vinegar-and-pepper hot sauce has been around for over 90 years, and it has the right color and flavor to make a great knockoff of the wing sauce. You’ll just need to add a few more ingredients, including butter, and it’s ready for saucing your wings.

If you can’t find The Original Louisiana Hot Sauce, you can use another Louisiana-style sauce, such as Crystal, Bulliard’s, or even Frank’s, and although your wings won’t look quite the same as Wingstop’s, they’ll still taste similar.

Try my Wingstop Original Hot Wings recipe below, and find more of my copycat appetizer recipes here.

Of the four enchiladas served at this popular national Mexican chain, the cheese enchilada and chicken tinga enchilada stand out. They are filled with good stuff, and the sauces on top make them special. The cheese enchilada is doused with slow-cooked chili con carne sauce, while the tender chicken tinga enchilada is topped with a flavorful sour cream sauce and Jack cheese. And because I couldn’t decide which enchilada was better, I hacked them both.

For my On the Border Cheese Enchiladas copycat recipe, I’ll show you how to make a great con carne sauce and how to stuff the enchiladas with a blend of perfectly melted cheese. For my On the Border Chicken Tinga Enchiladas copycat recipe, I’ll show you how to make moist and flavorful chicken tinga with a grocery store rotisserie chicken and how to copy the great sour cream sauce with just four ingredients.

Using either of these secret recipes, you’ll make ten enchiladas in one 9x13-inch baking pan, so there should be enough to go around. The hardest step is deciding which to make: chicken or cheese? These enchiladas go great together on one plate and complement each other nicely, so I say, make ‘em both!

This is my #1 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: Taco Bell Cantina Chicken (#2), Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria (#3), Taco Bell Meximelt (#4), Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie (#5).

And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

In March of 2024, Taco Bell introduced Cantina Chicken, a versatile menu item that can be ordered on tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and bowls. The slow-roasted chicken is seasoned with chilies, onion, and garlic and is often paired with the chain’s Avocado Verde Salsa, which I’ve already cloned for you here.

For my Taco Bell Cantina Chicken copycat recipe, I’ve made the process quick and easy by using a cooked rotisserie chicken, which can be found in most supermarkets and big box stores. Once you’ve chopped the chicken into bite-size pieces, combine it with chicken broth and the secret combination of spices below in a large sauté pan over medium heat.

When the liquid has cooked off, you’ll have four cups of chicken, which you can use in your homemade tacos, burritos, bowls, or whatever you’re craving.

This is my #2 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: On the Border Enchiladas (#1), Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria (#3), Taco Bell Meximelt (#4), and Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie (#5).

And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

The secret to the signature flavor of the most popular grilled dishes at Carrabba's, including the Pollo Rosa Maria, is a top secret grill baste applied to the food as it cooks. According to servers at the chain, the base formula contains butter, oil, vinegar, and seasoning, and it flames when applied to the grilling chicken, giving the dish a fantastic smoky flavor.

The chain's famous lemon butter sauce and mushrooms top the Fontina cheese and prosciutto-stuffed chicken breasts for an impressive signature entrée you can perfectly duplicate with my easy Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria copycat recipe below.

This is my #3 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: On the Border Enchiladas (#1), Taco Bell Cantina Chicken (#2), Taco Bell Meximelt (#4), and Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie (#5).

And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

Source: "Top Secret Recipes: Step-by-Step" by Todd Wilbur.

In 2024, Taco Bell brought back five iconic menu items as part of the chain’s new “Decades” menu: the Tostada from the 1960s, the Green Sauce Burrito from the 1970s, the Meximelt from the 1980s, the Gordita Supreme from the 1990s, and the Caramel Apple Empanada from the 2000s.

The Meximelt generated the most excitement in my circles, so I jumped at the chance to hop into a culinary time machine and recreate this long-lost classic. It’s a small flour tortilla filled with the chain’s seasoned beef, a melted combination of three cheeses, and fresh pico de gallo. If it weren’t called a Meximelt, you’d call it a soft taco. And you’d love it either way.

I tackled my Taco Bell Meximelt copycat recipe by first duping the mild pico de gallo with a simple combination of tomatoes, onion, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. And I made sure to dice the tomato and onion super small to match the real thing. Next, I copied the seasoned beef using my previously hacked recipe for the chain’s Chalupa Supreme and determined the ratios for a three-cheese blend of shredded cheddar, Jack, and mozzarella.

I piled everything on a warm 6-inch flour tortilla, took a big bite, and let my mouth take me on a tasty trip back to the era of MTV, yuppies, Blockbuster, and Rubik’s Cubes.

This is my #4 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: On the Border Enchiladas (#1), Taco Bell Cantina Chicken (#2), Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria (#3), and Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie (#5).

And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

Crumbl co-founder Sawyer Hemsley used to beg his mom to bring home his favorite pink sugar cookies, sold at a local Utah hospital by a group called The Pink Ladies. This chewy vanilla cookie, topped with pink almond icing and inspired by Sawyer’s childhood favorite treat, is now among the top three most popular cookies at the national chain, and customers anxiously await its appearance in the featured cookies of the week.

My Crumbl Classic Pink Sugar Cookie copycat recipe begins with a buttery vanilla dough that bakes slowly and is done cooking before you see any browning. The center stays slightly undercooked, ensuring that the cookie, which is served cold, remains chewy in the middle. Keeping the moist center fresh and the soft frosting firm may explain why these cookies are served chilled.

The secret to the flavor of the simple buttercream frosting is just a touch of natural almond extract, and the color comes from four drops of red food coloring. Spread it on with a small frosting knife and place the dozen cookies you make with this secret formula into your refrigerator before serving, just like the real ones.

This is my #5 most popular recipe of 2025. Check out the other most popular recipes of the year: On the Border Enchiladas (#1), Taco Bell Cantina Chicken (#2), Carrabba's Pollo Rosa Maria (#3), and Taco Bell Meximelt (#4).

And here's the list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

Cheddar cheese fondue may be the most popular cheese fondue selection at this forty-year-old niche chain, but I've always been a fan of the more traditional Swiss cheese version. Emmentaler and Gruyère cheeses are the stars here, melted into a very dry wine such as Chablis – the cheaper, the better. An inexpensive Chablis will not upstage the flavorful cheeses, and that's exactly what you want. It's a great dish to serve for a small get-together, maybe paired up with a nice white wine to drink. I'm all for that.

You'll need a double boiler-style ceramic fondue pot (the kind for cheese and chocolate fondue, not broth) to prepare this very easy recipe that makes a great appetizer for a cheese-loving group of four to six.

Try my Melting Pot Traditional Swiss Cheese Fondue copycat recipe below, and try my Melting Pot Cheddar Cheese Fondue recipe here. 

Source: "Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step" by Todd Wilbur

Slow-roasted prime rib with "au jus" is a specialty of the popular steakhouse chain, and now you can easily duplicate it at home with these preparation secrets.

This prime rib is served with a delicious jus for dipping, so for my Texas Roadhouse Prime Rib copycat recipe, you'll want a 5-pound roast with bones. After slicing off the bones to use in the jus, tie up the roast, rub it with the marinade/seasoning blend, and let it sit for 24 hours to soak up the goodness.

The next day, you'll sear the roast and slow-cook it for nearly 3 hours, which will give you plenty of time to make the jus with beef broth, carrot, celery, onion, and those bones you sliced off the roast. After about 90 minutes, the beef broth will have reduced to one-quarter its size and will become a fabulous sauce.

After your cooked prime rib has rested for a bit, it's ready to slice—it should be medium-rare and perfectly pink. Serve it with the warm jus and some creamy horseradish on the side.

Try more of my Texas Roadhouse Rolls copycat recipes here.

The best part of a cinnamon roll is the center, so Wendy’s and Cinnabon have teamed up to create a monkey bread-style cinnamon pastry where each bite is like eating the gooey center of the roll. I thought this would be a great hack for home cooks wanting a cool cinnamon roll twist that uses about half the ingredients of a typical cinnamon roll recipe.

My Wendy’s Cinnabon Pull-Apart copycat recipe starts similarly to a traditional cinnamon roll recipe, but for this version, you’ll slice the dough into small strips, fold them into mini cinnamon rolls, and tuck them into the cups of a jumbo muffin pan. After baking, each pull-apart is generously coated with the creamy cream cheese icing I’ve also replicated here for you.

I tweaked my earlier hack of Cinnabon Rolls to improve flavor and streamlined the process for quicker preparation. Unlike the restaurant version, these are big—this copycat hack is about twice the size of the original Wendy’s pastry. But so far, nobody has complained about the heftier serving.

Try my Wendy's Cinnabon Pull-Apart copycat recipe below, and find more of my Wendy's copycat recipes here.