Chevys

Abiding by this large Mexican food chain's "no cans in the kitchen" edict, we'll craft our clone of the delicious flan dessert with fresh whole milk, rather than canned sweetened condensed milk required by most flan recipes out there. The canned stuff has a bit of a funky taste to it anyway, plus it's much too sweet to be an accurate Chevys knockoff. 

When you're ready to make my Chevys Flan recipe below, be sure to get some parchment paper. When laid over the top of the baking pan, the parchment paper helps the flan cook faster and more evenly than if left uncovered. Aluminum foil doesn't seem to work as well since it tends to reflect the heat away from the ramekins of sweet, creamy goodness.

See if I hacked more of your favorites from Chevys here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

This zippy mango salsa clone from America's "Fresh Mex" chain is great sprinkled over fajitas, burritos, tacos, salads, sandwiches—you name it. The salsa is so good on its own, you may be tempted to eat it straight from the bowl with a spoon. A little bit of fresh habanero pepper brings the heat to my Chevy's Mango Salsa recipe, but if you can't track down fresh peppers, use a couple drops of your favorite bottled habanero sauce.

Check out my recipe for Chevy's Fresh Salsa here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Other Mexican food chains such as Chi-Chi's and El Torito call it "Sweet Corn Cake." But at Chevys, the corn-filled, pudding-like stuff that's served with most entrees is known as "Tomalito." Masa harina is what's used to make tamales, and it can be found in your supermarket either with the corn meal and flour, or where the other Mexican/Spanish items are stocked. Everything else here is basic stuff. While other corn cake recipes may require canned corn or canned cream-style corn, Chevys "no cans in the kitchen" commandment requires that my Chevys Sweet Corn Tomalito recipe calls for fresh corn for a proper clone.

See if I hacked more of your favorites from Chevys here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Everyone seems to love these delicious mashed potatoes at the "Fresh Mex" Mexican Food chain. Sure, mashed potatoes may seem like a healthy side dish, but when the traditional recipe includes cream and butter, it's easy to consume more than just a few grams of fat in one small serving.

My fat-crushing Chevys garlic mashed potatoes recipe proves that these spuds don't have to include fat to taste good.

You can find my recipe for the original Chevys Garlic Mashed Potatoes here.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1 1/4 cups
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–285 (Original–338)
Fat per serving–0g (Original–9g)

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Whip out the food processor and fire up the grill because you'll need these essential tools to clone one of the best restaurant salsas in the business. The key to re-creating the flavor of Chevys salsa is to fire roast the tomatoes and the jalapeños, and to add a little mesquite-flavored liquid smoke. The restaurant chain uses a mesquite grill, so follow the steps in my Chevys Fresh Salsa copycat recipe below to get the same smoky flavor as the popular restaurant version.

Chevys uses chipotle peppers, which are smoked red jalapeños. But unless you grow your own jalapeños, it may be difficult to find the riper red variety in your local supermarket. If you can't find the red ones, the green jalapeño peppers will work fine. Adjust the number of jalapeños you use based on the size of the peppers that are available: if you have big jalapeños, you need only 6, and you'll need around 10 if your peppers are small.

Check out my recipes for Chevy's flan, chili con queso, and more here.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–2 tablespoons
Total servings–16
Calories per serving–10
Fat per serving–0g

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Chevys garlic mashed potatoes come alongside many of the tasty entrées at this Mexican restaurant chain, or it can be ordered up, pronto, on the side. It's easy to clone and a nice homemade garlic mashed potatoes recipe to have around, since it goes well with so many of your homemade dishes, Mexican or otherwise. 

Get yourself four large russet potatoes and start peeling, but you don't need to peel all the skin off. Leave a little skin on there for texture. And when you boil the potatoes, toss the whole garlic cloves right in the pot. That way the garlic begins to flavor the potatoes as they boil, and when you mash the potatoes the cooked garlic gets mashed up too.

You can also make a fat-free version using my recipe here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

This top secret clone of the cheesy appetizer from this 107-unit Mexican food chain is perfect to whip out for your festive fiestas. My Chevys Chili Con Queso recipe will make enough of the spicy cheese concoction for plenty of party time double-dipping. The Anaheim chili has a mild spiciness, so we'll toss a jalapeño in there for extra kick. If you can't find an Anaheim pepper, use any mild green chilies that are available, as long as you get about 1/2 cup of diced pepper in the mix.

Find more famous dip recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

In the restaurant, these are made with red chili tortillas. Since those can be hard to find, especially in fat-free versions, well use plain flour fat-free tortillas. Except for the color, you can hardly tell the difference. You'll want to prepare several elements of this recipe ahead of time. The relish and slaw is best when made the day before, and the chicken will have to marinate for an hour or so before you grill it.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1 wrap
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–515 (Original–644)
Fat per serving–5g (Original–15g)

Source: Low-fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

With my Chevys Mesquite-Grilled BBQ Chicken Quesadilla recipe below, you won't need to cook the chicken over a mesquite grill as they do in the restaurant chain. Sure, you could get some mesquite wood chips and throw 'em on your barbecue, or you can use that charcoal that has mesquite in it. But an easier way to get the flavor of mesquite—especially if all you've got is a gas grill—is to soak the chicken in a marinade made with mesquite-flavored liquid smoke. In the restaurant, these puppies are made with red chili tortillas. Since these type of tortillas can be tough to find, especially in fat-free versions, we'll use plain fat-free tortillas for our tasty reduced-fat clone.

Find more of your favorite Chevys recipes here. 

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–2 pieces
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–278 (Original–400)
Fat per serving–10g (Original–20g)

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Here's a sweeter margarita for tequila lovers with a cranberry fetish.

Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.

This one gets its name from the look of the Chambord that's added to the glass after the drink is mixed. Drizzled on top of the drink, the tasty raspberry liqueur serpentines in slow-mo to the bottom of the glass. Since the drink is served layered, instruct your designated drinker to stir before sipping, or get a mouthful of lava.

Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.

This formula re-creates the chain's basic rocks margarita. Nothing fancy, but still good when you use freshly made sweet-and-sour mix.

Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.

If you want to enjoy a really good margarita get to a Mexican food chain and order it "on the rocks." The rocks versions are usually made with top shelf tequilas, rather than the cheaper stuff found in the slushy blended kind. Create your next margarita masterpiece with this bright blue dazzler.

Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.

If by delicious you mean Herradura tequila, Cointreau, orange juice, and homemade sweet-and-sour mix, then, yes, this margarita is quite delicious.

Source: Top Secret Recipes: Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits & Shakes by Todd Wilbur.