THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES

T.G.I. Friday's

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Show: 24
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    T.G.I. Friday's Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta

    Menu Description: “Sauteed chicken, shrimp, red bell peppers in a spicy Cajun Alfredo sauce, Parmesan-Romano and fettuccine. Served with a warm garlic breadstick.”  

    In 1997, I published a clone recipe for T.G.I Friday’s Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta because it was one of the chain’s most popular dishes at the time. But as the years pass and menus get tweaked, old food favorites are decommissioned to make way for fresh, new ideas. Sometimes the new dishes are twists on old favorites, as is this improved version of the classic Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta, which now includes extra-large shrimp and a better spicy Alfredo sauce.  

    My new T.G.I. Friday's Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta copycat recipe starts with a quick brine for moist, flavorful chicken. Prep the chicken and creamy sauce in one pan; the shrimp, bell pepper, and garlic in another.

    When you’re ready to serve the dish, toss the sauce with the pasta, then plate it and top it with minced parsley, and you've got a perfect restaurant-style hack.

    There's a lot more T.G.I. Friday's clone recipes over here

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 10)
    T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries

    Menu Description: "Crunchy and crisp battered green beans with a cool creamy Cucumber-Wasabi Ranch dip."

    T.G.I. Friday's new finger food offering might just make you forget about French fries. At least for a little while. Flavorful green beans are coated with tasty breadcrumbs, then fried to a golden brown, and served with a side of creamy wasabi dipping sauce. This item has quickly become the top seller on the chain's new appetizer menu, as Friday's becomes the first major casual restaurant to introduce a dish that has been popular for several years at upscale chains.

    Creating a home version isn't just a matter of breading and frying fresh green beans. My first attempts using a breading technique employed for perfect onion rings produced beautiful looking fried beans, but they were undercooked and had an overwhelming green bean flavor that was absent from the Friday's version. So, I had to figure out a good way to get the green bean-ness out of there. 

    After a few tests that included steaming, baking, and boiling, I finally settled on blanching the beans in a flavorful broth. The secret technique, which you'll find here in my T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries recipe below, tenderizes the beans while injecting pleasant flavor that closely resembles the Friday's favorite.

    Click here for more T.G.I. Friday's copycat recipes.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    T.G.I. Friday's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad

    Menu Description: "Pecan-crusted chicken, served sliced and chilled on salad greens tossed with Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing, topped with mandarin oranges, sweet-glazed pecans, celery, dried cranberries and bleu cheese."

    With dried cranberries, mandarin orange wedges, bleu cheese, pecan-crusted chicken breast, and a delicious sweet and sour balsamic vinaigrette, it's no wonder this salad is the top pick at one of America's first casual dining chains. And don't be intimidated by all the ingredients. The dressing is a cakewalk since you pour everything except the garlic into a blender. The pecan-crusted chicken is a simple breading process, and the chicken cooks up in a snap. You'll be spending most of your time at the chopping block as you hack pecans into little pieces and get the lettuce, garlic and celery ready. I've designed my T.G.I. Friday's Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad copycat recipe to serve four, but if there are only two of you, you can easily cut it in half.

    Find more yummy T.G.I. Friday's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.70 (votes: 175)
    T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze

    The Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze is one of the most scrumptious sauces you will ever taste on just about any meat. Introduced in April of 1997, this glaze has become one of Friday's best-selling items. This versatile sweet-and-slightly-spicy sauce can be ordered on salmon (pictured here), baby back ribs, steak, chicken, pork chops—even on chicken wings. 

    I was asked to clone the sauce for an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show and I wanted the clone to be a good one, so I persuaded a T.G.I. Friday's server to show me the list of ingredients on the box the sauce was shipped in. I jotted down the info and created my T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze recipe using only those ingredients, which helped a lot in creating this tasty hack. Use it to top your favorite meat, but if you're grilling, be sure to apply the sauce late in the cooking process just before taking the meat off the flame, since the sauce has a lot of sugar in it and will quickly burn. And don't forget to serve extra on the side.

    Click here for more of my copycat recipes from T.G.I. Friday's.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 7)
    T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup

    If you start making black bean soup in the morning using other recipes out there, you're lucky to be slurping soup by lunchtime. That's because most recipes require dry beans that have to re-hydrate for at least a couple hours, and many recipes say "overnight." But, you know, tomorrow is just too far away when you're craving soup right now. 

    So, for this often requested T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup recipe, I sped up the process by incorporating canned black beans, rather than the dry ones. That way, once you get all the veggies chopped, you'll be souped up in just about an hour. Friday's version of this soup has a slightly smoky flavor that's easily duplicated here with just a little bit of concentrated liquid smoke flavoring found in most supermarkets. Just be sure to get the kind that says "hickory flavor."

    Try more of my T.G.I. Friday's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.38 (votes: 8)
    T.G.I. Friday's Broccoli Cheese Soup

    So good, and yet so easy. Now you can re-create this amazing soup at home by tossing a few ingredients into a saucepan. Try to find one of the large 32-ounce cartons of chicken broth from Swanson—there's four cups in there, so it's perfect for my T.G.I. Friday's broccoli cheese soup recipe. One big head of broccoli should provide enough florets for you. Use only the florets and ditch the tough stems, but be sure to cut the florets into bite-size pieces before dropping them in.

    Grab your favorite T.G.I. Friday's recipes over here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    T.G.I. Friday's Sesame Jack Strips

    Menu Description: “Golden brown, chicken breast strips coated with crispy Japanese panko breadcrumbs with the extra crunch of toasted sesame seeds and tossed in our famous Jack Daniel's sauce.”

    Although the original recipe is made from sliced chicken breasts, you may consider using the less chewy tenderloins in this kitchen copy. Packs of fresh chicken tenderloins are sold in most markets and you can also find bags of them in the freezer section. I’m a big fan of the more tender meat in the tenderloins, especially when it comes to chicken fingers. 

    The breading for my T.G.I. Friday's Sesame Jack Strips copycat recipe is a simple combination of flour and panko (or Japanese bread crumbs). When the chicken fingers are done frying, gently toss them in the Jack Daniel’s glaze made from my recipe here, and you’ve got a great appetizer that can serve a half dozen finger food fanatics.

    I've cloned a ton of items from T.G.I. Friday's. Click here to see if I hacked your favorite. 

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.67 (votes: 3)
    T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Glazed Ribs

    Menu Description: "This full side of baby back pork ribs is first cooked until it’s fall-off-the-bone tender, then seasoned with Cajun spices, fire-grilled and brushed with our famous Jack Daniel’s glaze. Served with crispy fries and coleslaw.”

    To re-create these great T.G.I Friday's Jack Daniel's Glazed Ribs, you first must clone the Jack Daniel's glaze. Once that's done, pop the ribs in the oven and get crackin’ on the Cajun seasoning. When the racks come out of the oven, slap ‘em on the grill for a few minutes until grill marks form, and chow down.

    Find your favorite famous side-dish recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    T.G.I. Friday's Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

    Menu Description: “Italian grandmothers everywhere are getting jealous over this recipe. Angel hair pasta tossed with fresh bruschetta marinara, fire-grilled chicken breast in a balsamic glaze, and parmesan shavings.”

    When you introduce the balsamic glaze to the angel hair pasta that’s been tossed with the slightly tangy bruschetta marinara, you are re-creating the same sweet-and-sour flavor combination that has made this a top pasta choice at T.G.I. Friday’s. It’s best to find an empty squirt bottle to hold the balsamic glaze so that you can evenly apply it to each serving. 

    You’ll have to plan ahead a little for my T.G.I. Friday's bruschetta chicken pasta copycat recipe so that the chicken can marinate in the brine. This important step will fill the chicken with the perfect flavor and moistness. You can make the marinara a day ahead if you like and chill until you need it. The glaze can be made ahead of time as well and stored in a covered container at room temperature for several days.

    Find more of my T.G.I. Friday's copycat recipes here

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip

    Menu Description: "Parmesan and Romano cheeses blended with spinach, artichokes and sautéed onions & peppers. Served with Friday's red & white tortilla chips."

    Many casual chains have their own version of spinach artichoke dip somewhere on the appetizer menu, but one of the most popular versions is found at this huge national chain. 

    For our homemade version, well use marinated artichoke hearts to contribute the slightly acidic flavor found in the original. My T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip recipe below uses a stove top preparation, but you can also prepare a version of this dip entirely in your microwave using the technique at the bottom in Tidbits. 

    You'll find a ton of recipes for T.G.I. Friday's best dishes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Portobello Melt

    Menu Description: "Sliced Portobello mushrooms between layers of Provolone & Monterey Jack cheeses, roasted onions and tomatoes on grilled, buttery bread."

    Contestants on the November 1, 2006 episode of Top Chef on Bravo were challenged to take a childhood favorite dish and update it with a twist. Friday's Senior Executive Chef Stephen Bulgarelli sat at the judges table and endured a bizarre wonderland mushroom plate, a sloppy cheese steak sandwich, and an over-salted surf and turf tragedy. Finally, it was the delicious variation on a grilled cheese sandwich created by Betty Fraser that took the top spot. As a reward, Betty's sandwich was added to over 500 Friday's menus across the country, and now we have a Top Secret clone to easily recreate the tasty winner at home. Friday's modified Betty's recipe to make it easier to prepare in the quick-service environment of the restaurant, and that's the version I've cloned for you in this recipe.

    Click here to see if I hacked more of your favorites from T.G.I. Friday's.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.80 (votes: 5)
    T.G.I. Friday's Martinis

    Celebrate life with clones for two of Friday's delicious new martinis: the super tasty Pomegranate Martini features Pama, the first pomegranate liqueur, and the Candy Apple Martini that tastes like a liquid caramel apple—really good stuff. As with any properly prepared martini, be sure to chill each glass by filling it with ice before making the drink, and shake everything up with much fury and enthusiasm before pouring.

    Think of all the fun you can have making more of your favorite drinks with these recipes.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 14)
    T.G.I. Friday's Dragonfire Chicken

    Menu Description: "Marinated chicken breast topped with fiery kung pao sauce, mandarin oranges and pineapple pico de gallo."

    This Friday's low-fat creation does not skimp on flavor. A marinade, a spicy sauce, and a fresh salsa all pitch in for some big-time taste bud satisfaction. Sprinkle mandarin orange sections over the top if you've got 'em, and you will completely re-create the look and taste of this great dish at home.

    Try my T.G.I. Friday's Dragonfire chicken recipe below, and click here for dessert ideas.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    T.G.I. Friday's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta

    Menu Description: "Fettuccine tossed with sauteed chicken, mushrooms, onions and red and green peppers in Friday's own spicy, tomato Creole sauce." 

    This dish is a bit like jambalaya except the rice has been replaced with pasta.

    Use a large pan for this recipe, and note that for the chicken stock or broth, you can also use a chicken bouillon cube dissolved in boiling water. This recipe makes two large restaurant-size portions, but could easily serve a family of four.

    Try my improved version of the classic Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta here, which now includes extra-large shrimp and a better spicy alfredo sauce.  

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla

    Menu Description: "Our flour tortilla is packed with sauteed chicken, sausage, bruschetta marinara, bacon and oozing with Monterey Jack cheese. We coat it with Parmesan, and pan-fry it to a crispy, golden brown, then drizzle it with balsamic glaze."

    Italy meets Mexico in this new hit appetizer that combines a cheese-filled tortilla with ingredients you wouldn't usually find inside a quesadilla, including T.G.I. Friday's bruschetta marinara. Parmesan cheese is crusted on the outside of the tortilla, and the balsamic glaze drizzle is the perfect finishing touch. This is an awesome party dish appetizer, since my T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla recipe makes 4 quesadillas that can each be sliced into as many as 8 pieces.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Shrimp

    T.G.I. Friday's engineered a system-wide rejuvenation by upgrading the look of the restaurants and replacing many old menu items with new, creative dishes, including several Atkins-approved low-carb selections. Though not low-carb (because of the potatoes) this new menu addition is still a healthy entrée choice, and the presentation is cool with the dish coming to your table in a sizzling iron skillet just like fajitas. 

    My T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Shrimp recipe re-creates that same sizzling presentation in a large serving for two. If you want to serve more, add another 8 to 10 shrimp to the recipe—there are plenty of peppers and other stuff in there, so the recipe will still work. Pop an oven-safe skillet into the oven as the potatoes are baking. This way, when the dish is ready to serve, you transfer it to this blazing hot pan just before bringing it to the table. Ah, listen to that sizzle. Since this pan will be heating up in a very hot oven, be sure not to use a skillet with a plastic handle that could melt. A large cast-iron skillet is the best choice, if you've got one. If you don't have an oven-safe pan, you can always heat up your skillet on the stove top.

    Want more T.G.I. Friday's at home? Find more of my recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Nine-Layer Dip

    Menu Description: "Refried beans, cheddar cheese, guacamole, black olives, seasoned sour cream, green onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Served with tortilla chips and fresh salsa."

    When the first T.G.I. Friday's opened in New York City in 1965 as a meeting place for single adults, Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post reported that it was the beginning of the "singles age." Today the restaurant's customers have matured, many are married, and they bring their children with them to the more than 300 Friday's across the country and around the world.

    The Nine-Layer Dip is an often requested appetizer on the T.G.I. Friday's menu. This dish will serve half a dozen people easily, so it's perfect for a small gathering. Don't worry if there's only a couple of you—leftovers can be refrigerated for a day or two. 

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.67 (votes: 6)
    T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins

    Menu Description: "Loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon. Served with sour cream and chives."

    Perfume salesman Alan Stillman was a single guy in New York City in 1965, looking for a way to meet women who lived in his neighborhood. He figured out a way to get their attention: buy a broken-down beer joint in the area, jazz it up, and call it "The T.G.I.F." to attract the career crowd. Within a week, police had barricaded the area to control crowds flocking to Alan's new restaurant. The restaurant made $1 million in its first year—a lot of dough back then. Soon restaurateurs across the country were imitating the concept.

    In 1974 T.G.I. Friday's invented an appetizer that would also be copied by many in the following years. Potato skins are still the most popular item on the T.G.I. Friday's menu, with nearly 4 million orders served every year. The recipe has the added benefit of providing you with leftover baked potato ready for mashing.

    T.G.I Friday's has several popular dishes. See if I cloned your favorites here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins Reduced-Fat

    Potato skins are good for you, but those at chain restaurants can be loaded with fat and calories. For my appearance on The Dr. Oz Show I created this version using oil spray, turkey bacon and reduced-fat cheese to clone the famous potato skins, but with around one-third of the calories and one-quarter of the fat. 
     
    Todd's Dr. Oz Clone
    Calories: 178 (3 pieces)
    Fat: 9g

    Original T.G.I. Friday's
    Calories: 624
    Fat: 41g

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  • Score: 4.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's Dijon Chicken Pasta Reduced Fat

    That creamy, white Dijon sauce that smothers the original version of this delicious pasta is luscious indeed but cursed by oodles of flabby fat grams. This can be fixed in our reduce-fat clone by using strained fat-free yogurt-an ingredient apparently inspired by the ancient Mediterranean technique of straining yogurt through a cheesecloth-that adds a thick, creamy conistency to our sauce without adding fat.

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

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size - 1 Entree
    Total Servings - 4
    Calories - 730 / Original - 930
    Fat - 8 g / Original - 45g

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's November Sea Breeze Fling

    Not only does the restaurant still serve some of the tastiest cocktails and mixed drinks, but T.G.I. Friday's also has one of the best selections of custom non-alcoholic drinks in the business. The smoothies and shakes at Friday's are all excellent, as are the designer sodas called "Flings." These are hand-mixed soda beverages made in a fashion reminiscent of old-time soda fountains. Juices and sweeteners are mixed with cold soda water and served over ice—you can't go wrong with one of these. The Fling cloned here uses cranberry juice, apple juice, simple syrup, and sweet-and-sour mix.

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

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Smoothies

    Menu Description: "Healthful, nonalcoholic frozen fruit drinks." Gold Medalist: "Coconut and pineapple, blended with grenadine, strawberries and bananas." Tropical Runner: "Fresh banana, pineapple and pina colada mix with frozen with crushed ice."

    From the "obscure statistics" file, T.G.I. Friday's promotional material claims the restaurant was the first chain to offer stone-ground whole wheat bread as an option to its guest. It was also the first chain to put avocados, bean sprouts, and Mexican appetizers on the menu.

    Also a first: Friday's Smoothies. In response to growing demand for nonalcoholic drinks, T.G.I. Friday's created smoothies. Here are recipes to clone two of the nine different fruit blend varieties. 

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.00 (votes: 2)
    T.G.I. Friday's Fried Mac & Cheese

    Menu Description: "Irresistible, creamy cheeses and elbow noodles golden fried to perfection."

    When T.G.I. Friday's vice president of research and development Phil Costner was in Las Vegas at Fix restaurant in the Bellagio in 2006, he tried a version of this fantastic finger food and immediately went to work locating a supplier to develop the dish for his chain of 550 restaurants. Now Fried Mac & Cheese is one of seven "radically new" finger foods on Friday's appetizer menu that includes Crispy Green Bean Fries, Potato Skinny Dippers and Triple Meat Fundido. After several hours in the underground lab I decided on a couple ways to approach this particular clone. Since Friday's Fried Mac & Cheese is made with a blend of cheeses, I'll first show you how to re-create the mac & cheese from scratch using Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses. And for those of you who love shortcuts, head on down to the Tidbits at the bottom of the recipe and I'll show you how to clone our T.G.I. Friday's Fried Mac & Cheese recipe appetizer much faster using frozen Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese.
     
    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Fat-Free Cheesecake

    This cheesecake at T.G.I. Fridays tastes like a decadent, fat-filled dessert—creamy and delicious. It's hard to believe that there is not a single gram of fat in a serving. This clone recipe will solve the problems of other fat-free cheesecake recipes—too tough or too grainy— and produce a dessert that tastes amazing, just like the popular cheesecake you can order at one of America's most successful restaurant chains.

    You'll need a 9-inch springform pan for this recipe, and be sure to let the cream cheese come to room temperature before you use it. Serve this one to your friends and watch the surprise when you tell them it's 100 percent fat-free. 

    Nutrition Facts 
    Serving size–1 slices 
    Total servings–12 
    Calories per serving–223 
    Fat per serving–0g

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

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Products: 124 of 32
Show: 24

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    T.G.I. Friday's Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta

    Menu Description: “Sauteed chicken, shrimp, red bell peppers in a spicy Cajun Alfredo sauce, Parmesan-Romano and fettuccine. Served with a warm garlic breadstick.”  

    In 1997, I published a clone recipe for T.G.I Friday’s Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta because it was one of the chain’s most popular dishes at the time. But as the years pass and menus get tweaked, old food favorites are decommissioned to make way for fresh, new ideas. Sometimes the new dishes are twists on old favorites, as is this improved version of the classic Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta, which now includes extra-large shrimp and a better spicy Alfredo sauce.  

    My new T.G.I. Friday's Cajun Shrimp and Chicken Pasta copycat recipe starts with a quick brine for moist, flavorful chicken. Prep the chicken and creamy sauce in one pan; the shrimp, bell pepper, and garlic in another.

    When you’re ready to serve the dish, toss the sauce with the pasta, then plate it and top it with minced parsley, and you've got a perfect restaurant-style hack.

    There's a lot more T.G.I. Friday's clone recipes over here

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Portobello Melt

    Menu Description: "Sliced Portobello mushrooms between layers of Provolone & Monterey Jack cheeses, roasted onions and tomatoes on grilled, buttery bread."

    Contestants on the November 1, 2006 episode of Top Chef on Bravo were challenged to take a childhood favorite dish and update it with a twist. Friday's Senior Executive Chef Stephen Bulgarelli sat at the judges table and endured a bizarre wonderland mushroom plate, a sloppy cheese steak sandwich, and an over-salted surf and turf tragedy. Finally, it was the delicious variation on a grilled cheese sandwich created by Betty Fraser that took the top spot. As a reward, Betty's sandwich was added to over 500 Friday's menus across the country, and now we have a Top Secret clone to easily recreate the tasty winner at home. Friday's modified Betty's recipe to make it easier to prepare in the quick-service environment of the restaurant, and that's the version I've cloned for you in this recipe.

    Click here to see if I hacked more of your favorites from T.G.I. Friday's.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's California Chargrilled Turkey Sandwich

    Menu Description: "Chargrilled all-white meat turkey burger, served on a toasted whole wheat bun with lettuce, tomatoes, alfalfa sprouts, onions and avocado."

    Noting the success of the first T.G.I. Friday's in New York City, a group of fun-loving Dallas businessmen opened the first franchise store. The investors decorated their Dallas T.G.I. Friday's with antiques and collectibles gathered from around the countryside—now all of the Friday's are decorated that way. Six months after the opening of the Dallas location, waiters and waitresses began doing skits and riding bicycles and roller skates around the restaurant. That's also when the now defunct tradition of ringing in every Friday evolved. Thursday night at midnight was like a New Year's Eve party at T.G.I. Friday's, with champagne, confetti, noisemakers, and a guy jumping around in a gorilla suit.

    Here's a favorite of burger lovers who don't care where the beef is. It's an alternative to America's most popular food with turkey instead of beef, plus some alfalfa sprouts and avocado to give it a "California" twist.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's BBQ Chicken Wings Reduced-Fat

    You've got to hand it to him. Alan Stillman thought that if he opened his own restaurant, it might be a great way to meet the flight attendants who lived in his New York City neighborhood. Not only did the dude follow through on his plan in 1965 with the first T.G.I. Friday's, but today the company is 387 units strong. 

    Friday's kitchen came up with a delicious blend of barbecue sauce and apple butter for coating the deep-fried chicken wings. For our reduced-fat clone, we'll re-create the same taste of the barbecue sauce, but we'll strip the skin from the chicken wings and bake the wings to cut the fat way down.

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving size–3 pieces
    Total servings–4
    Calories per serving–150 (Original–235)
    Fat per serving–6 g (Original–16 g)

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

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  • Not rated yet
    T.G.I. Friday's Smoothies

    Menu Description: "Healthful, nonalcoholic frozen fruit drinks." Gold Medalist: "Coconut and pineapple, blended with grenadine, strawberries and bananas." Tropical Runner: "Fresh banana, pineapple and pina colada mix with frozen with crushed ice."

    From the "obscure statistics" file, T.G.I. Friday's promotional material claims the restaurant was the first chain to offer stone-ground whole wheat bread as an option to its guest. It was also the first chain to put avocados, bean sprouts, and Mexican appetizers on the menu.

    Also a first: Friday's Smoothies. In response to growing demand for nonalcoholic drinks, T.G.I. Friday's created smoothies. Here are recipes to clone two of the nine different fruit blend varieties. 

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's November Sea Breeze Fling

    Not only does the restaurant still serve some of the tastiest cocktails and mixed drinks, but T.G.I. Friday's also has one of the best selections of custom non-alcoholic drinks in the business. The smoothies and shakes at Friday's are all excellent, as are the designer sodas called "Flings." These are hand-mixed soda beverages made in a fashion reminiscent of old-time soda fountains. Juices and sweeteners are mixed with cold soda water and served over ice—you can't go wrong with one of these. The Fling cloned here uses cranberry juice, apple juice, simple syrup, and sweet-and-sour mix.

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

    Read more
  • Score: 4.67 (votes: 6)
    T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins

    Menu Description: "Loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon. Served with sour cream and chives."

    Perfume salesman Alan Stillman was a single guy in New York City in 1965, looking for a way to meet women who lived in his neighborhood. He figured out a way to get their attention: buy a broken-down beer joint in the area, jazz it up, and call it "The T.G.I.F." to attract the career crowd. Within a week, police had barricaded the area to control crowds flocking to Alan's new restaurant. The restaurant made $1 million in its first year—a lot of dough back then. Soon restaurateurs across the country were imitating the concept.

    In 1974 T.G.I. Friday's invented an appetizer that would also be copied by many in the following years. Potato skins are still the most popular item on the T.G.I. Friday's menu, with nearly 4 million orders served every year. The recipe has the added benefit of providing you with leftover baked potato ready for mashing.

    T.G.I Friday's has several popular dishes. See if I cloned your favorites here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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    T.G.I. Friday's Nine-Layer Dip

    Menu Description: "Refried beans, cheddar cheese, guacamole, black olives, seasoned sour cream, green onions, tomatoes and cilantro. Served with tortilla chips and fresh salsa."

    When the first T.G.I. Friday's opened in New York City in 1965 as a meeting place for single adults, Newsweek and The Saturday Evening Post reported that it was the beginning of the "singles age." Today the restaurant's customers have matured, many are married, and they bring their children with them to the more than 300 Friday's across the country and around the world.

    The Nine-Layer Dip is an often requested appetizer on the T.G.I. Friday's menu. This dish will serve half a dozen people easily, so it's perfect for a small gathering. Don't worry if there's only a couple of you—leftovers can be refrigerated for a day or two. 

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's Dijon Chicken Pasta Reduced Fat

    That creamy, white Dijon sauce that smothers the original version of this delicious pasta is luscious indeed but cursed by oodles of flabby fat grams. This can be fixed in our reduce-fat clone by using strained fat-free yogurt-an ingredient apparently inspired by the ancient Mediterranean technique of straining yogurt through a cheesecloth-that adds a thick, creamy conistency to our sauce without adding fat.

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

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving Size - 1 Entree
    Total Servings - 4
    Calories - 730 / Original - 930
    Fat - 8 g / Original - 45g

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  • Score: 4.80 (votes: 5)
    T.G.I. Friday's Martinis

    Celebrate life with clones for two of Friday's delicious new martinis: the super tasty Pomegranate Martini features Pama, the first pomegranate liqueur, and the Candy Apple Martini that tastes like a liquid caramel apple—really good stuff. As with any properly prepared martini, be sure to chill each glass by filling it with ice before making the drink, and shake everything up with much fury and enthusiasm before pouring.

    Think of all the fun you can have making more of your favorite drinks with these recipes.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Shrimp

    T.G.I. Friday's engineered a system-wide rejuvenation by upgrading the look of the restaurants and replacing many old menu items with new, creative dishes, including several Atkins-approved low-carb selections. Though not low-carb (because of the potatoes) this new menu addition is still a healthy entrée choice, and the presentation is cool with the dish coming to your table in a sizzling iron skillet just like fajitas. 

    My T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Shrimp recipe re-creates that same sizzling presentation in a large serving for two. If you want to serve more, add another 8 to 10 shrimp to the recipe—there are plenty of peppers and other stuff in there, so the recipe will still work. Pop an oven-safe skillet into the oven as the potatoes are baking. This way, when the dish is ready to serve, you transfer it to this blazing hot pan just before bringing it to the table. Ah, listen to that sizzle. Since this pan will be heating up in a very hot oven, be sure not to use a skillet with a plastic handle that could melt. A large cast-iron skillet is the best choice, if you've got one. If you don't have an oven-safe pan, you can always heat up your skillet on the stove top.

    Want more T.G.I. Friday's at home? Find more of my recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.38 (votes: 8)
    T.G.I. Friday's Broccoli Cheese Soup

    So good, and yet so easy. Now you can re-create this amazing soup at home by tossing a few ingredients into a saucepan. Try to find one of the large 32-ounce cartons of chicken broth from Swanson—there's four cups in there, so it's perfect for my T.G.I. Friday's broccoli cheese soup recipe. One big head of broccoli should provide enough florets for you. Use only the florets and ditch the tough stems, but be sure to cut the florets into bite-size pieces before dropping them in.

    Grab your favorite T.G.I. Friday's recipes over here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.70 (votes: 175)
    T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze

    The Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze is one of the most scrumptious sauces you will ever taste on just about any meat. Introduced in April of 1997, this glaze has become one of Friday's best-selling items. This versatile sweet-and-slightly-spicy sauce can be ordered on salmon (pictured here), baby back ribs, steak, chicken, pork chops—even on chicken wings. 

    I was asked to clone the sauce for an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show and I wanted the clone to be a good one, so I persuaded a T.G.I. Friday's server to show me the list of ingredients on the box the sauce was shipped in. I jotted down the info and created my T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Grill Glaze recipe using only those ingredients, which helped a lot in creating this tasty hack. Use it to top your favorite meat, but if you're grilling, be sure to apply the sauce late in the cooking process just before taking the meat off the flame, since the sauce has a lot of sugar in it and will quickly burn. And don't forget to serve extra on the side.

    Click here for more of my copycat recipes from T.G.I. Friday's.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

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    T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla

    Menu Description: "Our flour tortilla is packed with sauteed chicken, sausage, bruschetta marinara, bacon and oozing with Monterey Jack cheese. We coat it with Parmesan, and pan-fry it to a crispy, golden brown, then drizzle it with balsamic glaze."

    Italy meets Mexico in this new hit appetizer that combines a cheese-filled tortilla with ingredients you wouldn't usually find inside a quesadilla, including T.G.I. Friday's bruschetta marinara. Parmesan cheese is crusted on the outside of the tortilla, and the balsamic glaze drizzle is the perfect finishing touch. This is an awesome party dish appetizer, since my T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla recipe makes 4 quesadillas that can each be sliced into as many as 8 pieces.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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    T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins Reduced-Fat

    Potato skins are good for you, but those at chain restaurants can be loaded with fat and calories. For my appearance on The Dr. Oz Show I created this version using oil spray, turkey bacon and reduced-fat cheese to clone the famous potato skins, but with around one-third of the calories and one-quarter of the fat. 
     
    Todd's Dr. Oz Clone
    Calories: 178 (3 pieces)
    Fat: 9g

    Original T.G.I. Friday's
    Calories: 624
    Fat: 41g

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I'm Todd Wilbur, Chronic Food Hacker

For over 30 years I've been deconstructing America's most iconic brand-name foods to make the best original copycat recipes for you to use at home. Welcome to my lab.

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