THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
Applebee's Pizza Sticks copycat recipe by Todd Wilbur

Applebee's Pizza Sticks

Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
Reviews: 1
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Menu Description: "Parmesan: Thin crusty strips of pizza dough topped with herbs and melted Italian cheese, served with marinara sauce. Loaded: Add Italian sausage and pepperoni."

Each Applebee's makes an effort to decorate the inside of the restaurant with pictures and memorabilia from the neighborhood in which it is located. You'll see photographs of local heroes and students, license plates, banners, old souvenirs, trinkets, and antiques-all representing area history. Take a look around the walls of the next Applebee's you visit. Maybe you can find something you lost several years ago.

Meanwhile, here's a find: pizza sticks that are made from dough that is proofed, fried, and then broiled. The frying adds a unique flavor and texture to the dough that you won't get with traditional pizza. I've designed my Applebee's pizza sticks copycat recipe to use the premade dough that comes in tubes. You know, like the stuff from that dough boy. But you can make this with any dough recipe you like. Just roll the dough into a 10x15-inch rectangle before slicing.

These appetizers can be made either in the Parmesan version without meat, or "loaded" with sausage and pepperoni. This recipe yields a lot, so it makes good party food.

Speaking of party food, you can check out more of my copycat appetizers here

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Get This

Marinara Dipping Sauce
  • 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 tomato, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon diced onion
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon dried basil
Parmesan Pizza Sticks
  • 1 10-ounce tube instant pizza dough (Pillsbury is good)
  • 2 to 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 3/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
  • 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
Optional (for the "Loaded")
  • 3 ounces pepperoni, diced
  • 3 ounces Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
Do This

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Prepare the dipping sauce by combining all of the marinara ingredients in a small, uncovered saucepan, and bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer the sauce for 1/2 hour. (The sauce can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for several days.)

3. Prepare the pizza sticks by first proofing the dough. Unroll the dough onto a cutting board and straighten the edges. It should form a rectangle that is longer from the left to the right than top to bottom. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice through the middle of the dough lengthwise. This will divide the rectangle into two thinner rectangles that will measure 4 to 5 inches from the top to bottom.

4. Slice the dough from top to bottom into 1 1/2-inch wide pieces. You should have somewhere between 20 and 24 dough slices.

5. Place the slices onto a greased cookie sheet about 1/2 inch apart and bake for 3 minutes. You may have to use more than one cookie sheet. This will proof the dough so that it becomes stiff.

6. Heat vegetable oil in frying pan or deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Oil should be at least 1/2 inch deep if using a stovetop pan. You will want to use more oil with a deep fryer.

7. Fry pizza sticks 5 to 6 at a time for about 1 minute per side or until they are a dark golden brown. Remove them from the oil onto a cloth or paper towel to drain.

8. When all the pizza dough sticks are fried, arrange them once again on the cookie sheet(s). You may want to line the cookie sheets with foil to make cleanup easier. Preheat the broiler.

9. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the dough.

10. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the mozzarella.

11. Combine the oregano, basil, caraway seeds, and garlic salt in a small bowl. If your oregano and basil are fairly coarse you can use your thumb and first finger to crunch the spice up a little, making it a finer blend.

12. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the cheese.

13. If you want to make the "loaded" variety, sprinkle the pepperoni and sausage over the top of the pizza sticks.

14. Broil the pizza sticks for two minutes or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with dipping sauce of the side.

Serves 6 to 8 as an appetizer.

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Reviews
Luke
Sep 21, 2017, 10:34
I can't believe how easy these are to make! My fussy 9 year old could not get enough. I will definitely make these again.

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    Nutrition Facts
    Serving size–1 bagel
    Total servings–4
    Calories per serving–Plain 337, Everything 356, Jalapeno 340
    Fat per serving–Plain 1g, Everything 2g, Jalapeno 1g

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur. 

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  • Score: 4.79 (votes: 28)
    Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup

    Chili's Chicken Enchilada soup happens to be one of the chain's most raved-about items, and the subject of many a recipe search here on the site. Part of the secret in crafting your clone is the addition of masa harina—a corn flour that you'll find in your supermarket near the other flours, or where all the Mexican foodstuffs are stocked.

    Try my Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup copycat recipe below, and complete your meal with more of my Chili's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    Carrabba's House Salad Dressing (Creamy Parmesan)

    When Johnny Carrabba and his uncle Damian Mandola opened the first Carrabba's restaurant in 1986, they used a collection of their own traditional family recipes to craft a terrific Italian menu. You'll even find the names of friends and family in several of those dishes including Pollo Rosa Maria, Chicken Bryan, Scampi Damian and Insalata Johnny Rocco.

    Now you can easily re-create the taste of the delicious creamy Parmesan dressing that's tossed into the salad and served before each Carrabba's entrée. And you need only six ingredients. For the grated Parmesan cheese, go ahead and use the stuff made by Kraft that comes in the green shaker canisters. And if you don't have any buttermilk, you can substitute regular milk. Since it's so thick, this dressing is best when tossed into your salad before serving it, just like the real thing.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 7)
    Mrs. Fields Pumpkin Harvest Cookies

    You're not in the mood for pumpkin pie, but you want to bake something with pumpkin in it for the holidays. Give my Mrs. Fields Pumpkin Harvest Cookies recipe below a shot. You'll use pure canned pumpkin, plus there are pecans in there and chunks of white chocolate that can be chopped up from bars. Pull the cookies out when they're still soft in the middle and just slightly browned around the edges, and you'll produce 2 dozen perfectly baked pumpkin-pumped happy pucks.

    Update 10/12/17: A more accurate measurement for the flour in this recipe is 14 ounces by weight. If you don't have a scale, add another 2 tablespoons to the 2 1/2 cups of flour called for in the recipe. Also, you may get better results if you bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 16 minutes, or until they are just beginning to turn light brown around the bottom edges.

    Check out my other Mrs. Fields copycat recipes here

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.87 (votes: 15)
    Olive Garden Chicken Scampi

    Menu Description: "Chicken breast tenderloins sauteed with bell peppers, roasted garlic and onions in a garlic cream sauce over angel hair."

    This chicken scampi dish is a big favorite of Olive Garden regulars. Chicken tenderloins are lightly breaded and sautéed along with colorful bell peppers and chopped red onion. Angel hair pasta is tossed into the pan along with a healthy dose of fresh scampi sauce. 

    The sauce is really the star, so you might think about doubling the recipe. If you're cooking for two, you can prepare my Olive Garden Chicken Scampi copycat recipe for the table in one large skillet, saving the remaining ingredients for another meal. If you're making all four servings at once, you need two skillets. If you can't find fresh chicken tenderloins (the tender part of the chicken breast), you can usually find bags of them in the freezer section. 

    Find more delicious recipes for Olive Garden's most famous dishes here

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3

    Exclusive signed copy. America's best copycat recipes! Save money and amaze your friends with all-new culinary carbon copies from the Clone Recipe King!

    For more than 30 years, Todd Wilbur has been obsessed with reverse-engineering famous foods. Using every day ingredients to replicate signature restaurant dishes at home, Todd shares his delectable discoveries with readers everywhere.

    Now, his super-sleuthing taste buds are back to work in the third installment of his mega-bestselling Top Secret Restaurant Recipes series, with 150 sensational new recipes that unlock the delicious formulas for re-creating your favorite dishes from America's most popular restaurant chains. Todd's top secret blueprints and simple step-by-step instructions guarantee great success for even novice cooks. And when preparing these amazing taste-alike dishes at home, you'll be paying up to 75 percent less than eating out!

    Find out how to make your own home versions of: Pizza Hut Pan Pizza, T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries, Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone, Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate, P.F. Chang's Kung Pao Chicken, Max & Erma's Tortilla Soup, Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake, Olive Garden Breadsticks, Cheesecake Factory Fresh Banana Cream Cheesecake, Carrabba's Chicken Bryan, Famous Dave's Corn Muffins, Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under, T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Glazed Ribs, and much, much more...

    Simple. Foolproof. Easy to Prepare. And so delicious you'll swear it's the real thing!

    You may also like Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2, and Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step

    Contents
    Applebee's Apple Walnut Chicken Salad
    Applebee's Chocolate Mousse Dessert Shooter
    Applebee's Grilled Shrimp 'N Spinach Salad
    Applebee's Key Lime Pie Dessert Shooter
    Applebee's Red Apple Sangria
    Applebee's Strawberry Cheesecake Dessert Shooter
    Applebee's Tomato Basil Soup
    Applebee's White  Peach Sangria
    Bahama Breeze Island Onion Rings
    Bahama Breese West Indian Patties
    BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Chili
    BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Famous Pizookie
    BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast
    BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
    Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp
    Bonefish Grill Citrus Herb Vinaigrette
    Bonefish Grill Saucy Shrimp
    Buca di Beppo Garlic Bread and Garlic Bread with Mozzarella
    Buca di Beppo Chicken Limone
    Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing Sauce
    Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Garlic Sauce
    California Pizza Kitchen The Original BBQ Chicken Chopped Salad
    California Pizza Kitchen Original Chopped Salad
    Carrabba's Spicy Sausage Lentil Soup
    Carrabba's Chicken Bryan
    Cheeseburger in Paradise BBQ Jerk Ribs
    Cheeseburger in Paradise Sweet Potato Chips
    Cheeseburger in Paradise El Cubano Sandwich
    Cheesecake Factory Famous Factory Meatloaf
    Cheesecake Factory Miso Salmon
    Cheesecake Factory Pineapple Pisco Sour
    Cheesecake Factory Thai Lettuce Wraps
    Cheesecake Factory Banana Cream Cheesecake
    Cheesecake Factory Stefanie's Ultimate Red Velvet Cheesecake
    Chili's Honey-Chipotle Chicken Crispers
    Chili's Cajun Ribeye
    Chili's Firecracker Tilapia
    Chili's Quesadilla Explosion Salad
    Chili's Nacho Burger
    Chili's White Chocolate Molten Cake
    Cracker Barrel Cole Slaw
    Cracker Barrel Double Chocolate Fudge Coca-Cola Cake
    Cracker Barrel Macaroni n' Cheese
    Denny's Cherry Cherry Limeade
    Denny's Pancake Puppies
    Denny's Broccoli Cheese Soup
    Famous Dave's Corn Muffins
    Famous Dave's Smoked Salmon Spread
    Famous Dave's Wilbur Beans
    Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Wicked Cajun Barbecue Shrimp
    Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni & Cheese
    Fleming's Prime Steakhouse Fleming's Potatoes
    Fuddruckers Hamburger Seasoning
    Gordon Biersch Cran Blueberi Lemonade Cocktail
    Gordon Biersch Garlic Fries
    Gordon Biersch Raspberry Iced Tea Cocktail
    Gordon Biersch Warm Apple Bread Pudding
    Hard Rock Cafe Tupelo Style Chicken
    Hard Rock Cafe Twisted Mac & Cheese
    Hooter's Fried Pickles
    Houston's House Vinaigrette
    Houston's Couscous
    IHOP Banana Macadamia Nut Pancakes
    IHOP Corn Cake Pancakes
    IHOP Funnel Cakes
    IHOP Shortcake Pancakes
    Joe's Crab Shack Crab Nachos
    Joe's Crab Shack Great Balls of Fire
    Joes Crab Shack Spicy Boil
    Joe's Crab Shack BBQ Crab
    Joe's Stone  Crab Garlic Creamed Spinach
    Joe's Stone  Crab Grilled Tomatoes
    Joe's Stone  Crab Jennie's Potatoes
    Joe's Stone  Crab Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes
    Margaritaville Havanas and Bananas Cocktail
    Margaritaville Incommunicado Cocktail
    Margaritaville Volcano Nachos
    Margaritaville Jerk Salmon
    Mastro's Steakhouse Gorgonzola Macaroni & Cheese
    Mastro's Steakhouse Steak Seasoning
    Mastro's Steakhouse Warm Butter Cake
    Max & Erma's Tortilla Soup
    Mimi's Cafe Buttermilk Spice Muffins
    Mimi's Cafe Carrot Raisin Nut Muffins
    Mimi's Cafe Five-Way Grilled Cheese
    Olive Garden Breadsticks
    Olive Garden Dipping Sauces for Breadsticks
    Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
    Olive Garden Black Tie Mouse Cake
    Olive Garden Mango Martini
    Olive Garden Pomegranate Margarita Martini
    Olive Garden Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta
    Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo
    On the Border Guacamole Live!
    On the Border Mexican Mojito
    On the Border Smoke Jalapeno Vinaigrette
    Outback Steakhouse Bleu Cheese Chopped Salad
    Outback Steakhouse Mashed Sweet Potatoes
    Outback Steakhouse Outback Rack
    Outback Steakhouse Three Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes
    Outback Steakhouse Victoria "Crowned" Filet w/Horseradish Crumb Crust
    Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under
    P.F. Chang's Asian Pear Mojito
    P.F. Chang's Chang's Key Lime Martini
    P.F. Chang's Spicy Green Beans
    P.F. Chang's Kung Pao  Chicken
    P.F. Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps--Improved
    P.F. Chang's Vegetarian Lettuce Wraps
    Pizza Hut WingStreet Traditional Chicken Wings--Hot, Med, Mild
    Pizza Hut Tuscani Creamy Chicken Alfredo Pasta
    Pizza Hut Pan Pizza
    Red Lobster Peach-Bourbon BBQ Scallops
    Red Lobster Maple-Glazed Salmon & Shrimp
    Red Robin Campfire Sauce
    Red Robin Creamy Artichoke & Spinach Dip
    Red Robin Red's Homemade Chili Chili
    Red Robin The Royal Red Robin Hamburger
    Romano's Lemon Passion
    Roy's Hawaiian Martini
    Roy's Classic Roasted Macadamia Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi
    Roy's Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé
    Ruby Tuesday Apple Salad
    Ruby Tuesday Queso Dip & Beef Queso Dip
    Ruby Tuesday Thai Phoon Shrimp
    Serendipity 3 Frrrozen Hot Chocolate
    Simon Kitchen & Bar Wok-Seared Edamame
    Spago Butternut Squash Soup
    Spago Pumpkin Cheesecake
    T.G.I. Friday's Candy Apple Martini
    T.G.I. Friday's Crispy Green Bean Fries
    T.G.I. Friday's Parmesan-Crusted Sicilian Quesadilla
    T.G.I. Friday's Jack Daniel's Glaze
    T.G.I. Friday's Sesame Jack Strips
    T.G.I. Friday's Bruschetta Chicken Pasta
    T.G.I. Friday's Dragonfire Chicken
    T.G.I. Friday's Fried Mac & Cheese
    T.G.I. Friday's Pomegranate Martini w/Candy Apple
    T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Portobello Melt
    T.G.I. Friday's Tuscan Spinach Dip
    Trader Vic's World-Famous Mai Tai
    Traders Vic's Tom Ka Gai Soup

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  • Score: 4.67 (votes: 3)
    KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Chicken Pot Pie

    A good chicken pot pie has perfectly flakey crust and the right ratio of light and dark meat chicken and vegetables swimming in a deliciously creamy white sauce. KFC serves up a pie that totally fits the bill, and now I'm going to show you how to make the same thing at home from scratch. You'll want to start my KFC Chicken Pot pie recipe a couple hours before you plan to bake the pies, since the dough for the crust should chill awhile and the chicken needs to soak in the brine. 

    When it comes time for baking, use small pie tins, ramekins, or Pyrex baking dishes (custard dishes) that hold 1 1/2 cups. The recipe will then yield exactly 4 pot pies. If your baking dishes are smaller, there should still be enough dough here to make crust for up to 6 pot pies. And don't forget to brush egg whites over the top of the pies before you pop them into the oven to get the same shiny crust as KFC's original pot pie. 

    While this is a good clone recipe, I'm always seeking perfection. I made a few tweaks to the crust and gravy in my improved KFC Pot Pie recipe here.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Chipotle Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette

    Steve Ellis used his Culinary Institute of America training to develop a simple menu for the first Chipotle Mexican Grill he opened in 1993 near the University of Denver. Today Chipotle has grown to more than 700 units, and the chain continues to serve a relatively limited selection (compared to other Mexican chains) of burritos, tacos, and salads that are made-to-order, with unprocessed and hormone-free ingredients. 

    Just as when ordering a burrito or taco, you get to choose the meat, beans, salsa, and cheese that will top your romaine lettuce salad. The finishing touch is an amazing house dressing that's made fresh every day. It's sweet, it's tangy, it's smoky, and it's packing some heat. It's also a quick recipe to duplicate with just a blender and a dozen common ingredients, including ground chipotle chile, which you can usually find near the ground cayenne. After you whip up my Chipotle Mexican Grill Chipotle-Honey Vinaigrette recipe below, let it chill out in the fridge for an hour or two. If you do, you'll have a perfect flavor match and enough dressing for at least 10 salads.

    Now, how about making Chipotle's famous barbacoa, carnitas, carne asada or pollo asado? Find all of those recipes and more here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.80 (votes: 5)
    California Pizza Kitchen Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza

    This CPK creation is a top pick at the 209-unit chain, most likely because chefs slather on a delicious sweet-and-spicy Caribbean sauce where tomato sauce usually sits on traditional Italian-style pies. Making the sauce from scratch is the way to go for true clone rangers, but if you'd like a shortcut, find Tiger Sauce in your local market where the bottled hot sauces are sold, and use that. If you want another shortcut, rather than mixing your own jerk seasoning from scratch, use any jerk blend or seasoning. 

    I do recommend making the pizza dough from scratch, rather than buying prepared dough. You'll need to plan ahead on this part of the recipe so that the dough has a chance to slowly rise in your fridge overnight. This is the technique the pros use to recreate professional-style, chewy pizza dough. To bake the pizzas—my California Pizza Kitchen Jamaican jerk chicken pizza recipe makes two—I suggest cooking them on a preheated pizza stone in your oven. This is the best way to reproduce the taste and texture of the great pizzas at CPK.

    Find more recipes for your favorite dishes from CPK here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 5)
    California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) Thai Crunch Salad

    Menu Description: "Shredded napa cabbage, chilled grilled chicken breast, julienne cucumbers, edamame, crispy wontons, peanuts, cilantro, julienne carrots, red cabbage and scallions tossed with a lime-cilantro dressing. Topped with crispy rice sticks and Thai peanut dressing."

    You can plan ahead for my delicious copycat California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) Thai Crunch salad recipe by first grilling the chicken and chilling it, then preparing the cilantro-lime dressing and the peanut sauce in advance. The menu description says that the salad is topped with "crispy rice sticks," but they look to me like crispy bean threads, cooked in a flash when dropped into hot oil for a few seconds. The crispy wontons are made from frying thinly sliced wonton wrappers in the same hot oil. 

    For the edamame (soybeans), look in the frozen food section, and if they're still in their pods, be sure to take them out before measuring and tossing them into the salad. Once you've got everything chilled and chopped, building each dish is a breeze, and you'll have four huge dinner-size salads that will each be enough for an entire meal.

    I've cloned a ton of dishes from California Pizza Kitchen. See if I hacked your favorites here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.42 (votes: 12)
    P.F. Chang's Dan Dan Noodles

    Menu Description: "Scallions, garlic and chili peppers stir-fried with ground chicken nesting on hot egg noodles. Garnished with shredded cucumber and bean sprouts."

    To clone P.F. Chang's take on this traditional Chinese noodle dish you should use a wok, but I found that a large saucepan works well too. Sauté a couple of chicken breasts ahead of time and give them a chance to cool, so you can finely mince them up. Get out the cleaver, if you've got one, and chop away. Or just use a big chef's knife. You can prepare the chicken ahead of time and keep it covered in the fridge until you're ready to make the dish. Once you've got the chicken hacked up, you'll have a tasty dish on the table in less than ten minutes.

    Try my P.F. Chang's Dan Dan Noodles recipe below, and find more of my P.F. Chang's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 3.86 (votes: 7)
    Coca-Cola Classic Coke

    Although the drink is 99 percent sugar water, that other 1 percent is the key to the drink's unique taste. The tangy citrus flavors, from lime juice, citrus oils, and citric acid (today the citric acid has been replaced with phosphoric acid), was used by pharmacist John Pemberton to overcome the inherent unpleasant bitterness of cocaine and caffeine. Even after removing the cocaine from the drink, it was still necessary to conceal the ghastly flavor of kola nut and coca leaf extract from the taste buds with the sweet, tangy syrup.

    To make an accurate clone of Coca-Cola at home, I started with the medicinal ingredient, probably just as John did. But rather than harvesting kola nuts, we have the luxury of access to caffeine pills found in any grocery store or pharmacy. One such brand is Vivarin, but it is yellow in color with a thick coating and it tastes much too bitter. NoDoz, however, is white and less bitter, with a thinner coating. Each NoDoz tablet contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, and a 12-ounce serving Coke has 46 milligrams in it. So, if we use 8 NoDoz tablets that have been crushed into powder with a mortar and pestle (or in a bowl using the back of a spoon) we get 44 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-ounce serving, or 36 milligrams in each of the 10-ounce servings we make with my Coke recipe.

    Finding and adding the caffeine is the easy part. You'll probably have more trouble obtaining Coke's crucial flavoring ingredient: cassia oil. I was hoping to leave such a hard-to-get ingredient out of my Coca-Cola recipe, but I found it impossible. The unique flavor of the Coke absolutely requires the inclusion of this Vietnamese cinnamon oil (usually sold for aromatherapy), but only a very small amount. You'll find the cassia oil in a health food store (I used the brand Oshadhi), along with the lemon oil and orange oil. The yield of this recipe had to be cranked up to 44 10-ounce servings since these oils are so strong—just one drop is all you'll need. Find them in bottles that allow you to measure exactly one drop if you can. If the oils don't come in such a bottle, buy eyedroppers at a drug store. Before you leave the health food store, don't forget the citric acid.

    My recipe, because of the old-fashioned technique of adding the syrup to soda water, creates a clone of Coke as it would taste coming out of a fountain machine. That Coke is usually not as fizzy as the bottled stuff. But if you add some ice to a glass of bottled Coke, and them some of this cloned version, the bubbles will settle down, and you'll discover how close the two are. You can keep the syrup in a sealed container in the fridge until you are ready to mix each drink with soda water.

    Because subtle differences in flavor can affect the finished product, be sure to measure your ingredients very carefully. Use the flat top edge of a butter knife to scrape away the excess sugar and citric acid from the top of the measuring cup and teaspoon, and don't estimate on any of the liquid ingredients.

    Create more of your favorite drinks at home with more recipes here.

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

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 36)
    Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

    Order an entree from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you'll get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic-cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to Red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right on the box of Bisquick baking mix.

    The problem with making biscuits using Bisquick is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix. On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip -- with grated Cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.

    Complete the Red Lobster experience and make favorite entrées and side dishes here.

    Source: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake

    Chi-Chi's cofounder Marno McDermott named his restaurant chain after his wife Chi Chi. He claims the name is quite memorable as it translates in Spanish into something like "hooters" in English. The Minneapolis Star quoted McDermott in 1977 shortly after the first Chi-Chi's opened in Richfield, Minneapolis, "English-speaking patrons remember it because it's catchy. And the Spanish-speaking customers are amused. Either way, it doesn't hurt business."

    One of the side dishes included with several of the entrees at Chi-Chi's is the Sweet Corn Cake. It's sort of like cornbread, but much softer, almost like corn pudding. You'll find it goes well with just about any Mexican dish. My Chi Chi's sweet corn cake recipe below requires a bain marie, or water bath—a baking technique commonly used to keep custards from cracking or curdling. This is done by baking the corn cake in another larger pan filled with a little hot water.

    Try more of my Chi-Chi's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.97 (votes: 34)
    P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef

    Menu Description: "Quickly-cooked steak with scallions and garlic."

    Beef lovers go crazy over this one at P.F. Chang's. Flank steak is cut into bite-sized chunks against the grain, then it's lightly dusted with potato starch, flash-fried in oil, and doused with an amazing sweet soy garlic sauce. The beef comes out tender as can be, and the simple sauce sings to your taste buds. 

    I designed my P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef recipe using a wok, but if you don't have one, a sauté pan will suffice. You may need to add more oil to the pan to cover the beef in the flash-frying step. 

    P. F. Chang's secret sauce is what makes this dish so good, and it's versatile. If you don't dig beef, you can substitute with chicken. Or you can brush it on grilled salmon.

    I've cloned some of the best dishes from P.F. Chang's. Click here to see if I coped your favorite.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.87 (votes: 15)
    Applebee's Chicken Fajita Roll-up

    Menu Description: "A large flour tortilla topped with melted Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses, grilled chipotle chicken, shredded lettuce and pico de gallo. Rolled, sliced and served with a Mexi-ranch dipping sauce."

    Take Applebee's delicious chicken chipotle chicken, roll it up in a large flour tortilla with lettuce, cheeses and fresh pico de gallo, and you've got a meal to wrap your hands around. Use my Applebee's Chicken Fajita Roll-up recipe below to make it at home. 

    The Mexi-ranch dipping sauce is the perfect creamy compliment for this wrap, and you can use what's left over for a dressing on your next salad. The sauce recipe is actually just a kicked-up ranch dressing that includes a small amount of buttermilk in the ingredients list. But if you don't want to buy a whole carton of buttermilk to use just a tablespoon for this recipe, that's okay. Substitute the regular moo juice you've got sitting in the fridge. 

    For the spicy marinade recipe, it's best to use ground chipotle pepper (dried smoked red jalapeño) made by McCormick. If you can't find that stuff, cut the amount in half and use cayenne pepper. For the cheeses, many major brands make a cheddar/Jack blend that will work great here if you'd rather not buy the cheeses separately. That's helpful if you're about to tip the limit for the express lane checkout line.

    Find more recipes for your favorite Applebee's dishes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.96 (votes: 24)
    Boston Market Meatloaf

    In the early 90's Boston Chicken was rockin' it. The home meal replacement chain's stock was soaring and the lines were filled with hungry customers waiting to sink their teeth into a serving of the chain's delicious rotisserie chicken. The chain was so successful with chicken, the company quickly decided it was time to introduce other entrée selections, the first of which was a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. 

    Offering the other entrées presented the company with a dilemma: what to do about the name. The bigwigs decided it was time to change the name to Boston Market, to reflect a wider menu. That meant replacing signs on hundreds of units and retooling the marketing campaigns. That name change, plus rapid expansion of the chain and growth of other similar home-style meal concepts, sent the company into a tailspin. By 1988, Boston Market's goose was cooked, and the company filed for bankruptcy. Soon McDonald's stepped in to purchase the company, with the idea of closing many of the stores for good, and slapping Golden Arches on the rest. But that plan was scrapped when, after selling many of the under-performing Boston Markets, the chain began to fly once again.  Within a year of the acquisition Boston Market was profitable, and those meals with the home-cooked taste are still being served at over 700 Boston Market restaurants across the country.

    Use my Boston Market Meatloaf copycat recipe below to copy the flavor of that first non-chicken dish, a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. You might also like to try my Boston Market side-dish recipes here.

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.70 (votes: 20)
    McDonald's French Fries

    They're the world's most famous French fries, responsible for one-third of all U.S. French fry sales, and many say they're the best. These fried spud strips are so popular that Burger King even changed its own recipe to better compete with the secret formula from Mickey D's. One-quarter of all meals served today in American restaurants come with fries; a fact that thrills restaurateurs since fries are the most profitable menu item in the food industry. 

    Proper preparation steps were developed by McDonald's to minimize in-store preparation time, while producing a fry that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. My McDonald's French Fries recipe requires a two-step frying process to replicate the same qualities: the fries are par-fried, frozen, then fried once more to crispy just before serving. Be sure to use a slicer to cut the fries for a consistent thickness (1/4-inch is perfect) and for a cooking result that will make them just like the real thing. As for the rumor that you must soak the fries in sugar water to help them turn golden brown, I also found that not to be necessary. If the potatoes have properly developed, they contain enough sugar on their own to make a good clone with great color.

    Now, how about a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder to go with those fries? Click here for a list of all my McDonald's copycat recipes.

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.20 (votes: 5)
    Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix

    Below you'll find my Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix that copies the instant dressing mix you buy in the .7-ounce packets. When added to vinegar, water, and oil, you get one of the best-tasting instant salad dressings around. But what if you can't find the stuff, or it is no longer sold in your area, as I've heard is the case in some cities? Or maybe you just want to save a little money by making your own? Use my recipe below to make as much dry mix as you want, and save it for when you need instant salad satisfaction. I used McCormick lemon pepper in the recipe here because it contains lemon juice solids that help duplicate the taste of the sodium citrate and citric acid in the real thing. The dry pectin, which can be found near the canning supplies in your supermarket, is used as a thickener, much like the xanthan gum in the original product.

    Find more of my delicious salad dressing copycat recipes here

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.26 (votes: 27)
    Benihana Japanese Fried Rice

    The talented chefs at Benihana cook food on hibachi grills with flair and charisma, treating the preparation like a tiny stage show. They juggle salt and pepper shakers, trim food with lightning speed, and flip the shrimp and mushrooms perfectly onto serving plates or into their tall chef's hat.

    One of the side dishes that everyone seems to love is the fried rice. At Benihana this dish is prepared by chefs with precooked rice on open hibachi grills, and is ordered a la cart to complement any Benihana entrée, including Hibachi Steak and Chicken. I like when the rice is thrown onto the hot hibachi grill and seems to come alive as it sizzles and dances around like a bunch of little jumping beans. Okay, so I'm easily amused.

    My Benihana Japanese fried rice copycat recipe will go well with just about any Japanese entrée, and can be partially prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until the rest of the meal is close to done.

    Re-create more of your favorite dishes from Benihana here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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    California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Pizza

    Menu Description: "With pieces of chicken marinated in a spicy peanut-ginger and sesame sauce, green onions, bean sprouts, julienne carrots, cilantro and roasted peanuts."

    After the first California Pizza Kitchen opened in Beverly Hills in 1985 success came quickly: there are currently 78 restaurants in 18 states. In 1992, huge food conglomerate PepsiCo paid over $70 million for a 70 percent share of the company-just eight years after Larry and Rick started the company. As for those two, well, they pocketed $18 million apiece, or around 70 times their initial investment in 1985.

    Thai Chicken Pizza is one of the oldest varieties of pizza still on the menu, and remains a favorite. If you prefer, you can use a store-bought package dough or dough mix, but I recommend using my CPK Thai Chicken Pizza recipe below and making the crust yourself. If you decide to do that, make it one day ahead of time so that it can rise slowly in the refrigerator. 

    If you like this, be sure to check out my CPK BBQ chicken pizza recipe.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 4.75 (votes: 16)
    El Pollo Loco Flame-Broiled Chicken

    El Pollo Loco, or "The Crazy Chicken," has been growing like mad since it crossed over the border into the United States from Mexico. Francisco Ochoa unknowingly started a food phenomenon internacional in 1975 when he took a family recipe for chicken marinade and opened a small roadside restaurante in Gusave, Mexico. He soon had 90 stores in 20 cities throughout Mexico. The first El Pollo Loco in the United States opened in Los Angeles in December 1980 and was an immediate success. It was only three years later that Ochoa got the attention of bigwigs at Dennys, Inc., who offered him $11.3 million for his U.S. operations. Ochoa took the deal, and El Pollo Loco grew from 17 to more than 200 outlets over the following decade.

    Pair my El Pollo Loco Flame Broiled Chicken copycat recipe below with my recipes for their avocado salsa, pinto beans, Spanish rice, and bbq black beans.

    Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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    Tastykake Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes

    Since it was founded in 1914, the Tasty Baking Company has continued to uphold its policy of controlled distribution to ensure freshness of its products. The company delivers only what it will sell promptly and removes cakes from the stores after just a few days in an effort to keep them from becoming stale.

    As the years went by and delivery efficiency improved, transportation routes expanded from Philadelphia to new England, the Midwest, and the South. Mixing, baking, wrapping, and packaging of the products have changed from hand operations to sophisticated automated ones, cutting the production cycle from twelve hours to forty-five minutes.

    Peanut Butter Kandy Kakes made their debut in the early 1930s as Tandy Takes. The name was eventually changed. Tastykake claims you could make almost 8 million peanut butter sandwiches with the quantity of peanut butter used in Kandy Kakes each year.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Cheesecake Factory Mini Crab Cakes

    The secret to great crab cakes starts with great crab. Freshly cooked blue crab is the crab of choice for these crustacean cakes, but you can often find high quality canned backfin blue crab in some stores. One such brand comes in 16-ounce cans from Phillips Seafood and is sold at Costco, Sam's Club, Wal-Mart and Vons stores. 

    Once you've got the crab grabbed you need to pick up some panko. Panko is Japanese-style bread crumbs usually found near the other Asian foods in your market. The Cheesecake Factory uses a little bit of panko to coat each of these small crab cakes for a great, lightly crunchy texture. One order of this appetizer at the restaurant gets you 3 crab cakes. My Cheesecake Factory Mini Crab Cakes recipe makes 6 cakes from 1/2-pound of crab. If you have a 1-pound can of crabmeat, you can save the leftover 1/2-pound for another recipe or double-up on this one. 

    Any surplus crab cakes will keep for 24 hours in the fridge before you need to get them in a pan. Oh, and one other thing to remember when making crab cakes: be gentle. Don't stir the crab too much into the other ingredients. Rather, fold the mixture gingerly with a spatula to combine. You want any big chunks of tasty crab to stay as big chunks of tasty crab in the finished product.

    I've duplicated many popular dishes from Cheesecake Factory. See if I cloned your favorites here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Ruby Tuesday Strawberry Tallcake for Two

    Menu Description: "Three layers of light and airy sponge cake and strawberry mousse, drenched in strawberry sauce, topped with vanilla ice cream, fresh strawberries and whipped cream"

    The Strawberry Tallcake is a signature, trademarked item for Ruby Tuesday. It's pretty big, so plan on sharing it. My Ruby Tuesday Strawberry Tallcake recipe calls for baking the sponge cake in a large, shallow pan—I use a baking sheet that has a turned up edges to hold in the batter. The strawberry mousse made here to frost the cake is a great, simple-to-make dessert on its own.

    Find more of my Ruby Tuesday copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Applebee's Quesadillas

    Menu Description: "Two cheeses, bacon, tomatoes, onion, jalapenos grilled between tortillas with guacamole, sour cream and salsa."

    When Bill and T.J. Palmer opened their first restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1980, they realized their dream of building a full-service, reasonably-priced restaurant in a neighborhood setting. They called their first place T.J. Applebee's Edibles and Elixirs, and soon began franchising the concept. In 1988 some franchisees bought the rights to the name and changed it to Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar. By that time, there were over 650 outlets, making Applebee's one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the world.

    According to waiters at the restaurant, the easy-to-make and slightly spicy quesadillas are one of the most popular appetizers on the Applebee's menu. My Applebee's quesadillas recipe calls for 10-inch or "burrito-size" flour tortillas, which can be found in most supermarkets, but any size can be used in a pinch. Look for the jalapeño "nacho slices" in the ethnic or Mexican food section of the supermarket. You'll find these in jars or cans. 

    Find more of your favorite Applebee's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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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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