THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
THE MOST TRUSTED COPYCAT RECIPES
Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita Reduced-Fat copycat recipe by Todd Wilbur

Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita Reduced-Fat

Not rated yet
  • $0.00
Qty:  

Publicity stunt alert. For one day in 1997, St. Petersburg, Florida, became "St. Pitas-burg" to celebrate the introduction of Wendy's Fresh Stuffed Pita sandwiches. Over 40,000 balloons formed a giant pita sandwich at a local Wendy's restaurant, while local residents and Wendy's staff learned the "art of eating a pita" from pita eating experts.

The Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita was one of those pitas introduced on that glorious day. See if you can figure how to eat this clone version, made with much less fat, all on your own.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1 sandwich
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–283 (Original–490)
Fat per serving–5g (Original–18g)

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

Get This

Dressing
  • 2 teaspoons arrowroot
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely minced red bell pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • Pinch dried parsley
  • Pinch dried oregano
  • Pinch dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon grated Romano cheese
  • 1 tablespoon egg substitute
_main
  • Oil cooking spray
  • 2 skinless chicken breast fillets
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red cabbage, shredded
  • 1/4 cup carrot, shredded
  • 4 large pita breads
  • 4 teaspoons shredded, fresh Parmesan cheese
Do This

1. Make the dressing by dissolving the arrowroot in the water. Heat the water in the microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until it begins to boil. Add the remaining ingredients except the Romano cheese and egg substitute, and let the mixture cool. When the mixture has reached room temperature, add the cheese and egg substitute. Cover and chill this dressing until it's thick.

2. Preheat a barbecue or indoor grill to medium heat. Spray a little oil cooking spray on each chicken breast. Salt and pepper the chicken, then grill it for 5 minutes per side or until done. Remove the chicken from the grill and dice it.

3. While chicken cooks, prepare the salad by combining the romaine lettuce, red cabbage, and shredded carrot in a large bowl and toss.

4. Prepare the sandwiches by first microwaving each pita for 20 seconds. Fold each pita in half like a taco, then fill them with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of romaine salad each.

5. Add about 1/3 cup of diced chicken on top of the salad in the pita.

6. Pour about a tablespoon of dressing over each sandwich.

7. Sprinkle about a teaspoon of shredded fresh Parmesan on top of each sandwich, and serve.

Makes 4 sandwiches.

Get New Secret Recipes
Be the first to get Todd's latest hacked recipes, sent to your inbox every week. Just enter your email.
Reviews
There are no reviews for this product yet...

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

  • 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.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.97 (votes: 36)
    Outback Steakhouse Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

    Outback makes their sauces and salad dressings from scratch every day following master formulas in a corporate cookbook. Now you've got a secret recipe of your own that will duplicate the taste of their hugely popular house honey mustard recipe. You'll need just three basic ingredients and only about two minutes of free time to make my Outback honey mustard dressing recipe.

    Try more recipes for your favorite dishes from Outback here

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.50 (votes: 6)
    Marie Callender's Lemon Cream Cheese Pie

    Menu Description: "Our melt-in-your-mouth cream cheese pie with a tangy lemon topping."

    Here's a great double-layered pie with lemon topping covering a creamy cheesecake filling. It's two great pies in one dessert. This creation has been a huge seller for Marie Callender's, and I've heard nothing but raves from anyone who's tried it. Make the crust from scratch like the pros using my Marie Callender's lemon cream cheese pie copycat recipe here, or take the easy route with a pre-made graham cracker crust found in the baking aisle. Either way, it's pie heaven. 

    Banana Cream more your speed? Check out more of my Marie Callender's pie recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.83 (votes: 18)
    Top Secret Steak Rub (Like Outback Steak Seasoning)

    Just like the pro chefs use. A secret blend of herbs and spices that will make your homemade steaks taste like they came from a famous steakhouse chain. All-natural. Contains no MSG or preservatives. Great for anyone who likes a truly amazing steak.

    Top Secret Steak Rub is created by Food Hacker Todd Wilbur who has spent the last 30 years reverse-engineering popular menu items at the most-loved restaurant chains across America. By identifying the herbs, spices and other ingredients that make great restaurant food taste so good, Todd created this custom Top Secret Steak Rub to help you make restaurant-style steaks at home. All it takes is just a few shakes. Then cook the steaks your favorite way. Our Top Secret Steak Rub is also great on hamburger patties, vegetables, French fries, and popcorn!

    Buy up to 5 bottles to ship for one low price!

    7-ounce bottle. Money back guarantee. Kosher certified. Gluten-free.

    You may also like our Top Secret Chicken Rub, and Top Secret Fish Rub.

    Read more
    • 31% off
  • 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.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Top Secret Recipes - Sodas, Smoothies, Spirits and Shakes

    Exclusive signed copy. Todd Wilbur shares his best kept secrets for making knockoffs of your favorite drinks—right in your own kitchen and without spending a lot of money.

    You can re-create the delicious taste of America's most popular brand-name soft drinks, beverages, dessert drinks, mixers, and liqueurs by following Todd's easy, step-by-step instructions. If it comes in a glass, cup, bottle, or mug, it's here for you to clone at home.

    Discover how to make your own versions of: Nestea, Cinnabon Icescape, Jamba Juice Smoothies, Orange Julius, Red Robin Jamaican Shake, Bailey's Irish Cream, Sonic Drive In Cream Pie Shakes, Dairy Queen Blizzard. Plus dozens of specialty drinks from T.G.I Friday's, Chili's, Hard Rock Cafe, Outback Steakhouse, Applebee's, House of Blues, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Claim Jumper, and many more from your favorite restaurant chains. Over 200 popular recipes in all!

    Other books you may like: Even More Top Secret Recipes and Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3.

    Sodas
    A&W Cream Soda
    A&W Root Beer
    Coca-Cola
    Orange Slice
    7UP
    Sonic Drive-In Cherry Limeade
    Sonic Drive-In Strawberry Limeade
    Sonic Drive-In Ocean Water
    Squirt
    T.G.I. Friday's November Sea Breeze Fling
    T.G.I. Friday's Strawberry Surprise Fling

    Smoothies
    Applebee's Bananaberry Freeze
    Baskin-Robbins Peach Smoothie
    Baskin-Robbins Strawberry Smoothie
    Baskin-Robbins Strawberry Banana Smoothie
    Baskin-Robbins Wild Berry Banana Smoothie
    Jamba Juice Banana Berry
    Jamba Juice Citrus Squeeze
    Jamba Juice Cranberry Craze
    Jamba Juice Orange-A-Peel
    Jamba Juice Peach Pleasure
    Jamba Juice Strawberries  Wild
    Orange Julius Pineapple Julius
    Orange Julius Strawberry Julius
    Red Robin Chillin Mango Smoothie
    Red Robin Groovy Smoothies
    Starbucks Tazoberry Tea
    Starbucks Tazoberry Tea & Cream
    T.G.I. Friday's Tropical Oasis Smoothie

    Shakes
    Arby's Jamocha Shake
    Baskin-Robbins B.R. Blast--Cappuccino
    Baskin-Robbins B.R. Blast--Mocha
    Cinnabon Icescapes--Strawberry
    Cinnabon Icescapes--Orange
    Cinnabon Icescapes--Mochalatta Chill
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Baby Ruth
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Banana Pudding
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Banana Split
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Berry Banana
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Chocolate Chip
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Hawaiian
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Whopp'n' Wild
    Dairy Queen Blizzard--Yukon Cruncher
    Jack in the Box Oreo Cookie Shake
    McDonald's McFlurry--Butterfinger
    McDonald's McFlurry--M&M's
    McDonald's McFlurry--Oreo Cookie
    McDonald's McFlurry--Reese's
    McDonald's Shakes--Chocolate
    McDonald's Shakes--Strawberry
    McDonald's Shakes--Vanilla
    McDonald's Shamrock Shake
    Sonic Drive-In Cream Pie Shakes--Banana
    Sonic Drive-In Cream Pie Shakes--Chocolate
    Sonic Drive-In Cream Pie Shakes--Coconut
    Sonic Drive-In Cream Pie Shakes--Strawberry
    Starbucks Frozen Frappuccino--Coffee
    Starbucks Frozen Frappuccino--Caramel
    Starbucks Frozen Frappuccino--Mocha Coconut
    Wendy's Frosty

    Other Sips
    Arizona Green Tea w/Ginseng and Honey
    Arizona Iced Tea w/Ginseng
    Cinnabon Strawberry Lemonade
    General Foods International Coffees--Cafe Vienna
    General Foods International Coffees--French Vanilla Cafe
    General Foods International Coffees--Hazelnut Belgian Cafe
    General Foods International Coffees--Suisse Mocha
    General Foods International Coffees--Viennese Chocolate Cafe
    Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red
    Hot Dog On A Stick Muscle Beach Lemonade
    Minute Maid All Natural Lemonade
    Nestea Natural Lemon Flavored Iced Tea
    Red Robin Freckled lemonade
    Red Robin Strawberry Ecstasy
    7-Eleven Cherry Slurpee
    Snapple Iced Tea--Cranberry Iced Tea
    Snapple Iced Tea--Diet Lemon Iced Tea
    Snapple Iced Tea--Lemon Iced Tea
    Snapple Iced Tea--Orange Iced Tea
    Snapple Iced Tea--Peach Iced Tea
    Snapple Iced Tea--Raspberry Iced Tea
    Sunny Delight
    Yoo-Hoo Chocolate Drink
    Yoo-Hoo Mix-ups--Chocolate-Banana
    Yoo-Hoo Mix-ups--Chocolate-Mint
    Yoo-Hoo Mix-ups--Chocolate-Strawberry

    Spirits: Schnapps & Liqueurs
    Bailey's Original Irish Cream
    Dekuyper Thrilla Vanilla French Vanilla Liqueur
    Disaronno Amaretto
    Grand Marnier Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Annisette Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Creme De Banana Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Creme De Cacao Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Creme De Menthe Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Creme De Strawberry Liqueur
    Hiram Walker Razz Attack Raspberry Schnapps
    Hiram Walker Root Beer Schnapps
    Kahlua Coffee Liqueur
    Marie Brizard Watermelon Liqueur
    Midori Melon Liqueur

    Spirits: Cocktails
    Applebee's Bananaberry Split
    Applebee's Blue Skies
    Applebee's Perfect Margarita
    Applebee's Summer Squeeze
    Bahama Breeze Bahama Mama
    Bahama Breeze Caribbean Magic
    Bahama Breeze Malimbo Breeze
    Bahama Breeze Verry Berry Good
    Bennigan's Emerald Isle Iced Tea
    Bennigan's Irish Coffee
    Bennigan's O'Malley's Orange Cooler
    Bennigan's Raspberry Road Iced Tea
    Cheesecake Factory Caribbean Cooler
    Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Martini
    Cheesecake Factory J.W. Pink Lemonade
    Cheesecake Factory Twilight Zone
    Cheesecake Factory Tropical Martini
    Chevys 100% Blue Agave Margarita
    Chevys House Rocks Margarita
    Chevys Lava Lamp Margarita
    Chevys The Sunburn Margarita
    Chevys Ultimate Orange Margarita
    Chevys Watermelon Fresh Fruit Margarita (On the Rocks)
    Chili's Calypso Cooler
    Chili's Chambord 1800 Margarita
    Chili's Jamaican Paradise
    Chili's Mandrin Blush
    Chili's Margarita Presidente
    Chili's Tropical Sunburn
    Chili's Twisted Lemonade
    Claim Jumper Absolutely Electric Lemonade
    Claim Jumper Bermuda Sunset
    Claim Jumper Hawaiian Punch
    Claim Jumper Mai Tai
    Claim Jumper Otter Pop
    Claim Jumper Root Beer Float
    Claim Jumper Shark On The Beach
    Claim Jumper Tropical Storm
    Hard Rock Cafe The Hard Rock Hurricane
    Hard Rock Cafe Lynchburg Lo--Rider
    Hard Rock Cafe Shooters--Lemon Drop
    Hard Rock Cafe Shooters--Purple Shooter
    House of Blues Eve's Revenge Martini
    House of Blues HOB Blue Martini
    House of Blues HOB Cruiser
    House of Blues Mo' Betta Blues
    Joe's Crab Shack Joe Makin' Me Java
    Joe's Crab Shack Joe's Ya Ya
    Joe's Crab Shack Red Snapper
    Joe's Crab Shack Secret Passion Punch
    Joe's Crab Shack Shark Tooth
    Joe's Crab Shack Swamp Moss
    Olive Garden Chocolate Almond Amore
    Olive Garden Italian Margarita
    Olive Garden Strawberry Siciliano
    Olive Garden Venetian Sunset
    Outback Steakhouse Coral Reef  'Rita
    Outback Steakhouse Don't Koala Me, I'll Koala You Cooler
    Outback Steakhouse Great Barrier Punch
    Outback Steakhouse Melbourne Cooler
    Outback Steakhouse Wallaby Darned
    P.F. Chang's Buddha's Dream
    P.F. Chang's Heat Wave
    P.F. Chang's Nutty Uncle Chang's Favorite
    P.F. Chang's The Poolside
    Planet Hollywood The Comet
    Planet Hollywood Cool Running
    Planet Hollywood Meet Jack Black
    Planet Hollywood Shooters--Blue Hawaii
    Planet Hollywood Shooters--Bubble Gum
    Planet Hollywood Shooters--Grape Crush
    Planet Hollywood Shooters--Peanut Butter & Jelly
    Planet Hollywood Sweet Death Becomes Her
    Planet Hollywoo0d Terminator
    Red Lobster Bahama Mama
    Red Lobster Butter-Tini Funtini
    Red Lobster The Hawaiian Funtini
    Red Lobster Red Passion Colada
    Red Robin Absolut Lemonade
    Red Robin Jamaican Shake
    Red Robin Sand In Your Shorts
    Red Robin T.N.T
    T.G.I. Friday's Banana Split Blender Blaster
    T.G.I. Friday's Electric Lemonade
    T.G.I. Friday's Hawaiian Volcano
    T.G.I. Friday's June Bug
    T.G.I. Friday's Lights of Havana
    T.G.I. Friday's Strawberry Shortcake Blender Blaster
    Z'Tejas Z' Big Stick Margarita
    Z'Tejas Famous Chambord Raspberry Margarita

    Spirits: Mixers
    Beau Rivage Bloody Mary Mix
    Mara Simple Syrup
    Mr. & Mrs. T Bloody Mary Mix
    Mr. & Mrs. T Sweet & Sour Mix
    Restaurant-Style Mai Tai Mix
    Restaurant-Style Pina Colada Mix
    Restaurant-Style Sweet & Sour Mix

     

    Read more
    • 10% off
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake Reduced-Fat

    A deserted Kroger grocery store in Richfield, Minnesota, was the site for the first Chi-Chi's in 1976. That was the year restaurateur Marno McDermott got together with ex-Green Bay Packer football player Max McGee to open the first of what would soon become a growing chain of Mexican food restaurants. Today, with around 100 restaurants found mostly in the Midwestern and Eastern states, Chi-Chi's has become famous for its large portions of food, and for the expression, "don't touch the plate, it's very hot!" 

    Alongside many of the entrees served at the restaurant is this sweet side dish. It's sort of like a combination of custard and cornbread, with corn and cornmeal in it. But the original is loaded with butter. That means if you eat just a very small scoop of the tasty corn cake you'll be putting away around a dozen grams of fat. By using light butter or margarine and substituting milk for the heavy cream, we knock those fat grams down to about half of the real thing served in the restaurant. Yet the flavor and texture is just as good.

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving size–1 scoop
    Total servings–8
    Calories per serving–125 (Original–185)
    Fat per serving–6.5g (Original–13g)

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.90 (votes: 10)
    Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffin

    This delicious fall offering arrives frozen to each Starbucks store and is thawed out just before opening in the morning. The pumpkin cream cheese muffins were especially popular in the fall of 2008. According to my local Starbucks manager, a memo fired off to all stores warned of a shortage in the product and that inventory in most states would be depleted before the holidays arrived. That was enough information to get me quickly working on a seriously great Starbucks pumpkin cream cheese muffin recipe, and here you go. 

    First, sweeten some cream cheese and get it back in the fridge to firm up. It's much easier to work into the top of the muffins when it's cold. The pumpkin seeds that are sprinkled on top of each muffin get candied in a large skillet with brown sugar and cinnamon. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper muffin cups, add the muffin batter and some cream cheese, top with the candied pumpkins seeds, and then bake. Soon you'll have a dozen fresh clones of the amazing muffins, and you'll always be prepared for the next pumpkin cream cheese muffin shortage.

    See if I cloned more of your favorites from Starbucks here.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.95 (votes: 38)
    Starbucks Pumpkin Scone

    During the holiday months, you'd better get over to Starbucks bright and early if you want to sink your teeth into a delicious pumpkin scone. These orange triangles of happiness are made with real pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices, and they quickly vanish from the pastry case when fall rolls around. Each scone is generously coated with a plain glaze, and then spiced icing is drizzled over the top. To get the crumbly texture, cut cold butter into the dry ingredients, either with a pastry knife or by pulsing it in a food processor until all the butter chunks have been worked in. 

    My Starbucks Pumpkin Scone copycat recipe calls for 1/2 can of pumpkin purée. Use the leftover purée to make Starbucks pumpkin bread or a pumpkin spice latte.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli

    No one is sure exactly which restaurant invented toasted ravioli, but we do know the dish originated in St. Louis sometime in the 40s. Olive Garden's delicious take on the appetizer can be cloned with ease using one of several varieties of pre-made raviolis carried in just about any supermarket. It's best to use the fresher raviolis found in the refrigerated section, but you can also use frozen ones; you just have to let them thaw first before breading them.

    The original has a beefy inside, but you can use any ravioli that tickles your fancy including chicken, sausage, vegetarian, or cheese. As for the breading, find Progresso brand Italian style breadcrumbs. Contadina is another popular brand, but their version is much too salty for a good clone.

    Try my Olive Garden toasted ravioli copycat recipe below, and find more of my Olive Garden copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 10)
    Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie

    Menu Description: "Our famous pumpkin pie has just the right amount of spice."

    The vittles from Marie Callender's have made an impression beyond the chain's West Coast roots with home-style packaged entrées and side dishes available in frozen food sections of supermarkets across the country. Pie making is where the chain excels. A fresh slice of a Marie Callender's pie is as close as you'll get to homemade heaven this side of Grandma's porch window. Creating a recipe for Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie is an obvious selection, since the restaurant sells more pumpkin pies than any other, even in non-holiday months. 

    Creating my Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie copycat recipe was a perfect opportunity to improve on icky pumpkin pie recipes (like those found on cans of canned pumpkin, for example) in many ways. For one thing, there's no need to use canned evaporated milk when fresh whole milk and cream is so much better. And three eggs, versus two found in many recipes, will add to the richness and firmness of the cooked filling. After mixing the filling, we'll let it sit for a bit while waiting for the oven to preheat. This way it can come closer to room temperature, and the pie filling will bake more evenly. My recipe included here for the crust uses a chilled combination of butter and shortening for the perfect mix of flavor and flakiness. If you find your crust getting too dark on top during baking, use a pie crust shield or mold some foil around the top of the crust to prevent it from over-browning.

    Find more of my Marie Callender's copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 5)
    Chevys Sweet Corn Tomalito

    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.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Chevys Flan

    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.

    Read more
  • 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.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita

    Early in 1997 Wendy's introduced its selection of cold "Fresh Stuffed" pita sandwiches—a nice change of pace from the typical fast food fare. Basically what you're getting is a small salad wrapped in a warm pita bread. You might be saying to yourself "That doesn't sound like much for 3 bucks!" Then I would say, "Perhaps, but what if you could make a clone yourself for a mere fraction of that?" You would say, "Cool, man! Lay it on me." And then I would say, "Here you go." 

    And now, since Wendy's took these cool little sandwiches off their menu, you can use my Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita recipe below and enjoy them at home.

    You might also want to try my recipes for Wendy's classic Greek fresh stuffed pita sandwich.

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • 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.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 6)
    Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake

    While most restaurant chains attempt to keep their menus simple so as not to tax the kitchen, the Cheesecake Factory's menu contains more than 200 items on a 17-page menu. And at the end of the meal there are 40 cheesecakes to choose from for dessert, including the delicious Pumpkin Cheesecake hacked here for you.

    Use an 8-inch springform pan for my Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe. If you don't have one, you should get one. They're indispensable for thick, gourmet cheesecake and several other scrumptious desserts. If you don't want to use a springform pan, this recipe will also work with two 9-inch pie plates. You'll just end up with two smaller cheesecakes. 

    Find more of your favorites from Cheesecake Factory here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) Buttermilk Biscuits

    In 1991 Kentucky Fried Chicken bigwigs decided to improve the image of America's third-largest fast-food chain. As a more health-conscious society began to affect sales of fried chicken, the company changed its name to KFC and introduced a lighter fare of skinless chicken.

    In the last forty years KFC has experienced extraordinary growth. Five years after first franchising the business, Colonel Harland Sanders had 400 outlets in the United States and Canada. Four years later there were more than 600 franchises, including one in England, the first overseas outlet. In 1964 John Y. Brown, Jr., a young Louisville lawyer, and Jack Massey, a Nashville financier, bought the Colonel's business for $2 million. Only seven years later, in 1971 Heublein, Inc., bought the KFC Corporation for $275 million. Then in 1986, for a whopping $840 million, PepsiCo added KFC to its conglomerate, which now includes Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. That means PepsiCo owns more fast food outlets than any other company including McDonald's.

    At each KFC restaurant, workers blend real buttermilk with a dry blend to create the well-known KFC buttermilk biscuits recipe that have made a popular menu item since their introduction in 1982. Pair these buttermilk biscuits with my KFC mac and cheese recipe and the famous KFC Original Recipe Chicken to complete your meal.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Chick-fil-A Carrot and Raisin Salad

    The secret to cloning Chick fil-A's popular carrot raisin salad lies in proper carrot shredding technique. A standard shredder, like the type you might use to shred a hunk of cheddar cheese, creates a coarse shred that makes the salad taste much too "carroty." Instead, find yourself the type of fine shredder that is often used for Parmesan cheese. Sure, it'll take a little more elbow grease to reduce 5 or 6 carrots to ultra thin strips, but I guarantee you'll end up with a superior finished product that will help you forget all about the extra effort.

    Try more of my Chick-fil-A copycat recipes, like their famous chicken sandwich here.

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    IHOP Swedish Crepes

    Menu Description: “Four delicate crepes topped with sweet-tart lingonberries and lingonberry butter.”

    Good crepes should be soft in the middle, crispy around the edges, buttery, custardy, a bit sweet, and slightly salty, and there are many ways to achieve all this. But to make crepes like those served at IHOP, the formula needs to be specific.

    Over two days I made dozens of crepes with minor adjustments to all seven ingredients until I finally settled on the version here that best mirrors the look and taste of the delicious IHOP Swedish Crepes. You'll get ten tasty crepes using a 10-inch non-stick skillet, and the recipe is very easy.

    Top them with my simple formula here for the lingonberry butter using bottled lingonberries and softened butter, and now your IHOP Swedish Crepe recipe hack is complete. If you like crepes, you’ll definitely love these.

    I cloned a ton of items from IHOP. See if I hacked your favorite here.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.67 (votes: 6)
    Panda Express Chow Mein

    I got lucky on the day I picked up a box of chow mein from this huge Chinese chain because they had just run out. This meant that I could watch from the sidelines as they whipped up a fresh batch in a giant wok over a high flame in the completely visible kitchen, and I was able to take plenty of mental notes. The whole dish took just a few minutes for the enthusiastic chef to prepare, and before I knew it I was out the door with a huge box of hot chow mein ready for hacking. 

    Just like the real Panda Express Chow Mein, the beauty in this re-creation is its simplicity. There are only seven ingredients, and the prep work is low-impact. I used dry chow mein noodles (also called Chinese stir fry noodles) which are easy to find and cheap, and dark soy sauce to get that great caramel color. And if you don’t have a wok for this, a large skillet with sloped sides for tossing will work just fine.

    This recipe was our #1 most popular in 2021. Check out the other four most unlocked recipes for the year: Qdoba 3-Cheese Queso (#2), Panda Express Fried Rice (#3), Outback Baked Potato Soup (#4), Chipotle Carne Asada (#5).

    Check out this list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Vanilla Ice Blended

    Starbucks’ Frappuccino, the most famous blended coffee drink in the world, is actually a clone of this blended concoction invented at the California-based chain, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. In the mid-80s, a store manager at the Westwood, California location mixed diet drink powder with ice, milk, and coffee in a blender and was pleasantly surprised by how delicious it was. They tweaked the recipe to include the chain’s chocolate powder instead of the diet powder, and a new hit product was born.

    To make Coffee Bean vanilla ice blended at home, we must first make the secret flavoring powder that starts with a base of dry coffee creamer. I recommend using superfine sugar (Baker’s sugar) and superfine salt (popcorn salt) if you can find them. The fine crystals will dissolve better in the cold drink. You’ll also need vanilla extract powder, which can be found online.

    Once your secret powder is made, measure 1/3 cup of it into a blender with ice, cold espresso, and milk, and blend on high until smooth. In a matter of just a few minutes, you will have a 16-ounce re-creation of the original blended coffee drink now served at 1,200 Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in 30 countries.

    Try my Coffee Bean Vanilla Ice Blended copycat recipe below, and check out my hack for these copycat Starbucks petite vanilla scones.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Panda Express Fried Rice

    A popular staple of any Chinese chain is fried rice, so it better be good, and the version served at Panda Express most certainly is. Here's my easy Panda Express Fried Rice recipe for when you need a stress-free, low-cost side for your entrées. But I do suggest that you cook the white rice several hours or even a day or two before you plan to make the finished dish. I found that the cooked rice called for in this recipe works best when it's cold. 

    As for a shortcut, bagged frozen peas and carrots will save you from the hassle of petite-dicing carrots since the carrots in those bags are the perfect size to produce an identical clone. And they're already cooked. 

    This recipe was our #3 most popular in 2021. Check out the other four most unlocked recipes for the year: Panda Express Chow Mein (#1), Qdoba 3-Cheese Queso (#2), Outback Baked Potato Soup (#4), Chipotle Carne Asada (#5).

    Check out this list of our most popular recipes of all-time.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    Taco Bell Shredded Chicken Soft Taco

    In November 2020, Taco Bell said “adios” to several classic items from their menu including Mexican Pizza—one of my long-time favorites—and anything with shredded chicken in it, including the chicken soft taco. But teary goodbyes from fans of the tasty spiced chicken can be avoided if we have a good (and easy) recipe to craft a duplicate at home. Since the fast Mexican chain announced the changes several months in advance, I had time to work up a good hack before the tacos were gone forever.

    After cooking the chicken several ways, I settled on poaching the fillets in chicken broth, which kept them moist and added great umami flavor. When the chicken cooled, I shredded it, and added it to a sauce seasoned with spices and lime juice, and flavored with Knorr tomato chicken bouillon. 

    As the sauce thickens it will reduce and infuse the chicken with flavor, just like the original Taco Bell shredded chicken, then it’s ready for you to use on tacos, burritos, salads, or whatever. And don't forget the hot sauce

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    Lazy Dog Crispy Deviled Eggs

    Menu Description: “Lightly fried, topped with smoked paprika + bacon candy.”

    Lazy Dog Crispy Deviled eggs are hard-boiled egg whites that are breaded and fried until crispy, then filled with the creamy yolk mixture, sprinkled with smoked paprika, and topped with the best thing that ever topped a deviled egg: bacon candy! 

    We'll start with my preferred way to hard-boil the eggs, to get beautifully yellow yolks with no grey tint to them. Those bright yellow yolks are removed and flavored, then spooned back into the crispy breaded whites.

    I'm also including my hack for cloning two slices of the chain's great brown sugar candied bacon. If you want to make extra bacon candy to munch on check out my recipe for Lazy Dog's Bacon Candy appetizer and you’ll get five slices of bacon candy. That’s two for your Lazy Dog Crispy Deviled Eggs copycat recipe, and three for you to eat and share.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Cracker Barrel Meatloaf

    The Southern-themed chain famous for its gift shops filled with made-in-America products and delicious homestyle food is also known to have a particularly good meatloaf. This dish ranks high in popularity, right up there with the Chicken ‘n Dumplins and the Hash Brown Casserole, so a good Cracker Barrel Meatloaf copycat recipe is long overdue.

    Making meatloaf is easy. What’s hard is making it taste like the meatloaf at Cracker Barrel which is tender and juicy, and flavored with onion, green pepper, and tomato. I sought to turn out a moist and tender loaf of meat, and one that’s not dry and tough, but my first attempts were much too dense. I wasn’t happy about that, but my dog was thrilled.

    After playing around with the eggs-to-breadcrumbs-to-milk ratios and being careful to use gentle hands when combining everything and pressing it into the loaf pan, the final batch was a winner and I get to pass it along to you.    

    It's best to use a meatloaf pan here which has an insert that lets the fat drip to the bottom, away from the meat. A regular loaf pan will still work, but you’ll want to pour off the fat in the pan before slicing. 

    Satisfy your Cracker Barrel cravings with more of my copycat recipes here.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 5)
    Maggiano's Beef Tenderloin Medallions

    For many years this entrée has been a top menu choice at Maggiano's, the 54-unit Italian chain from Brinker, the same company that operates Chili’s Grill & Bar. The $30 restaurant dish consists of three 2½-ounce tenderloin steaks, swimming in a fantastic balsamic cream sauce with sliced portabello mushrooms—but a home version is only six easy steps away, and it won't hit you in the wallet as hard as the pricey original.

    Cracking this dish required a perfect hack of the balsamic cream sauce, and that came quickly after obtaining some very reliable information from my incredibly helpful server/informant at a Las Vegas Maggiano’s. Let’s call him Skippy.

    According to Skippy, the balsamic cream sauce is as simple as mixing a sweet balsamic glaze with the chain’s creamy Alfredo sauce. So, I first got a sample of Maggiano’s Alfredo sauce and figured out how to replicate it. Once that was done, I measured increments of balsamic glaze into the Alfredo sauce until the color and flavor matched the original. The rest of the recipe was easy.

    My recipe will make two servings and includes preparation for the tenderloins and sauce. If you’d like to complete the dish the way it’s served at the restaurant (as in the photo), add some garlic mashed potatoes on the side, using my hack for Olive Garden Garlic Mashed Potatoes.   

    Try my Maggiano's Beef Tenderloin Medallions copycat recipe below, find more of my Maggiano's copycat recipes here.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme

    I’m not sure when it happened, but it appears Taco Bell recently changed its seasoned beef recipe. I hacked the recipe several years ago for the book TSR Step-by-Step, and I recall the recipe had much more oat filler, so that’s how I cloned it. Taco Bell came under fire in 2011 for the significant amount of oats in the recipe that the chain was listing as “spices,” and after that, Taco Bell was more transparent about ingredients. But somewhere along the way it appears the company tweaked the recipe to include less filler and more flavor, so I decided I had to create a new Taco Bell seasoned beef copycat recipe. 

    You can use my recipe below to make the famous Chalupa—which the restaurant makes by deep-frying the flatbread used for Gorditas. You can also use this new, improved Taco Bell seasoned beef recipe for anything you’re copying, whether it's tacos, burritos, Enchiritos, Mexican Pizzas, or a big pile of nachos.

    The secret ingredient in our hack is Knorr tomato bouillon. This flavor powder adds many ingredients found in the original recipe and provides the umami savoriness that’s required for a spot-on clone of the famous seasoned ground beef. To get the right flavor, you need to find "Knorr Tomato Bouillon with Chicken Flavor" powder, in a jar. Not the bouillon cubes.

    Try my Taco Bell Chalupa Supreme recipe below, and find copycat recipes for Taco Bell mild, hot or diablo sauce here.

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    Panera Bread Turkey Chili

    Panera’s turkey chili is a wholesome and flavorful mix of dark meat turkey, beans, tomatoes, chilies, carrots, onions, and spices that’s easy to hack at home, once you know the secrets. I found that adding turkey in two forms—ground and sliced—resulted in the best hack of Panera Bread Turkey Chili. The sliced turkey should be dark meat, if possible, but if you can’t find uncooked, sliced dark meat, white meat is fine. It doesn’t finish quite as tender and flavorful as the dark meat, but it still works.

    To further improve flavor, I’m slipping in some nutritional yeast, which acts like MSG. Panera uses a natural yeast extract similar to this in many of their soups to improve flavor, so we’ll do the same. You can find nutritional yeast, or “nooch,” at Whole Foods or another well-stocked food store. If you can’t track it down, add another ¼ teaspoon of salt to the pot.

    And take note that you won’t be adding the edamame until the latter half of the cooking process. We do it this way so that when the chili is ready, the edamame will still be green, rather than the unappetizing grey color that can curse overcooked soybeans.

    Try my Panera Bread Turkey Chili copycat recipe below, and find more of your favorite Panera Bread copycat recipes here.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Outback Steakhouse Firecracker Salmon

    If you like sweet with a little bit of heat, and if you like salmon, then you'll love my Outback Steakhouse Firecracker Salmon recipe. 

    Grilled salmon is brushed with the restaurant's top secret Firecracker Sauce and then it's topped with simple-to-make mango salsa. Those fabulous formulas are all here, and I’ll also show you how to cook the salmon the same way the restaurant does for a perfectly awesome kitchen clone.

    Find copycat recipes for more of your favorite Outback dishes here

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Panera Bread Baked Potato Soup

    Since Panera Bread makes all its ingredients known, it's not hard to find out that there’s no chicken broth in the original recipe, yet every copycat recipe I located online calls for chicken broth, as well as other ingredients clearly not found in Panera's version. Unlike those other recipes, I use the same or similar ingredients to those listed on the company’s website in my Panera Bread Potato Soup copycat recipe, so you can make the closest replica at home.

    One of the ingredients in the soup, according to the posted list, is yeast extract. This tasty ingredient adds an MSG-like savoriness to Panera’s soup, and we can duplicate it by using nutritional yeast—often called "nooch"—now found in many stores, including Whole Foods. A little bit of nooch will provide the umami deliciousness that replaces chicken broth or bouillon.

    Panera keeps its soup gluten-free by thickening it with a combination of rice flour and cornstarch, rather than wheat flour. I’ve included those ingredients as well so that your clone is similarly gluten-free. Use the steps below and in about an hour you’ll have 8 servings of a soup that is a culinary doppelganger to Panera Bread's Baked Potato soup, and at a mere fraction of the cost.

    Find recipes for more of your favorite Panera Bread dishes here.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 4)
    Thomas' English Muffins

    Samuel Bath Thomas immigrated from England to New York City and opened his first bakery there in 1880. That is where Thomas created skillet bread that would one day become the famous muffins known for their craggy texture when split in half. This hack for Thomas’ English Muffins uses a special kneading process to give the muffins the "nooks and crannies" they are famous for, making craters in the finished bread to better hold on to melted butter and jam.

    I have seen several recipes that claim to re-create these muffins, but none produce the large air pockets that a proper Thomas' English Muffin recipe requires, in addition to great flavor and a perfectly cooked interior. To ensure proper nooks and crannies and muffins that are cooked all the way through, I've included some important steps.

    The dough you'll make here is like a ciabatta dough in that it is very wet. So rather than kneading the dough, you stretch and fold it over several times on a well-oiled surface. Then, when the portioned-out dough has proofed on baking sheets for another 1½ to 2 hours, you par-bake the muffins.

    After baking, the muffins are cooked on a griddle or in a pan until dark brown on both sides, then they must cool. This is the hardest part. The muffins will be too soft to open for at least four hours, and now you have to fight off the temptation to eat one. It’s hard, I know. The muffins smell great and you’ve waited all this time, but resist for now and your patience will be rewarded.

    When the muffins have had their rest, split them with a fork and toast them as you would any English muffin.

    Check out all my top secret recipes for famous bread here

    Read more
  • Not rated yet
    Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallows

    The most popular recipe circulating on the internet and among Food Network chefs who claim it as their own makes decent marshmallows, but the ubiquitous formula won’t pass as a hack for America’s favorite marshmallows, Jet-Puffed. I know this for sure because my eleven-year-old daughter says so, and she’s the House Marshmallow Expert (HME).

    According to our HME, the internet recipe makes marshmallows that are too sweet, and they don't have the right flavor. After testing the sweetness for myself I decided she was right, so I reduced the sugar for my Jet-Puffed Marshmallow copycat recipe. I also adjusted the flavor by adding more vanilla, and after another taste test, my batch of fresh marshmallows got the HME seal of approval.

    But the shape was still wrong.

    One thing you’ll notice about homemade marshmallow recipes is that they all make cubic marshmallows, which are hand-sliced from one sheet of marshmallow that has set up in a square pan. But Jet-Puffed Marshmallows aren’t cubes, they’re cylindrical, and I wanted marshmallows like that. So, borrowing a technique for cornstarch molds used by candy manufacturers, I came up with a way you can make cylindrical marshmallows just like the big boys do. All you need is cornstarch and a muffin pan. You’ll find instructions for cylindrical marshmallows at the bottom of the recipe in the Tidbits if you want to give the more authentic shape a try.

    Regardless of what shape you decide to make, a stand mixer and a candy thermometer will help you turn out the best-ever homemade marshmallows—which, by the way, make fantastic s'mores.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Benihana Hibachi Chicken and Steak

    When 20-year old Rocky Aoki came to New York City from Japan with his wrestling team in 1959 he was convinced it was the land of opportunity. Just five years later he used $10,000 he had saved plus another $20,000 that he borrowed to open a Benihana steakhouse on the West Side of Manhattan. His concept of bringing the chefs out from the back of the kitchen to prepare the food in front of customers on a specially designed hibachi grill was groundbreaking. The restaurant was such a smashing success that it paid for itself within 6 months.

    The most popular items at the restaurant are the Hibachi Chicken and Hibachi Steak, which are prepared at your table on an open hibachi grill. But, since most home kitchens are not fitted with a hibachi grill, you'll have to improvise. It's best to use two pans for my Benihana hibachi chicken and steak copycat recipe below; one for the meat and mushrooms, and the other for the remaining vegetables. And since many of today's cooking surfaces are coated with scratchable, nonstick coatings, we won't be slicing the meat and vegetables while they are sizzling on the hot cooking surface as the Benihana chefs do.

    Grab my clone recipes for the Ginger and Mustard Dipping Sauces here!

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 1)
    Kozy Shack Tapioca Pudding

    The brand that makes the most popular rice pudding in the country also makes a great tapioca pudding, with large tapioca pearls in delicious vanilla cream. I wanted to duplicate the pudding as easily as possible, and since large tapioca pearls are much harder to find and take longer to cook than Minute Tapioca made by Kraft, I opted to design the recipe using this more available ingredient.

    Minute Tapioca's small pearls of tapioca have been par-cooked so that it takes less time to prepare the pudding. Soaking large tapioca pearls until tender is a process that can take as long as 12 hours, and then you still have to make the pudding. My quick Kozy Shack tapioca pudding recipe, however, will take you just an hour from beginning to end.

    Give the pudding a nice chill once it's done, and it will thicken up nicely. You can be spoon-deep in a bowl of homemade tapioca pudding the same day you make it.  

    Try my Kozy Shack Rice pudding recipe here.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 5)
    Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo

    Menu Description: "Grilled beef medallions drizzled with balsamic glaze, served over fettuccine tossed with spinach and gorgonzola-alfredo sauce."

    This menu item builds on Olive Garden's great Alfredo sauce recipe with the addition of Gorgonzola cheese. The tangy cheese sauce works well with the sweet-and-sour balsamic reduction drizzled over the beef medallions. 

    You'll want to track down three 6-ounce sirloin steaks or whatever cut you prefer and slice each of them into four 1 1/2-ounce fillets. Get pounding with a kitchen mallet and make those steaks about 1/2-inch thick, and they will grill up to the same size as the medallions on the original dish. Between the pounding and the meat tenderizer in the beef seasoning, you will turn even the cheapest cut of beef into a tender morsel. Build your dish as described below, and you will have re-created the taste and presentation of the original rich, tasty, fulfilling dish.

    Try my Olive Garden Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo copycat recipe below, and find more of your favorite dishes from Olive Garden here.  

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.81 (votes: 16)
    Islands Tortilla Soup

    The entire process for making this soup which Islands serves in "bottomless bowls" takes as long as 3 hours, but don't let that discourage you. Most of that time is spent waiting for the chicken to roast (up to 90 minutes -- although you can save time by using a precooked chicken, see Tidbits) and letting the soup simmer (1 hour). The actual work involved is minimal -- most of your time is spent chopping the vegetable ingredients. 

    My Islands Tortilla Soup recipe produces a copycat with awesome flavor and texture, since you'll be making fresh chicken stock from the carcass of the roasted chicken. As for the fried tortilla strip garnish that tops the soup, you can go the hard way or the easy way on that step. The hard way makes the very best tortilla strips, and it's really not that hard: Simply slice corn tortillas into strips, fry the strips real quick, then toss the fried strips with a custom seasoning blend. The easy way is to grab a bag of the new habanero-flavored Doritos, which happen to be similar in spiciness to the strips used at the restaurant. Simply crumble a few of these chips over the top of your bowl of soup, and dive in.

    Find more cool Islands copycat recipes here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur

    Read more
  • Score: 4.83 (votes: 6)
    Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies

    These soft, creme-filled sandwich cookies were the first snacks produced by McKee Foods back in 1960. It was his 4-year-old granddaughter Debbie after whom founder O.D. McKee named his line of snack cakes. O.D. was inspired by a picture of the little girl in play clothes and a straw hat, and that's the image we still find today on every package. The secret to cloning these mouth-watering snacks is re-creating the soft, chewy consistency of the oatmeal cookies. To duplicate the texture, the cookies are slightly underbaked. Then you whip up some of the easy-to-make creme filling with marshmallow creme, and spread it between two of the oatmeal cookies to complete your homemade Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

    Find my lighter version of Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies here

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.40 (votes: 15)
    Chili's Honey Mustard Salad Dressing

    One of America's favorite casual chains brings us a popular salad dressing that you can't buy in stores. Instead, buy these six simple ingredients at a store and use my Chili's Honey Mustard Salad Dressing recipe below to make your own version cheaply and quickly.

    Find more of my Chili's copycat recipes here

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 14)
    Carrabba's Chicken Marsala

    Menu Description: "Fire-roasted chicken breast topped with mushrooms, prosciutto and our Florio Marsala wine sauce."

    To create my Carrabba's Chicken Marsala recipe, I ordered the dish to go, with the sauce on the side, so that I could separately analyze each component. After some trial and error in the underground lab, I found that re-creating the secret sauce from scratch is easy enough with a couple small cans of sliced mushrooms, a bit of prosciutto, some Marsala wine, shallots, garlic and a few other good things. 

    Cooking the chicken requires a very hot grill. The restaurant chain grills chicken breasts over a blazing real wood fire, so crank your grill up high enough to get the flames nipping at your cluckers (not a euphemism). If your grill has a lid, keep it open, so you can watch for nasty flare-ups.

    Click here for more of your favorite dishes from Carrabba's.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 3.60 (votes: 5)
    Popeyes Buttermilk Biscuits

    In 2007 America's number one Cajun-style restaurant celebrated its 35th birthday with 1,583 stores worldwide. But Popeyes didn't start out with the name that most people associate with a certain spinach-eating cartoon character. When Al Copeland opened his first Southern-fried chicken stand in New Orleans in 1972, it was called Chicken On The Run. The name was later changed to Popeyes after Gene Hackman's character in the movie The French Connection. In addition to great spicy fried chicken, Popeyes serves up wonderful Southern-style buttermilk biscuits that we can now easily duplicate to serve with a variety of home cooked meals. The secret is to cut cold butter into the mix with a pastry knife so that the biscuits turn out flaky and tender just like the originals.

    Source: "Top Secret Recipes Unlocked" by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.91 (votes: 11)
    HoneyBaked Ham Glaze

    By sneaking around to the back of a HoneyBaked Ham store, I witnessed the glazing process through an open door. The hams are delivered to each of the 300 HoneyBaked outlets already smoked, but without the glaze. It is only when the ham gets to your local HoneyBaked store that a special machine thin-slices the tender meat in a spiral fashion around the bone. Then, one at a time, each ham is then coated with the glaze—a blend that is similar to what might be used to make pumpkin pie. This sweet coating is then caramelized with a blowtorch by hand until the glaze bubbles and melts, turning golden brown. If needed, more of the coating is added to the HoneyBaked Glazed Ham, and the blowtorch is fired up until the glaze is just right. It's this careful process that turns the same size ham that costs 20 dollars in a supermarket into one that customers gladly shell out 3 to 4 times as much to share during the holiday season.

    For my HoneyBaked Ham glaze copycat recipe, we will re-create the glaze that you can apply to a smoked/cooked bone-in ham of your choice. Look for a ham that is pre-sliced. Otherwise, you'll have to slice it yourself with a sharp knife, then the glaze will be applied. To get the coating just right, you must use a blowtorch. Get the kind that is used for crème brûlée from almost any kitchen supply store. They're usually pretty cheap. And don't worry—I didn't leave out an ingredient. No honey is necessary to re-create this flavorful glaze.

    Now, what's for dessert?

    Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    Del Taco Crispy Fish Taco

    The number two Mexican fast food chain nicely duplicates the delicious fish tacos you'd find in coastal towns south of the border: two corn tortillas wrapped around a fried halibut fillet that's topped with cabbage, fresh salsa, and a creamy "secret sauce." It's practically impossible to eat just one—they're that good. And, thanks to the availability of breaded frozen fish sticks in just about every market, a home version of Del Taco Crispy Fish Tacos is stupidly simple. If you can't find crispy halibut sticks in your local store, the more common breaded pollock will work just fine here. You can also use frozen fish portions that are grilled if you're not into the breaded (fried) stuff. The real recipe at Del Taco comes with two thin corn tortillas, but sometimes the only available corn tortillas in consumer markets are the thicker ones. If that's the case, you'll need just one per taco.

    How about a cold margarita to wash down those tacos? Find your favorite famous drink recipes here

    Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    Outback Steakhouse Chocolate Thunder from Down Under

    Menu Description: “An extra generous pecan brownie is crowned with rich vanilla ice cream, drizzled with our classic warm chocolate sauce and finished with chocolate shavings and whipped cream. A chocolate lover’s dream.”

    The gluten-free brownie under the ice cream and homemade whipped cream is a flourless chocolate pecan cake cut into squares. Once the brownie is baked, it is chilled and sliced, then each serving is nuked for about 45 seconds until gooey hot. The fun really starts when you load a huge scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of the hot brownie and then drizzle some warm fudge sauce over the top. Outback cooks make the sauce from scratch each day, but it tastes similar to Hershey’s Hot Fudge Topping that you can get in just about any market. The homemade whipped cream formula here is easy and better than anything that comes out of a can. Put it all together with my Outback Chocolate Thunder from Down Under recipe below. 

    Complete the Outback experience with more of my recipes here

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 3)
    Marie Callender's Famous Golden Cornbread

    The American restaurant business has been shaped by many entrepreneurs, so determined to realize their dreams of owning a hot dog cart or starting a restaurant, that they sell everything they own to raise cash. Food lore is littered with these stories, and this one is no exception. This time the family car was sold to pay for one month's rent on a converted World War II army tent, an oven, refrigerator, rolling pin, and some hand tools. It was 1948, and that's all Marie Callender and her family needed to make enough pies to start delivering to restaurants in Long Beach, California.

    It was the pies that started the company, but soon the bakeries became restaurants and they started serving meals. One of my favorites is the Famous Golden Cornbread and whipped honey butter that comes with many of the entrées. What makes this cornbread so scrumptious is its cake-like quality. My Marie Callender's cornbread copycat recipe below requires more flour than traditional cornbread recipes, making the finished product soft and spongy, just like Marie's.

    Check out my other Marie Callender's hacks here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

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

    Exclusive signed copy. It's no longer necessary to stand in line for a table at T.G.I. Friday's or Red Lobster, Olive Garden or Outback. You can make the menu items you love right at home—with ingredients from your local supermarket. Included in this book are some of the best-kept restaurant secrets that let you eat in with the great taste of eating out!

    In this unique cookbook, Todd Wilbur re-creates more than 100 signature dishes from America's most popular chain restaurants—including such hot theme eateries as the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood.

    Wilbur's easy-to-make knock-offs, the product of years of research, are indiscernible from the originals—and the most ingenious way we know of to cut down on the cost of eating out. But watch out, once you start cooking, people may start calling for reservations at your dinner table!

    Find out how to make home versions of Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad, Benihana Hibachi Chicken & Steak, California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken Pizza, The Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake, Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole, Hard Rock Cafe Famous Baby Rock Watermelon Ribs, Hooters Buffalo Wings, Marie Callender's Famous Golden Cornbread, Olive Garden Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip, Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken, Pizza Hut Original Stuffed Crust Pizza, Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch, Ruth's Chris Creamed Spinach, T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins, and many more.

    Other books you may like: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 and Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3.

    Contents
    Applebee's Club House Grill
    Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad
    Applebee's Pizza Sticks
    Applebee's Quesadillas
    Applebee's Tijuana "Philly" Steak Sandwich
    Benihana Hibachi Chicken
    Benihana Hibachi Steak
    Benihana Mustard Dipping Sauce
    Benihana Ginger Dipping Sauce
    Benihana Japanese Fried rice
    Bennigan's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
    Bennigan's California Turkey Sandwich
    Bennigan's Cookie Mountain Sundae
    Big Boy Cream of Broccoli Soup
    Big Boy Original Double-Decker Hamburger Classic
    Big Boy Club Sandwich
    California Pizza Kitchen Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
    California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Pizza
    California Pizza Kitchen Southwestern Burrito Pizza
    Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta
    Cheesecake Factory Avocado Eggrolls
    Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
    Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake
    Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Cheesecake
    Chi-Chi's Beef Nachos Grande
    Chi-Chi's Chicken Nachos Grande
    Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake
    Chi-Chi's Twice Grilled Barbecue Burrito
    Chi-Chi's "Fried" Ice Cream
    Chili's Grilled Caribbean Salad
    Chili's Fajitas for Two
    Chili's Peanut Butter Cheesecake
    Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
    Cracker Barrel Eggs-in-the-Basket
    Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplins
    Denny's Scram Slam
    Denny's Moons Over My Hammy
    Denny's The Super Bird
    Dive! Carrot Chips
    Dive! Sicilian Sub Rosa
    Dive! Brick Oven Mushroom & Turkey Cheese Sub
    Dive! S'mores
    Hard Rock Cafe Filet Steak Sandwich
    Hard Rock Cafe Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
    Hard Rock Cafe Famous Baby Rock Watermelon Ribs
    Hard Rock Cafe Orange Freeze
    Hooters Buffalo Chicken Wings
    Hooters Buffalo Shrimp
    Hooters Pasta Salad
    Houlihan's Houli Fruit Fizz
    Houlihan's 'Shrooms
    Houlihan's Smashed Potatoes
    IHOP Banana Nut Pancakes
    IHOP Cheese Blintz
    IHOP Fajita Omelette
    IHOP French Toast
    Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Amarillo Cheese Fries
    Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Black Bean Soup
    Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Texas Rice
    Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Sweet Bourbon Salmon
    Marie Callender's Famous Golden Cornbread
    Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie
    Marie Callender's Banana Cream Pie
    Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing
    Olive Garden Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip
    Olive Garden Toscana Soup
    Olive Garden Alfredo Pasta
    Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion
    Outback Steakhouse Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp
    Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup
    Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken
    Perkins Family Restaurants Potato Pancakes
    Perkins Family Restaurants Granny's Country Omelette
    Perkins Family Restaurants Country Club Omelette
    Pizza Hut Original Stuffed Crust Pizza
    Pizza Hut Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza
    Pizza Hut TripleDecker Pizza
    Planet Hollywood Pizza Bread
    Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch
    Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers
    Red Lobster Broiled Lobster
    Red Lobster Broiled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
    Red Lobster Grilled Scallop & Bacon Skewers
    Red Lobster Stuffed Shrimp
    Red Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms
    Red Robin No-Fire Peppers
    Red Robin BBQ Chicken Salad Red Robin Mountain High Mudd Pie
    Ruby Tuesday Potato Cheese Soup
    Ruby Tuesday Smokey Mountain Chicken
    Ruby Tuesday Sonora Chicken Pasta
    Ruby Tuesday Strawberry Tallcake for Two
    Ruth's Chris Steak House Barbecued Shrimp
    Ruth's Chris Steak House Petite Filet
    Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach
    Ruth's Chris Steak House Potatoes Au Gratin
    Shoney's Country Fried Steak
    Shoney's Slow-Cooked Pot Roast
    Shoney's Hot Fudge Cake
    Sizzler Cheese Toast
    Sizzler Chicken Club Sandwich
    Sizzler Southern Fried Shrimp
    Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Cheese Garlic Bread
    Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Western T-bone
    Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Whiskey Pepper Steak
    T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins
    T.G.I. Friday's Nine-Layer Dip
    T.G.I. Friday's California Chargrilled Turkey Sandwich
    T.G.I. Friday's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta
    T.G.I. Friday's Friday's Smoothies--Gold Medalist
    T.G.I. Friday's Friday's Smoothies--Tropical Runner
    Tony Roma's World Famous Ribs
    Tony Roma's Original Baby Backs
    Tony Roma's Carolina Honeys
    Tony Roma's Red Hots
    Western Sizzlin' "Teriyaki" Chicken Breast

    Read more
    • 10% off
  • Not rated yet
    Wendy's Classic Greek Fresh Stuffed Pita Low-Fat

    In 1997, Wendy's announced its IPO—also known as the Initial Pita Offering—on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. Wendy's CEO Gordon Teter rang the bell to open the day of trading while Wendy's stock traders on the floor munched out on four varieties of the pita sandwiches, including this one, the Classic Greek Fresh Stuffed Pita.

    For our low-fat clone, well cut a gaggle of grams by making the dressing fat-free, and then well use low-fat feta cheese. Following this secret formula below, you can turn what is normally a 20-fat-gram sandwich into one that weighs in with only 2.5 grams.

    Nutrition Facts
    Serving size–1 sandwich
    Total servings–4
    Calories per serving–240 (Original–440)
    Fat per serving–2.5g (Original–20g)

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

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 5)
    California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) California Club Pizza

    Menu Description: "Applewood smoked bacon, grilled chicken and Mozzarella cheese, hearth baked, then topped with Roma tomatoes, chilled chopped lettuce tossed in mayonnaise and fresh sliced avocados."

    There's no better way to clone the great pizzas from this creative chain than to start with dough made from scratch. Since the best way to re-create commercial-style pizza dough at home is to use the same slow-rising technique the pros use, you're going to have to plan ahead at least 24 hours. This is the length of time it will take for the gluten in the flour to work its magic while resting comfortably in your refrigerator. And, if you've got the patience, 48 hours is even better. 

    Once the dough is ready to go, you should bake your pizzas—my CPK California Club Pizza recipe makes two—on a pre-heated pizza stone in your oven. If you don't already have one, you can find one of the round or rectangular stones in just about any housewares store. This cooking method is the absolute best way to produce an evenly baked finished product with a texture and taste that mirrors the amazing pies CPK whips out of rocket-hot brick pizza ovens.

    CPK makes great soups and salads too. Get my copycat recipes here.

    Source Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 5.00 (votes: 2)
    Red Lobster New England Clam Chowder

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

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

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
  • Score: 4.75 (votes: 4)
    P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken

    Menu Description: "Tossed with orange peel and chili peppers for a spicy/citrus combination."

    Several of P.F. Chang's top-selling items are similar in preparation technique: bite-size pieces of meat are lightly breaded and wok-seared in oil, then doused with a secret sauce mixture. This dish is made the same way. The heat in the citrusy sauce comes from chili garlic sauce, which you'll find in the aisle with the Asian foods in your supermarket—the rest of the sauce ingredients are common stuff. The orange peel is julienned into thin strips before adding it to the dish. Since the flavor from the peel is so strong, we won't need to add it until the end. Cook up some white or brown rice to serve alongside your homemade P.F. Chang's Orange Peel chicken and get the chopsticks ready

    What else are you craving from P.F. Chang's? See if I hacked your favorite dish here.

    Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

    Read more
Never miss a secret
Subscribe to Todd Wilbur’s newsletter and be the first to know what’s free and what’s new!
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.

What's Hot