Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

  

 

One of the things I like to do is try to recreate restaurant favorites at home. Once you know a lot of the basics of cooking, you can make pretty good guesses as to the methods of food preparation that a certain dish followed. Plus, you can get a lot of handy information from the restaurant's menu! I mean, they have to describe the food to you and what ingredients are in it to tantalize you as well as warn you in case certain ingredients aren't to your liking. The menu also gives you clues as to the method of food preparation as well.

One really fun place that I like to eat at is Wingers. Their wings are to die for (and no, I don't have a recipe for those). I have no idea how to recreate their wings, so Wingers can rest assured that I will continue to visit their establishment. I'm pretty sure they have some tricky preparation techniques up their sleeve (probably a combination of baking and frying the chicken wings--which I don't even want to try to attempt).

However, there are a few of my favorite menu items that are pretty easy to recreate at home. The first is for their Loaded Chicken. The menu says is all: grilled chicken, jack and cheddar cheese, sauteed mushrooms and onions, bacon, and Teriyaki sauce. Delicious. Serve it with a side of mashed potatoes, steamed veggies, and coleslaw and you're set. Then, of course, there is their crave-able Asphalt Pie. However, I never take the time to make it in pie form. Mine is more of an Asphalt Sundae. I would never have thought to put together the flavors of mint, chocolate, and caramel...but it works. It really works.

Pretty yummy stuff. So, if you can't get out to dinner, stay in and enjoy some restaurant favorites. But if you want to enjoy their wings at home, you'd better get take-out!


Loaded Chicken

Ingredients:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Teriyaki marinade (the sweeter, the better)
2 containers sliced mushrooms
1 sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Texas Sweet), quartered and sliced
Bacon (at least one slice per chicken breast, or two slices per chicken breast if you're not feeling health conscious)
Shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese blend (about 1-2 tbsp per chicken breast--depending on how cheesy you want it)

Directions:

Marinate chicken breasts in Teriyaki marinade (at least one hour or up to 12 hours).

Cook bacon. Make it a little less crispy than you usually prefer it because it will cook a little longer under the broiler with the chicken while the cheese melts. (Make the bacon however you like to cook it: the microwave, in a pan on the stove top or in the oven. I prefer to cook the bacon in the oven. I place it on a foil lined jelly roll pan and bake it at 425 degrees for 15-20 minutes...or until desired doneness. In this case, until it is a little less than my desired doneness.)

Place marinated chicken breasts on a foil lined jelly roll pan and broil on high for 6-10 minutes per side (amount of time will depend on how thick the chicken breasts are. Check after 6 minutes and adjust time accordingly).

While chicken is cooking, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and saute mushrooms and onions.

When chicken is no longer pink in the middle and the juices run clear, remove the pan from the oven. Pile an equal amount of mushrooms and onions on each chicken breast. Place 1-2 bacon slices on each piece of chicken. Finally, sprinkle cheese over the chicken, mushrooms, onions, and bacon. Put the chicken back in the oven and broil for another 1-2 minutes--just until the cheese is nicely melted.

Serve with your favorite sides.

Source: Inspired by Wingers restaurant. But this is my personal version.

Notes: The Wingers menu says that they grill their chicken breasts. You can do that instead, if you prefer. But I think broiling, for me at least, is a lot more hassle free, so I prefer to do it that way.

Asphalt Sundae

Ingredients:

Mint Chocolate Chip or Mint Chocolate Cookie ice cream
Canned/Spray Whipped Cream
Oreo cookies, crushed (1-2 cookies per sundae)
Caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

Sprinkle some crushed Oreo cookies in your serving cup or bowl. Add 1-2 scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Sprinkle with more Oreo cookies. Add whipped cream and caramel ice cream topping.

Serve.

Source: Inspired by Wingers restaurant.

Notes: If you prefer to have this in pie form, you can use a pre-made Oreo pie crust, place the mint chocolate chip ice cream (piled high) in the crust, add crushed Oreo cookies on top. Slice into wedges and add whipped cream and caramel just prior to serving.