Applebee’s Fiesta Lime Chicken is a surprisingly easy recipe to make at home! Learn how to make this copycat dish with chicken breasts and a salsa ranch sauce that is baked in the oven to cheesy perfection. Serve over tortilla strips, with pico de gallo, and a side of Mexican rice for one of the best family dinners.
Table of Contents
Growing up, Applebee’s was our go-to spot whenever we headed to the neighboring town. I’ll never forget the first time I tried my mom’s favorite dish—Fiesta Lime Chicken. One bite, and I was hooked.
Juicy chicken breasts smothered in salsa-packed ranch and melted Colby Jack cheese, served over crispy tortilla strips with a side of Mexican rice—seriously, could it get any better?
(Well, maybe if you finished with their Walnut Blondie for dessert—anyone else remember that gem?)
Last week, I got a craving and figured I’d try my hand at recreating it at home. Turns out, it’s easier than you’d think!
With a simple chicken marinade, a quick bake in the oven, and that magical Mexican salsa ranch, this dish is as close to the original as you can get. I hope your family loves it as much as mine does!
Ingredients You’ll Need
For the exact measurements and detailed instructions, you can jump to the recipe.
- Chicken. You need boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into equal portions. It’s best if you tenderize with a meat mallet and make them about 1-inch thick.
- Marinade. This is similar to what you use when making steak fajitas or chicken fajitas. The simple marinade is made from lime juice, soy sauce, taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, and honey.
- Mexican ranch. The delicious and creamy sauce that gets drizzled on top of the chicken—and it’s SO easy! It is made from ranch dressing, mild or medium salsa, sour cream, lime juice, and freshly chopped cilantro.
- Cheese. Sliced cheese is the easiest to put on chicken, but you can use shredded. Cheddar, Colby-Jack or Monterey Jack are all great options.
- Tortilla strips. If you are not on a low-carb diet, these are a MUST. You can use either strips or regular chips. They give a wonderful crunch to the tender chicken.
How to Make Fiesta Lime Chicken
Jump to the recipe for the full instructions, ingredient amounts, and a printable recipe.
- Prepare the chicken. Cut chicken into four 5- to 6-ounce portions. Tenderize the pieces with a meat mallet until they are 1-inch thick.
- Marinate the chicken. Whisk together the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to an hour. Do not marinate form more than 24 hours as the acidity from the lime juice will break the chicken down and make it have a mushy texture.
- Bake chicken in the oven. Place the chicken in a 13×9-inch baking dish in a single layer with a little space between each one. Be sure to let any excess marinade drip off before adding it into the dish. Bake chicken in a preheated 350°F for 20-25 minutes. You want the internal temperature to reach just shy of 160°F.
- Add salsa ranch and cheese. While the chicken is cooking, stir together the salsa, ranch, sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro in a medium-sized bowl. This can be made up to 2 days in advance, if needed. Once the chicken is cooked, cover each breast with 1-2 tablespoons of sauce and 1 slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 5 more minutes, or until cheese is melted.
Serving
Serve over tortilla strips with additional sauce, lime wedges, pico de gallo, and cilantro. And don’t forget the Instant Pot Mexican Rice or Authentic Mexican Rice—a perfect pairing!
Leave out the tortilla strips and serve over cauliflower rice for a low-carb option.
FAQs
Yes! Add the chicken to a medium-heat grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Add the sauce and cheese slices and cook until cheese is melted.
Mexican salsa ranch is what covers the chicken breasts. Easily make your own by mixing salsa, ranch dressing, sour cream, lime juice, and cilantro.
What to Serve with Fiesta Lime Chicken
Serve this dish with any of these delicious Mexican side dish recipes.
Top it off with Lime Crema, Easy Guacamole Recipe, or Roasted Tomato Salsa.
Serve Mexican Street Corn Salad or Cilantro Lime Rice on the side.
And don’t miss out on Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup or Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup.
More Chicken Recipes
Keep these easy chicken recipes ready for when you need a good dinner the whole family will love.
- Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Chicken
- Olive Garden Chicken Marsala
- Baked BBQ Chicken
- Chicken Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce
- Lemon Chicken Piccata
- Glazed Balsamic Chicken
Tap stars to rate!
Fiesta Lime Chicken Recipe (Applebee’s Copycat)
email this recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice from 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 4 slices Colby Jack cheese
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- ¼ cup mild salsa
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro plus more for serving
Optional Toppings:
- Tortilla chips
- Pico de gallo
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut chicken into four equal pieces. Cover with a piece of plastic wrap and pound with a meat mallet until 1-inch thick.1 ¼ pounds chicken breasts
- Whisk together avocado oil, 2 tablespoons of lime juice, soy sauce, honey, taco seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add chicken, making sure it is well immersed, and marinate in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Flip and continue marinating for 15-45 more minutes.2 tablespoons avocado oil, 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, 1 tablespoon honey, 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ¾ teaspoon salt
- Once chicken has marinated, let excess marinade drip off and place in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish, being careful to leave a little space between each piece. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Whisk together the ranch dressing, salsa, sour cream, cilantro, the remaining ½ tablespoon lime juice, and ¼ teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush each piece with 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce. Then, top each with 1 slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.2 ½ tablespoons lime juice, ¼ cup ranch dressing, ¼ cup mild salsa, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, 4 slices Colby Jack cheese
- Serve Fiesta Lime Chicken over crushed tortilla chips with any leftover salsa ranch, pico de gallo, cilantro and Mexican rice.Tortilla chips, Pico de gallo
Tap stars to rate!
Video
Notes
- Nutrition. information is calculated without tortilla chips, pico de gallo, or additional cilantro.
- Salsa. Use a medium or spicy salsa for the Mexican ranch to give it some heat.
- Grilling Instructions. Add chicken to a medium-heat grill and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Add sauce and cheese slices and cook until cheese is melted.
- Prep-ahead. Cut and tenderize the chicken, mix up the marinade, and make the Mexican ranch. Keep separately in the fridge for up to 2 days until you’re ready to cook.
- Storage. Refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To freeze, keep in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months, but just know the ranch sauce may change texture slightly. To reheat, return to a 350°F oven, or microwave until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gave this recipe a try yesterday and my family enjoyed it. Really had me thinking I was eating the fiesta lime chicken from Applebees! Thank you for sharing. My daughter already wants me to make it more.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Alicia! That’s awesome your family loved it. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I grilled the marinated chicken then baked the cheese on top for
50 people at my church. I knew it was good but everybody raved!
Even the grilled chicken without sauce and cheese for the dairy free was very tasty. A keeper!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Jeff! That’s a lot of people! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
One of the best copy cats ever!!! I love this recipe and love it even more with the Mexican rice!!! Actually WAY BETTER then Apple Bees!!!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Sonya! It’s so good with Mexican rice. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
I’m going to try with Mexican rice next time. I ate mine with left over cilantro lime rice from night before. I had made carne asada chipotle bowls. Was trying to get rid of the rice. But it also paired very well with the chicken!
Absolutely delicious! Will be adding into our dinner rotation!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! It’s such an easy and tasty dinner. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Very easy and tasty recipe. Very easy to follow.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Rosie! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Hello! I would like to try this recipe, and just need to clarify something. In your “take it over the top” instructing you recommend marinating overnight. However, the step by step instructions caution not to marinate overnight because the lime juice will cause a mealy texture?
Hi Vivian! Wow- thank you so much for catching that! I just updated this recipe when I was testing it for my cookbook and must’ve missed that instruction. Yes, you can marinate it overnight (and it is encouraged too!) You just don’t want it to sit in the marinade for more than 24 hours or else it will get a mushy texture. Thanks so much for taking the time to ask! I can’t wait to hear what you think about this recipe- it’s one of my favorites 🙂 Happy cooking! ♡London
This recipe was so easy to follow and tasted amazing. I will definitely make it again.
I’m so glad you found the recipe easy to follow and loved how it turned out, Amy! Hope it continues to be a hit in your kitchen. Also, thank you for taking the time to leave a comment and rating—it truly means so much! Happy cooking! ♡London
This had really good lime flavor and was delicious. I seared the chicken on the stove before putting it in the oven and just cooked for less time. I also put some of the chicken from this in quesadillas and it was awesome too.
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Janelle! That’s a great way to use leftovers. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Spot on! It tastes just like the dish you would be served at Applebee’s. Highly recommend!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Leah! I think so, too. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
My husband says it’s way better than Applebees version, and I didn’t even have time to marinate! The ranch dressing but a bit salty so I added in more sour cream 🙂
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Kelly! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!