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.
Copycat Applebee’s Fiesta Lime Chicken
Applebee’s was our go-to spot when we visited the neighboring town growing up.
And my go-to dish to order? Their Fiesta Lime Chicken!
Juicy and tender chicken breasts were coated in a creamy and tangy sauce and topped with cheesy goodness.
It was then served on a bed of crunchy tortilla strips with a side of Mexican rice — you honestly couldn’t get any better than that!
(Well, unless you ordered their Walnut Blondie for dessert — anyone else remember that?)
Reminiscing on this dish last week gave me the inkling to try making it at home. It couldn’t be that difficult, right?
And it wasn’t! After creating a simple marinade for the chicken, baking it in the oven (it’s SO much easier than grilling!), and topping it with some Mexican salsa ranch, the BEST homemade Fiesta Lime Chicken recipe was born.
Speaking of homemade… since you’re in charge of the ingredients, you can also make this dish a bit healthier with a few simple swaps! (I’ll go over those in more detail below.)
Table of Contents
Ingredients
- 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
Please see the recipe card below for more detailed ingredient amounts.
1. 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.
2. 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 keep overnight as the acidity from the lime juice will make the chicken have a mealy texture.
3. Bake Chicken in 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
The cheese and ranch cause this recipe to be relatively high in fat. However, you can make it low-carb if you skip the tortilla chips and side of rice.
Recipe Tips
- Pound it out. Take the time to tenderize the chicken.
- Similar sizes. Make sure to cut the chicken breasts into the same size so they cook up evenly.
- Make it spicy. Use a medium or spicy salsa for the Mexican ranch to give it some heat.
- Better when homemade. Mix up your own taco seasoning for the most flavor.
- Serve with strips. The crunchy texture and salty bite complement the juicy chicken breasts perfectly.
What to Serve with Fiesta Lime Chicken
Serve this fiesta lime chicken 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 and healthy 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
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Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 2 ½ tablespoons lime juice from 2 limes
- 1 tablespoons 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.
- 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.
- 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, ½ tablespoon lime juice and cilantro in a medium bowl. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush each piece with 1-2 tablespoons of sauce. Then, top each with 1 slice of cheese. Return to the oven for 3-5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
- Serve Fiesta Lime Chicken over crushed tortilla chips with any leftover salsa ranch, pico de gallo, cilantro and Mexican rice.
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Notes
- Nutrition. information is calculated without tortilla strips, 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.
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!