fiesta lime chicken

i love knockoff recipes.  most often, you can usually tweak them to be better than the original!  this is the case with fiesta lime chicken.  i’ve been making this dish for quite a long time (as in about the time tom and i started dating 9(!?!?) years ago).  it has evolved and changed several ways over the years.  it started as chicken breast, marinated in italian dressing, topped with queso and melted cheese, served over broken tortilla chips and mexican rice.  the only thing that has stayed the same is the cheese, chips and rice.

slightly adapted from: america’s most wanted recipes

for the marinade:

• 1 c water
• 1/3 c teriyaki sauce
• 1/2 lime juice (i used leftover nellie and joe’s from easter key lime pie, but usually use 4-5 freshly squeezed limes.)
• 3 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp fresh ground ginger (keep a chunk in the freezer, never spoils and it is easier to grate when frozen!)
• 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts  (i usually slice two large breasts in half.)

for the topping:

• 1/3 c mayo
• 1/3 c sour cream
• 2 tbsp chunky salsa
• 1 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp cajun spice
• 1 tsp dried dill weed
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp parsley flakes
• 1/2 tsp frank’s red hot sauce