Cilantro Lime Dressing
After having a delicious TGI Friday's grilled chicken salad, I was determined to figure out the Cilantro Lime salad dressing served with it. This is what I came up with. Delicious for a quick summery dinner. Grilled boneless chicken breasts served over a hearty green salad, and this dressing, voila!
After having a delicious TGI Friday's grilled chicken salad, I was determined to figure out the Cilantro Lime salad dressing served with it. This is what I came up with. Delicious for a quick summery dinner. Grilled boneless chicken breasts served over a hearty green salad, and this dressing, voila!
- Carbohydrate 38.9357093333333 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 272.799398 g
- Fiber 0.716119993695617 g
- Protein 0.716764666666667 g
- Saturated Fat 39.1878644666667 g
- Serving Size 1 1 /cup (377g)
- Sodium 1502.57906666667 mg
- Sugar 38.2195893396377 g
- Trans Fat 12.4999567333333 g
- Calories 2555 calories
Step-by-step
- Place the jalapeno pepper, garlic clove, and ginger into a food processor or blender; pulse until the jalapeno and garlic are finely chopped.
- Pour in the lime juice, honey, balsamic vinegar, and salt, add the cilantro leaves; pulse a few times to blend.
- Turn the food processor or blender on, and slowly drizzle in the olive oil until incorporated into the dressing.
- Season to taste with salt before serving.
Most home cooks dump every ingredient into a blender at once, resulting in a thin emulsion that breaks apart on the plate. Proper emulsification requires patience and mechanical control. Add the solid aromatics first. Pulse the jalapeno, garlic, and ginger until finely minced before introducing any liquids. This prevents large chunks of raw garlic from hiding in the finished sauce.
Technique and Storage
Slowly drizzling the extra-virgin olive oil into the running machine builds a stable colloidal suspension. Stop pouring immediately if the vortex in the blender collapses. Store this dressing in a sealed glass jar for up to five days in the refrigerator. Cold oil will solidify slightly, so let the container sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving. Whisk vigorously if separation occurs during storage. Doubling or halving the batch requires no adjustment to blending times, though smaller volumes demand a narrow container tall enough to submerge the blades completely.Pairing Strategy
Acidity cuts through rich proteins cleanly. Spoon this bright emulsion over charred skirt steak rested to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, or toss it with crisp romaine lettuce and black beans. The high honey content balances the sharp heat of fresh jalapeno peppers, providing a contrasting glaze for grilled shrimp cooked for precisely two minutes per side.
