Bahama breeze grilled chicken with cilantro crema

My friend Jen has a favorite dish from Bahama Breeze - Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Crema - and I have been promising her that I'd try to recreate it. I had never had the dish, so I had to figure it out from her description and from reading the menu online.

I tried to find a copycat recipe, but could only find one for the cilantro crema, the part of the dish I already had some ideas on based on some things I had made in the past. So I experimented with the chicken, served it over mashed potatoes just like at the restaurant, and she said it was really good! I liked it as well - light and bright, fresh, and easy!

I made creamy mashed potatoes with some cheddar cheese mixed in, but come to think of it, these Roasted Jalapeno Mashed Potatoes would have been perfect with this chicken! Next time.

Here is what I did -

The Chicken

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, minced
• Juice from 1/2 of a lime
• 1/4 c tequila

Mix the oil, garlic, jalapeno, lime juice and tequila. Pour over chicken in a shallow dish or Ziploc bag. Let marinate in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Note, if you do choose to marinate it longer, add your lime juice 4 or less hours from cooking.

Grill the chicken - cook each side for 3 minutes over high heat. Lower heat to medium and cook one more time per side until cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165). Transfer to a plate to rest for a few minutes.

The Cilantro Cream
Adapted from: Eating Well

Blend everything in a bowl using a handheld immersion blender, or a food processor, until smooth. Push through a sieve to remove any chunks. Chill until ready to serve.

The Potatoes
I grew up watching and helping my dad make mashed potatoes, so never really followed a recipe. Potatoes just need to be mixed and tasted again and again, adjusting as you go, until you reach the desired creaminess, saltiness, and overall flavor. For this dish, this is what I did:

• 2 lbs Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
• Approximately 3/4 c of whole milk (have some extra on hand)
• Approximately 4 tbsp butter, softened
• Salt to taste (I probably use 2 tbsp - just keep adding slowly and tasting)
• 1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Boil the potatoes until tender; drain and return to the pot. Slowly add the milk and butter, mixing with a hand mixer. Add the cheese and continue to mix. Start to season with salt as you mix, continuously tasting and adjusting. Add more milk if needed, and adjust salt.

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I'm from Iowa, and to the lucky few who live near a Bahama Breeze, I don't care what you say about them, they are awesome!  Though Iowa has it's share of upscale dining and chains, Bahama Breeze is nowhere to be seen, and the closest one is over 350 miles away in Schaumburg, Illinois, a Western suburb of Chicago.

Me and my fiance took the bus ride from NYC to Willowbrook to eat at BB, since we love eating at the one in Schaumburg, and we weren't disappointed.  Our hostess and our waitress, Megan S., were awesome and were very friendly.  The server wasn't, as she just served us the food and whisked away, not asking if we had everything we needed...but I got over that.

I had the shellfish chowder and the jerk chicken pasta, and the bf had Chicken with Cilantro Creme Sauce and Mashed Potatoes, and he had key lime pie for dessert...which all were very delicious!  I even asked our server for some chopped pineapple, because on a whim, I felt that some pineapple might spruce up my dish a bit, and she was nice enough to get some for me, and it tasted awesome with it!

The decor wasn't as nice as the Schaumburg location, but I loved how the restrooms had mouthwash, kleenex and hand lotion!  Another plus is that I was able to charge my mobile phone, given by chance we were seated next to a power outlet :-).  Also, having free Wi-Fi within the restaurant is a plus!

Now I know there are people out there who despise chains, and would rather spend double their money to eat at a local restaurant rather than to support corporate America, but just ignore them, because Bahama Breeze is an awesome restaurant. And though they have no plans to open any additional restaurants in the Midwest at this time, I will still go out of my way to eat there.  And, with eating here, you have a four anchor mall to walk around to walk it off!  Eating at Bahama Breeze...shopping at Lord & Taylor and Macy's, grabbing some Starbucks after....my idea of a Saturday night away from home!

We are glad we got there early, though (around 4pm), because by the time we left, the restaurant was packed and people were waiting for a table!  That's how good it is!