HOME COOKING: Applebee's Best Recipes That You Can Do At Home - Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad - Baby Back Ribs - Bourbon Street Steak - And More

Top Chefs jealously guard their secret recipes. But -- Top Chefs also borrow recipes from their favorite restaurants!

One of the most copied restaurants is Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar.

Applebee's, of course, is the largest casual dining chain in the world, with locations throughout the U.S. and many countries worldwide. As they like to say of themselves, "We take pride in having a friendly, welcoming, neighborhood environment for both our staff and guests that makes everyone enjoy their Applebee's experience."

Applebee's continues to set the standards for best practices in the restaurant industry. Here are just a few of their recent awards:

Chain of the Year: Restaurant Hospitality Magazine.

Excellence in Retention Award: Nation's Restaurant News, People and Performance Award Council.

Heart of the Workplace Award: In recognition of a company that models best people practices in their workplace and makes a difference in the lives of their employees and their communities - People Report.

From delicious appetizers to mouthwatering burgers to tasty salads, they've got some of the best meals worth sampling -- and cooking home.  Give your dinner guests the best -- whether family, friends -- or that date you just met on WUVING.com

Here are the Top 5 most copied recipes from Applebee's Neighborhood Grill and Bar:

--Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad--

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup corn flake crumbs

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half

oil for frying

3 cups chopped romaine lettuce

1 cup red cabbage

1 cup Napa cabbage

1/2 carrot, julienned or shredded

1 green onion, chopped

1 tablespoon sliced almonds

1/3 cup chow mein noodles

Dressing:

3 tablespoons honey

1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon sesame oil

Prepare dressing ingredients by mixing in a small bowl. Refrigerate while preparing salad.

Cut each chicken breast into 5 strips. In one bowl, beat egg with milk.

In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.

Preheat oil over medium heat.

Dip individual chicken pieces in egg mixture and then roll in the flour mixture. Fry chicken until browned, drain and set aside. Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce. Sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein noodles.

Cut the chicken into small chunks. Place the chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle. Serve with salad dressing on the side.

--Applebee's Baby Back Ribs--

3 racks (about 1 lb. each) pork baby back ribs, each cut in half Barbecue sauce:

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinager

3 tablespoons dark brown sugar

3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Put ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover them. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour or until ribs are fork tender.

2. Mix all sauce ingrediants together in a medium sauce pan and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring often, for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.

3.Heat broiler. Line broiler with foil for easy cleanup. Place ribs, meat side down, on broiler pan, brush with 1/2 the sauce and broil 4-5 inches from heat source for 6 to 7 minutes. turn ribs over, brush with remaining sauce and broil 6 to 7 minutes longer or until edges are slightly charred.

--Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak--

1/2 cup bottled steak sauce

1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

1 tablespoon honey

2 teaspoons prepared mustard

4 beef rib, round, or chuck steaks (10 ounces each)

Combine all the ingredients except the steaks in a baking dish or resealable plastic storage bag; mix well. Add the steaks; cover (or seal) and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. Grill the steaks for 12 to 15 minutes, or until desired doneness, turning them over halfway through the grilling.

--Applebee's Blonde Brownies--

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3 /4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 sticks unsalted butter (10 Tbsp.)

2 cups packed golden brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

3/4 cup chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Flour and butter a 9 x 13 x 2 pan. Sift flour into a bowl. Mix flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside. Melt butter. In mixing bowl, place melted butter and add sugar, mixing well. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing well. Add flour slowly, blending. Batter will be slightly thick.

Spread in pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips and pecans over all. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes...

--Applebee's Lemonade--

1 Quart water

1 Cup sugar

1 Cup FRESH lemon juice

Sparkling Water (not tonic water, like Perrier) Mix first three togther. Fill a tall glass 2/3 to 3/4 with Lemon mixture then fill with sparkling water.

An intresting variation is to puree some fruit (raspberries, strawberries, etc) with a little superfine or powdered sugar and put that in the glass before adding the the lemonade and water.

- Brian Alan Burhoe - www.brianalanburhoe.com

Bon Appetit!