Longhorn's Balsamic Raspberry Seared Chicken

I don't eat out very often, but when I do I make sure to check the restaurants website to see if any nutrition information is available. One afternoon I went to a local Longhorn with my father to celebrate Father's Day. Before I left the house I had decided I was going to order the Longhorn Balsamic Raspberry Seared Chicken.

The menu described the meal as "fresh chicken breasts topped with white wine butter, balsamic-raspberry drizzle and goat cheese crumbles. Served with choice of fresh green beans or broccoli." As for my side, I opted for my side of broccoli plain (with no butter on it). I am not too sure if there is a difference between the lunch time menu and the dinner, I couldn't find any different nutrition facts online.

The dish itself was quite delicious! The balsamic glaze paired perfectly with the raspberry and goat cheese. The raspberries were a little too much for my palette to accept, so I picked them off and discarded them. It wasn't that they were gross, but it was just the texture of the berries (they got softer because they were on top and around the hot chicken). The chicken was moist, the glaze was flavorful without being overwhelming and the goat cheese provided a very rich and creamy layer to the dish. The creaminess helped offset some of the "zippiness" from the balsamic glaze and even the raspberries alike.

I found it to be very satisfying and I would ultimately order it again next time I'm at a Longhorn.

The dish is 540 calories or 13 points plus values.

Father’s Day Dinner @ Longhorn!

On Father’s Day I took my dad out for lunch to the restaurant of his choice.  After talking about where to go, my dad decided on Longhorn.  After he made his decision I went onto the Longhorn website, checked out their menu and nutritional information and decided on the dish I was going to order.  I had never been to Longhorn before so I was going into my choice rather blind.  Sure I was able to read the description, but I’ve found something can sound yummy on paper – but when you’re presented it, it’s not palatable. Thankfully my food choice was delicious.

I ordered off the Flavorful Under 500 section of the menu.  The specific dish I ordered was the Sierra Chicken, lighter portion.  The meal came with the chicken, along with fresh vegetables or green beans and a side salad.

The Sierra Chicken is a piece of grilled chicken served with tomato-basil salsa over the top.  The regular Sierra Chicken dish is served over a bed of rice, but since my dish was from the Flavorful Under 500 I opted for green beans.  I did request that the green beans be plain (they typically come pre-seasoned with garlic) and thankfully the kitchen staff were able to provide me with plain steamed green beans.  Whereas for my side salad it was recommended to order the salt with cheese, no croutons and raspberry vinaigrette.  I opted for a salad with no cheese and croutons but with low fat ranch on the side (not tossed with the salad as it typically comes).

The Sierra chicken dish was 7 points plus and I gave the low fat ranch dressing 1 points plus because I was dipping my fork into the dressing and barely used any.  Nonetheless this was a completely delicious meal and it may be the very reason I return to Longhorn!

QUESTION:

Do you have a favorite dish at Longhorn?