Chili's offers a variety of tasty food at great prices and is a good way to not have to resort to fast food when your family is hungry and on the go. There is a Chili's located near a big mall we love to shop at, and we often pop over after a day of shopping. My family took a trip over this weekend and tried out a variety of products from their new menu (a lot of yummy new stuff!)
Before I share what we ordered, I wanted to let you know that Chili's currently offers a calorie count on their menu (great for weight-watchers), alternatives for many of their offerings (for healthier options), a guide to let you know what is spicy (I can't eat spicy anything), what is already a healthy choice, what is new, etc. They also use USDA Choice beef for all their burgers.
For our family meal at Chili's, our table ordered Chicken Enchilada Soup with tortilla strips and house-made pico de gallo (430 calories and delicious) and their new Caribbean Salad for appetizers. The salad (560 calories) has pineapples, mandarin oranges and cilantro, and we added grilled chicken to it- a good way to have a healthy meal. On its own it would have made a fine lunch. We also ordered the new Texas Cheese Fries with Chili (and jalapenos and crumbled bacon... I couldn't try it- too hot for me- but the rest of the table loved it). The appetizers are very affordable, ranging from between $4-$6 each, and sized for sharing. The desserts are too (huge!) but we'll get to that later. I also tried the strawberry lemonade, which is a sweet lemonade with strawberry puree added (great summer drink) and Chili's offers free refills on their non-alcoholic drinks.
For our entrees, I tried the Santa Fe Chicken Wrap, and requested the healthier version. The standard dressing was replaced with a low-fat version and steamed veggies were the sides (broccoli, which I love). Changing to the healthier alternative that they offered took this dish from 1270 calories to 610 calories, and kept the same taste. My husband tried the new Avocado Burger with swiss cheese, which he devoured with relish. We were very full by this time, but the desserts looked so good that we couldn't resist ordering a couple.
For dessert we had the Brownie Sundae (the brownie melts in your mouth) and the new Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie, which are both so large you have to share them. The Paradise Pie was my choice, but my husband kept taking it because it was so good. It contains walnuts and coconut, and both desserts are topped with vanilla ice cream. Chili's also has a tasting dessert selection of smaller sized desserts called "Sweet Shots" that can be combined and stacked in a cup (each is $1.99, or pick three from $5.49), if you are in the mood to try different desserts at once but don't want a full size of each. The full sized desserts are about $5.99 each, a great price for an item that can be shared.
Visit Chili's Grill and Bar Restaurant online to find a location near you, view the menu, or purchase a gift card. If you join their email list, you will get an order of chips and queso, and they sometimes offer contests for a free dinner as well, such as the run currently running on Shout Out To Eat Out. To enter, tell Chili's in a 10-30 second video clip why you don't want to cook tonight, and you will be entered to win a Chili's dinner. One winner will be chosen every day until August 30th, so if you would love an evening where you don't have to cook, break out the camcorder and start recording!
I received a gift card from Chili's marketing team to try out their new menu items. I did not receive any compensation for this post.
I do like Chili's. We need to go!
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