Chili's Guiltless Grill Menu: Food Review

Chili's restaurants now have six new items on their menu listed under a heading called "Guiltless Grill". The Chili's website says their new entrees give customers more choices to maintain a healthy lifestyle. All of the dishes contain less than 750 calories, 25 grams of fat and 8 grams of saturated fat (although these nutritional values are approximate and may vary). The dietary calculations are based on the standards of healthydiningfinder.com.

The guiltless concept is based on the reduced calories and fat content when compared to a traditional restaurant meal. A lot of emphasis is placed also on the bold spicy taste of the food, saying a person doesn't have to give up taste for fewer calories. The advertisements claim that the zesty spices and grilling methods used are what locks in the flavor of their latest healthier food options.

The six new food choices are Carne Asada Steak, Buffalo or Grilled Chicken Sandwich, Cedar Plank Tilapia, Black Bean Burger, Honey-Mustard Glazed or Grilled Salmon, and a Chicken Platter.

Each entrée comes with a side of steamed vegetables. That's what you get - the meat and some steamed veggies - no other sides or bread (unless you get the sandwich, then you get bread). I suppose that's how they keep the calories and fat content down.

The following is a review of the two dishes we tried recently.

Guiltless Cedar Plank Tilapia Review

The description on the menu for the Tilapia says "a seasoned tilapia fillet topped with house-made pico-de-gallo and a lime wedge. Cooked and served on a cedar plank." Price was $10.59, which I think it a bit pricey for what you get.

When my order arrived, I tested the flakiness of the fish with my fork and it appeared to be cooked to perfection. It was cooked and served on a small cedar plank, which gave the fish a distinct heavy smoky cedar taste that I didn't particularly care for. The fish was also topped with pico-de-gallo, covered in black pepper, and coated in a thick layer of red cayenne pepper. I knew I was in trouble just by looking at it. Whew, talk about spicy! I scraped the pico-de-gallo off and tried to get most of the red pepper off with a napkin before doing a taste test. I took one bite and those zesty flavors were definitely locked in because my mouth was on fire. I told my husband he was going to have to eat it then or get a doggie bag and have it later. He loves hot spicy food and got a doggie bag, but not before sampling a piece. It only took one bite for him to admit this dish was very spicy and he didn't particularly care for the cedar taste.

If you're like me and don't like (or can't eat) spicy food, ask them to hold the hot pepper if you order this dish.

After drinking a full glass of water I was ready to tackle the steamed vegetables. They consisted of broccoli and shredded carrots. They were very colorful and plentiful ... since that's all this entrée consists of is meat and veggies, they filled the rest of plate with veggies. That's not a bad thing though, since we like steamed vegetables.

Guiltless Carne Asada Steak Review

The description for the Carne Asada Steak says "sirloin steak with our signature carne asada rub, flame-grilled and topped with house-made pico-de-gallo and a lime wedge." Price was $12.49, which is a bit overpriced in my opinion.

The portion size of the meat was adequate and cooked precisely according to my husband's instructions. It was topped with pico de gallo and also had a red cayenne pepper rubbed on it. My husband loved the taste of his steak and is a huge fan of spicy food - but he did think the meat was a bit too zesty even for his taste buds. He did say he would order it again though, so it must not have been that bad.

I didn't even give it a try. If HE said it was peppery then there is no way I was going to put it in my mouth!

The steamed vegetables on his plate were the same as mine - broccoli and shredded carrots. The veggies were plentifully abundant and were used to fill the rest of the plate.

Bottom Line

If you like spicy food and consider 750 calories, 25 grams of fat and 8 grams of saturated fat to be a low calorie restaurant meal, then head on over to Chili's and order something off of the Guiltless Grill menu.

Sources: www.chilis.com, menu, personal experience