T.G.I. Friday’s doesn’t exactly specialize in health food: The mega-chain is famous for bar food like loaded potato skins and Jack Daniel’s–glazed chicken wings. So, it’s no surprise that when the restaurant added veggies to the appetizer list, they were deep-fried. The dish, Crispy Green Bean Fries, hit the menu in 2006, and customers went crazy. The beans are coated in a garlicky breading, fried and served with cucumber-wasabi ranch dip. They’re a top-seller these days, and fans like Karlyn Siegwarth from Pittsburgh have been begging us for the recipe. Reps in Carrollton, TX, wouldn’t give it up, so our chefs created this perfect copy.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 2 to 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup peeled, seeded, chopped cucumber
- 1 tablespoon horseradish, drained
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons wasabi powder (found in the spice aisle or with the Asian foods)
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 pound green beans, trimmed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup instant flour (such as Wondra)
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
- Make the dip: Puree the dressing, cucumber, horseradish, milk, vinegar, wasabi powder, cayenne pepper, and salt to taste in a blender until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare the beans: Fill a large bowl with ice water. Bring the broth to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the green beans and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the beans with a slotted spoon and transfer to the ice water to stop the cooking. Let cool in the water, then drain and pat dry.
- Whisk the egg and milk in a shallow bowl. Put 1/2 cup flour in another shallow bowl. Combine the breadcrumbs, the remaining 1/2 cup flour, the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste in another bowl.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the green beans in the flour and shake off the excess. One at a time, dip the beans in the egg mixture, dredge in the breadcrumb mixture and lay on the prepared baking sheet. Freeze until the coating is set, about 30 minutes.
- Heat 3 inches oil in a deep pot over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F. Fry the green beans in batches until golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the beans with tongs or a skimmer to a rack or paper towels to drain. Serve with the dip.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 434 |
| Total Fat | 18 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 54 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 773 mg |
Reviews
Really good recipe. But very time consuming. Looking for a way to make ahead for a crowd.
Excellent technique…wonderful dip…I give it four stars only because for my taste everything needs more spicing…it was just a little bland…With 2 tsp old bay seasoning added to the origional batter recipe it was fabulous and I increased both the wasabi and horseradish to 1.5 times…YUMMY…
As usual, I made my own ‘adjustments’ with this recipe, that my family loved! I made my own ranch dressing, instead of using the bottled Ranch Dressing, from Hidden Valley Ranch powder. Instead of using wasabi powder (my family doesn’t like it), if you use really good horseradish, you won’t need the wasabi anyway. I cut back on the salt to a pinch of sea salt, in the dressing, also. I also took the seeds out of the center of the cucumber and grated it. It pleased everyone’s palate and we liked the texture.
For the coating, I used sea salt and Panko crumbs and peanut oil. The other oils are only a step away from plastic. Yuk!. They were a winner and I ended up making a second batch! It’s one way of getting the finicky eaters to eat their green veggies! I also used the same recipe for some cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, Parsnips (cut in 1/2″ x 3″ strips) and a few brussel sprouts. Since there was a crowd, I used what I could find in the fridge. This wasn’t even the Super Bowl YET, but I sure know what to do next week! It worked out great! Thanks so much!
For the coating, I used sea salt and Panko crumbs and peanut oil. The other oils are only a step away from plastic. Yuk!. They were a winner and I ended up making a second batch! It’s one way of getting the finicky eaters to eat their green veggies! I also used the same recipe for some cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, Parsnips (cut in 1/2″ x 3″ strips) and a few brussel sprouts. Since there was a crowd, I used what I could find in the fridge. This wasn’t even the Super Bowl YET, but I sure know what to do next week! It worked out great! Thanks so much!
What a HUGE hit-with kids and adults. Brought them to a party and they were gone so quickly. The kids weren’t big fans of the dipping sauce-so I should have cut it in half. They are time consuming but not at all hard. My 7 year old prepped all the beans (2 lbs! and helped with the breading. Will make them again for certain.
The beans have a distinct, delicious flavor, but this was an extremely messy dish to make. Also, it didn’t reheat well (no surprise!. I’m glad I made it once, but I will probably not make it again.
I think the fried green bean part is too much trouble when you can buy them in the grocery store, frozen…they are very good and addictive! The dip is fantastic with a great kick to it. I used wasabi paste instead of powder- tastes very much like what you get at TGIFriday’s!
Absolutely delicious. Because this freezes well (it’s part of the recipe, after all), I make a quadruple batch and store them in ready-to-go bags. This makes the elaborate prep much more effective. You may need about double the coating ingredients, however I find that the dip has enough to go around as is.
Well… They were good. We ate every last one, and I enjoyed the dipping sauce (although I didn’t have any Wasabi powder to add). It was a bit laborious to make; the prep, freezing, cleanup, and then frying takes time. I ended up scaling down the dinner I was planning to make afterwards because I spent so much time in the kitchen on this! They were good and very different, but I probably won’t make them again.
Wow – these were completely addicting! I did not make the dip (not a personal fan of ranch), but the fries themselves were pretty killer. I used buttermilk instead of milk, and also added paprika to the seasonings. Don’t miss the garlic powder (it’s listed on the same line as the onion powder), I added a full teaspoon of it since I wasn’t sure–but I made a 1 1/2 recipe. And I dumped a bunch of salt in… I think these are probably better salty.