Prep
Cook
Serves
5 mins.
20 mins.
4
Moving around from place to place means that you often miss out on your favorite restaurants or types of foods and drinks that you grew up eating. For me, the farther away I got from the south meant that my usual sweet tea wasn’t an option. Now it’s this Alice Springs Chicken that I miss out on unless I make it at home.
Outback Restaurant is a chain and although we don’t eat at chain restaurants very often, their Alice Springs Chicken is usually what I order. Right now, we don’t live anywhere close to an Outback. When I meal plan I often try to include restaurant meals in our nightly meal rotations. This recipe for Alice Springs Chicken turned out delicious and remained one of my go to baked chicken dishes.
Recently I’ve tried this Alice Springs Chicken as a skillet meal and it was just as delicious as adding it to the baking sheet to finish it off in the oven. If you’re looking for a one pan meal use thin chicken breasts, cook them completely in the skillet and once they’re finished top them with the toppings, add a little water to the pan and cover it so the steam will melt the cheese.
To make this dish even easier on a busy weeknight I use store bought honey mustard salad dressing and microwave bacon or I save half of the bacon slices from our weekend brunch. (I save my bacon grease in a container and store it in the refrigerator to use to add flavor to future meals). These options save frying the bacon the night that you plan to make this meal. If you prefer to make your own honey mustard dressing try this recipe – in a small bowl combine 1/2 cup of Dijon mustard, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise and 1/2 tsp. of white vinegar.
A little salty, a little sweet, and often requested as part of our weekly meal rotation. I hope that you’ll consider making it for your family and leave a comment below. Also, follow @lifeabovethecafe on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for daily updates using the social media icons found on this page.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9×13 baking dish.
Slice 2 large chicken breasts in half horizontally to form 4 thinner chicken breasts (or use a pack of chicken tenders).
In a nonstick skillet, fry 8 pieces of bacon. Remove the bacon from the pan and chop it up into larger pieces. Save the bacon grease to cook the mushrooms and chicken or use vegetable oil or butter.
Add 1/2 of a Tbsp. of the bacon grease to the nonstick skillet and saute the sliced button mushrooms. When the mushrooms are browned set them aside on a plate.
Add 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease to the skillet skillet and sear the four chicken breasts on both sides. As the chicken breasts cook season them with a little dried parsley and black pepper and garlic powder (the bacon is salty so I don’t add salt).
When the chicken is golden on both sides remove from the skillet and place it into the sprayed casserole dish (it isn’t cooked in the center but will finish cooking in the oven). Top each piece of chicken with a thin layer of honey mustard dressing, the sauteed mushrooms, bacon pieces, and Monterrey Jack and Cheddar cheese.
Bake for 10 – 12 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked through. Serve extra honey mustard as a dipping sauce if you prefer.
This serves 4 people (we each have one piece and a couple of sides).
Skillet Meal Notes:
If making this a skillet meal pound the chicken breasts out very thin so they cook well. Also, use a large nonstick skillet.
Over medium high heat, cook the bacon and then remove it to drain on a paper towel. Save the grease and add about 1 Tbsp. back to the skillet and cook the mushrooms. Once the mushrooms are cooked through remove them and then add 1 Tbsp. of bacon grease and the chicken, season it and cook it through. Turn the temperature down to medium once the chicken is seared on the outside to ensure that it doesn’t burn and cooks through.
Finally, top the cooked chicken with honey mustard, cheese, mushrooms, bacon, and top it with more cheese.
Add a couple of Tbsp. of water to the skillet and then cover it with a lid or a large baking sheet. The steam will help to melt the cheese. Serve with extra honey mustard dressing if desired.
