Alice Springs Chicken has the kind of following that keeps some people from even looking at the rest of the Outback menu. If you know someone who orders it every time, make this for them. There is no better person to tell you that you got it right, or that yours might actually be better.
Even if you have never ordered it yourself, the appeal is not hard to understand. The chicken comes covered in honey mustard, sautéed mushrooms, bacon and melted cheese, yet it needs only 30 minutes to marinate. You can start it after work without wishing you had thought about dinner yesterday.
The 30-Minute Trick That Makes This Better Than Outback
Outback does not marinate its Alice Springs Chicken. The chicken is seasoned and grilled, then brushed with honey mustard near the end. That works on a restaurant line where quickness matters, but it leaves most of the honey mustard flavor on top.
At home, you can give it 30 minutes. I marinate the chicken in most of the honey mustard before searing it, then hold back a third of a cup to spoon over each cutlet before the toppings go on.
That marinade brings the flavor into the chicken instead of relying on bacon, mushrooms, cheese and sauce to do all the work.
It is the small advantage that can make the homemade version taste even better than the one at Outback.
| At Outback | My Recipe | |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken | Seasoned and grilled without marinating | Marinated for 30 minutes, then seared |
| Honey Mustard | Brushed on near the end | Used in the marinade, with a separate portion reserved for topping and dipping |
The Mustard And Honey You Use Matters
The Outback’s version of this dish always struck me as too rich and heavy. Most copycat recipes go the same way, using equal amounts of Dijon and honey, which leaves the sauce fighting itself between sharp and sweet.
At that ratio the jar you bought decides the outcome, because a sharp French Dijon can push the sauce too mustardy while a milder mustard lets the honey take over.
Mine leans on mayonnaise instead, with only a few tablespoons each of honey and Dijon and a little lemon juice to cut the sweetness.
Check that your honey is 100% pure. Some of the less expensive honey brands add corn syrup. Since this recipe only uses a few tablespoons, you want honey flavor rather than plain sweetness.
The sauce still tastes like the one you know, but it is neither too sharp nor too sweet, and it sits lighter under the bacon and cheese.
- Let the mayonnaise sit out for a few minutes before you begin.
- Cold mayonnaise is harder to whisk smooth and can leave small lumps behind.
- Whisk the honey and Dijon into it, then the lemon juice.
Mushrooms The Whole Table Will Eat
The person who always orders Alice Springs Chicken may expect mushrooms, but everyone else at the table might need a little convincing. Plain mushrooms in butter give them nothing to change their mind about.
Former Outback cooks describe seasoning the mushrooms separately rather than treating them as a topping, and that is what I do here.
Mine cook in bacon drippings with garlic, salt and pepper, then finish with a spoonful of chicken stock that cooks away and leaves the flavor behind.
Mushroom lovers get the topping they expect, and everyone else gets mushrooms worth eating on their own. For a firm holdout, leave the mushrooms off that piece.
Don’t Miss This Step
Most Alice Springs Chicken recipes sear the chicken in oil and add already-cooked bacon later. If bacon is going on the chicken anyway, it would be a shame not to use the drippings too.
I cook the bacon first, pour off the drippings, and then use them twice. A tablespoon cooks the mushrooms and two tablespoons sear the chicken in the same heavy skillet.
The smoky flavor starts with the chicken instead of being confined to two strips on top, and that skillet goes straight into the oven.
Use Two Cheeses, Not One Bag
Outback uses Monterey Jack and cheddar, and mixing them yourself is worth the extra minute.
Monterey Jack melts into a smooth sheet while mild cheddar carries the flavor.
Don’t use a bagged blend of the two, shred both from the block and toss them together yourself. Bagged cheese is coated to stop it clumping, which is the same coating that keeps it from melting cleanly.
Alice Springs Chicken
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half length-wise (about 1½-pounds total weight – yielding 4 thin cutlets when halved)
- 8 slices hickory smoked bacon strips
- 8 ounces white button mushrooms, stems removed and cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided (½ teaspoon to season the chicken and ¼ teaspoon for the mushrooms)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided (¼ teaspoon to season the chicken and ¼ teaspoon for the mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ cup Monterey Jack cheese, freshly shredded
- ½ cup mild cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
- 2 teaspoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Whisk together in a small bowl the mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice until well combined and smooth. Reserve ⅓ cup of the dressing in a separate covered container to use as a topping for the seared chicken when layering the other ingredients before serving.
- Add the halved chicken cutlets to a large heavy-duty zip-top bag. Pour the remaining dressing (after ⅓ cup is removed) over the chicken. Close the bag, pressing out the excess air, and massage the dressing into the chicken to completely coat. Allow the chicken to marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature while preparing the remaining ingredients.
- In a large (12-inch) heavy-duty oven-safe skillet (cast iron works well for this recipe) over medium-low heat, cook the bacon strips for 12-18 minutes or until the fat has rendered and bacon is crispy. Be careful to not allow your bacon to burn. You want it to have a slight chew. If your bacon strips are quite large, you may need to cook the bacon in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan and to allow for even crisping. Transfer the crisped bacon to a paper-towel lined plate to drain the excess grease.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. This can be done when the bacon is nearing the end of its cook time and while preparing the rest of the ingredients.
- Pour all the bacon drippings (about ¼ to ⅓ cup depending on how much your brand of bacon renders) into a heatproof bowl and set aside. Wipe out any excess browned bits from the skillet and set the skillet aside. You will use this skillet to sear the chicken once done marinating.
- In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon drippings to the hot skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms, minced garlic, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper to the skillet. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stir in the chicken stock and continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender and almost all the liquid has evaporated from the skillet. Remove the skillet from the heat to stop the cooking while cooking the chicken.
- Pour off any excess marinade from the chicken cutlets and season both sides with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and paprika.
- Return the large heavy-duty skillet (used to cook the bacon) back to the stove over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings to the hot skillet. Place the marinated and seasoned chicken cutlets into the hot skillet in a single layer.
- Cook and sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown.
- Turn off the heat to the skillet while adding the layers to the seared chicken cutlets to prevent overcooking the chicken.
- Spoon 2 teaspoons of the reserved honey-mustard sauce over each of the seared chicken cutlets.
- Top each of the cutlets with a quarter of the cooked mushroom slices. Spread out the mushroom slices so they are in an even layer and not mounded in the center of the chicken.
- Place two slices of the reserved crisped bacon in a criss-cross onto the top of the sliced mushroom layer for each chicken cutlet.
- In a small bowl, gently mix together the shredded Monterey Jack and mild cheddar cheeses. Add a ¼ cup of the blended cheeses to the top of the bacon pieces on each chicken cutlet.
- Transfer the skillet to the center rack of the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes to allow the cheese to melt but not brown.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven, allow the chicken to rest in the skillet for 3-4 minutes before garnishing with the chopped fresh parsley and serving.
Notes
- If you are a fan of Outback’s honey-mustard dressing, you can double the amounts of mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice to make extra to use on salads, as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets, or any other desired uses. Store any leftover honey-mustard dressing in a lidded jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
- I find that some brands of pre-sliced mushrooms are much too thick to use for this application. It is best to thinly slice the mushrooms yourself so that the layers of mushrooms, bacon, and cheese do not get too bulky when topping your chicken.
- If you do not have an oven-safe heavy-duty skillet (such as a cast iron skillet), you can place your seared chicken cutlets into a 9×13 casserole dish, then add the layers of mushrooms, bacon, and cheese before placing into the oven to melt the cheese.
- Standard sliced bacon typically takes 12-18 minutes to render and crisp over medium-low heat, though some brands may take longer. Watch it closely near the end of cooking to prevent burning.
- Once the mushrooms and chicken have been cooked in some of the reserved bacon drippings, you can discard the rest or save it for another use.
Leave a Comment