Alice Springs Chicken
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Create a perfect copycat of Alice Springs Chicken from Outback Steakhouse with this easy recipe! Grilled honey mustard chicken is piled up with sauteed mushrooms, crispy bacon and melty cheese in this delicious dish.
Table of contents
One of my jobs in high school was working the takeout window at Outback Steakhouse. This is when I fell in love with Alice Springs Chicken, their mustard vinaigrette dressing, and that bread. Oh, the bread!
My Dad and I started making our own version of this popular menu item at home and it quickly became a family favorite. Fast forward 20+ years and I’m here to share my insider secrets and the best copycat recipe of Alice Springs Chicken!
My recommendation when making this dish at home is to prep ahead. If you marinade the chicken while the bacon is cooking in the oven, and the mushrooms are cooking on the stove, all of the prep can be done in under 30 minutes. After that, this recipe is super simple to toss together for dinner in just 15 minutes.
The great thing about this copycat Alice Springs Chicken recipe is that it’s easily customizable. If someone in the family doesn’t like mushrooms or bacon, you can easily leave them off. And put the extras on my piece of chicken, because the more bacon and mushrooms, the better, if you ask me!
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – for this recipe you’ll need two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, around two pounds in weight. We’ll slice the chicken breasts in half through the middle to make four pieces of chicken.
- Honey mustard dressing – click the link for my homemade dressing recipe, made with dijon mustard, honey, olive oil, lemon juice and spices. Or purchase your favorite store-bought dressing or honey mustard sauce.
- Mushrooms – for this recipe I used sliced baby bella mushrooms, also called crimini mushrooms. These are my favorite mushrooms due to their wonderful flavor, but you also use sliced white button mushrooms.
- Unsalted butter + olive oil – to cook the mushrooms.
- Soy sauce – this is used to add both saltiness and a wonderful umami flavor to the mushrooms. If you’d like, you can use Worcestershire sauce or kosher salt, in its place.
- Vegetable broth – or chicken broth can be used, to cook the mushrooms.
- Fresh garlic + dried thyme + black pepper – to season the mushrooms.
- Bacon – feel free to use traditional, or thick sliced bacon in this recipe, either one will work.
- Monterey jack + cheddar cheese – this combination of cheeses makes a delicious topping on the chicken. For the best melting cheese, grate the cheese at home yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses, sold in a bag at the grocery store, contain anti-caking ingredients that will prevent the cheese from melting well on top of the chicken.
Instructions
I’ve included step by step photos below to make this recipe super easy to follow at home. For the full detailed recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Cook the bacon. Place the strips of bacon on a foil-lined baking sheet and into a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp.
- Marinate the chicken. While the bacon is cooking, slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise through the middle, so you have 4 pieces of chicken. Place the chicken in a large zipper bag. Pour honey mustard dressing in the bag with the chicken. Toss until the chicken is fully coated in the dressing, then place the bag in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to marinate, or up to 24 hours.
- Sauté the mushrooms. Add butter and olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and soy sauce, stir everything together, then cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes without stirring. Add broth to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes. Once all of the liquid has evaporated, add minced garlic, dried thyme and black pepper to the skillet with the mushrooms. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the skillet from the stove and set it aside.
These three steps can all be done up to 24 hours in advance. Store the cooked bacon and mushrooms in the fridge if you’re making them more than an hour in advance.
- Grill the chicken. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat. Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the chicken from the honey mustard marinade and place it on the grill. Discard any remaining honey mustard marinade in the bag. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken for 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of each piece of chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Top the chicken. Turn the heat off on one side of the grill and place a piece of foil on that side of the grill. Transfer the grilled chicken onto the foil, then brush the chicken with honey mustard dressing. Top with the sauteed mushrooms, two slices of bacon on each piece of chicken, and a heaping handful of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. Close the lid of the grill while the cheese melts over the chicken for 1-2 minutes. Open the grill and use tongs to remove the chicken from the grill and serve immediately. Optionally garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
How to make it without a grill
If you don’t have a grill available, you can still make this Alice Springs Chicken recipe on the stove, then transfer it to the oven. First, cook the bacon and mushrooms, marinate the chicken, then follow the instructions below.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a large oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade and add it to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, brush the remaining honey mustard dressing evenly over the chicken breasts. Top with the sauteed mushrooms, two slices of bacon on each piece of chicken, and a heaping handful of monterey jack and cheddar cheese.
- Transfer the skillet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes.
Recipe tips
- Always make sure the grill is hot, and the grill grates are clean, before adding the chicken. This will prevent the chicken from sticking to the grill, and will ensure even cooking.
- I always recommend transferring the grilled chicken to a large piece of heavy-duty foil before adding the toppings. This will prevent the toppings from falling through the grill grates and making a mess on the grill.
- When cleaning the mushrooms, avoid submerging them in water. They will absorb the liquid, which can make them soggy. The best way to clean mushrooms is to wipe them clean with a damp paper towel. You can also give them a quick rinse, just make sure to dry them very well.
- When cooking the mushrooms, don’t stir too much. You want the mushrooms to have a chance to get a nice golden brown color, this won’t happen if you stir constantly. Leave the mushrooms alone for 5 minutes without stirring to give them a beautiful color, texture and taste!
- Always use a rimmed baking sheet when cooking bacon in the oven in order to keep the grease from splattering in your oven.
- Foil is ideal for lining the pan to cook bacon for easy cleanup, as you can fold up the sides of the foil to keep the grease in the foil, and off the baking sheet.
Storage and reheating
Store Alice Spring Chicken leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
We like to reheat it in the air fryer so we get tender chicken and crispy bacon. If you want to reheat it in the air fryer, I recommend 400°F for 5 minutes.
You can also reheat it in the oven at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
What to serve with it
If you want to make a complete Outback Steakhouse copycat meal, pair the Alice Springs Chicken with any of these side dishes you’ll find on the menu at Outback!
- Steamed Broccoli
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Blue Cheese Salad (Chopped Wedge)
- Air Fryer Baked Potato
- Roasted Sweet Potato (Oven, Air Fryer or Microwave)
- Asparagus (Grill, Stove or Oven)
- Mac and Cheese (Easy Stovetop Recipe)
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts
More chicken recipes
Try these other popular chicken recipes for dinner this week!
Alice Springs Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 slices bacon
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, two chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise through the middle, for 4 pieces of chicken
- 1 cup honey mustard dressing, divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces sliced baby bella mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, or 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup vegetable broth, or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, divided
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
Cook the bacon.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Place the slices of bacon on a foil lined baking sheet and into the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until crisp. Remove from the baking sheet and place on a paper towel lined plate to soak up any grease. Set the bacon aside.
Marinate the chicken.
- Add the chicken to a large zipper bag with ¾ cup honey mustard dressing. Massage the dressing into the chicken, then place it in the fridge to marinate for 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
Sauté the mushrooms.
- Add the butter and olive oil to a large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted and the oil is hot, add the sliced mushrooms and soy sauce. Stir to combine everything, then cook the mushrooms for 5 minutes without stirring.
- After 5 minutes, add the broth to the skillet and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until almost all of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the minced garlic, dried thyme and ½ teaspoon black pepper to the skillet with the mushrooms. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the skillet from the stove and set it aside.
Grill the chicken.
- Preheat a grill over medium-high heat.
- Once the grill is hot, use tongs to remove the chicken from the honey mustard marinade and place it on the grill. Discard any remaining honey mustard marinade in the bag. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
- Cook the chicken for 5 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature of each piece of chicken reaches 165°F on an instant-read thermometer.
- Turn off the heat on one side of the grill and place a large piece of foil on the grill grates.
- Move all of grilled chicken breasts on top of the piece of foil, brush each piece of chicken with the remaining ¼ cup honey mustard dressing.
- Divide the sauteed mushrooms evenly over the pieces of chicken, then place two slices of bacon on top of each piece of chicken.
- Sprinkle the monterey jack and cheddar cheese over the bacon. Close the grill and allow the cheese to melt over the chicken for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and serve immediately. Optionally garnish with fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- The first three steps of cooking the bacon, marinating the chicken and cooking the mushrooms can all be done up to 24 hours in advance. Store the cooked bacon and mushrooms in the fridge if you’re making them more than an hour in advance.
- To make this recipe on the stove and oven, instead of on the grill:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a large oven-safe skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, remove the chicken from the marinade and add it to the skillet. Cook for 5-7 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked, brush the remaining honey mustard dressing evenly over the chicken breasts. Top with the sauteed mushrooms, two slices of bacon on each piece of chicken, and a heaping handful of monterey jack and cheddar cheese.
- Transfer the skillet to the middle rack of the oven and bake for 5-7 minutes.
- Store leftover Alice Spring Chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in an air fryer at 400°F for 5 minutes. Or reheat in the oven at 400°F for 8-10 minutes.
- To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten-free soy sauce, tamari or Worcestershire sauce, instead of traditional soy sauce.
Nutrition Facts
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