An easy recipe for Alice Springs Chicken, an Outback Steakhouse copycat recipe. Marinade chicken breast in honey mustard sauce, then top with mushrooms, bacon, and way too much cheese! So delicious.
With a name like Outback Steakhouse, you can guess what most people are going to order when they walk through the door: Steak.
But it’s always wise to have chicken on the menu, right? People are obsessed with their chicken. However, in steak vs. chicken battle at a steakhouse, chicken better have a plan.
Alice Springs Chicken has a plan, and it’s amazing.
What is Alice Spring’s Chicken?
Alice Springs Chicken is a chicken dish from Outback Steakhouse. They marinade chicken breast in honey-mustard sauce, then sauté it until tender.
(You’ll need an oven-proof skillet so you can finish the chicken in the oven.)
Finally, they smother the chicken in buttery mushrooms, crispy bacon, and so much melted cheese.
You get extra honey-mustard sauce on the side for dipping.
Why is it called Alice Spring Chicken?
This chicken recipe is named after Alice Springs in Australia, a large town in the Northern Territory. You can read about it on Wikipedia if you want to know more!
Alice Springs Chicken Recipe (Outback Copycat)
For the marinade:
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
For the chicken:
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 slices cooked bacon chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley for garnish, optional
To make the marinade:
- In a small bowl, whisk together mustard, honey, mayonnaise, and lemon juice. Reserve ¼ cup sauce in a covered container and refrigerate until serving time.
- Meanwhile, place the chicken breast in a large plastic zipper-top bag. Pour in remaining sauce and turn in bag until evenly coated. Refrigerate 30 minutes or overnight.
To make the chicken:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat, heat butter until the foaming.
- Add mushrooms and sauté until they have released most of their liquid and have started to turn brown, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and wipe out skillet.
- To the same skillet, heat oil until shimmering. Add chicken (discarding any remaining marinade) in a single layer and do not move until a golden-brown crust forms, about 5 minutes.
- Flip each piece and continue to cook until the second side is browned, about 5 minutes longer.
- Divide the mushrooms evenly over the chicken. Top with bacon and cheese. Cover the skillet and place in the oven. Bake until the chicken reaches 165°F when tested with an internal thermometer at the thickest part, about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Remove from oven and garnish with parsley if desired. Serve with reserved sauce on the side for dipping.
It’s always been honey mustard at any outback I’ve been to! This is my favorite menu item, once in a great while I get steak but this is my go to. I have tried many times to duplicate, always unsuccessfully so I am so happy to find this, thank you!!!
Update: I made the chicken, exactly as recipe is written, and it was absolutely heavenly and was spot on to Outbacks, thank you!
can i use chicken thighs?
Yes! And should. I didn’t because I was trying to mimic Outback and they used chicken breast, but in opinion thighs always taste better. So yes! Good idea. -Meggan
What kind of mashed potatoes is with the recipe?
Made it tonight and it was delish! It turned out just like Outback super moist with tons of flavor packed in. We did opt for turkey bacon and used whatever cheese was in our fridge. Thank you for the instructions! The flavor was on point!
This is my husband’s favorite dish and I’m so glad that I found this recipe. I too thought that it was made with BBQ sauce but it is definitely honey mustard. This is now a new favorite at home (and very easy to follow). I am looking forward to cooking this again.
I had this with bbq sauce I thought? Anyone else? I’m going to put a smedgon if it just on the chicken before I top it with everything else.
It is not a regional thing. They used to have a chicken sandwich years ago called sweet chook of mine that had bbq sauce. Alice springs chicken has honey mustard. Every Outback is the same. They at one point had an Alice springs chicken quesadilla. same ingredients, just chicken was cut up and served with a side of honey mustard for dipping. It was awesome!!
Hi Martha, I’m starting to think that might be a regional thing. Other people have said that too, but I’m 100% SURE my Outback doesn’t use barbecue sauce. I have checked the menu and even ordered it to double-check. So let’s chalk it up to quality variations. ;) Thank you and so sorry for the confusion!
Alice Springs Chicken is not BBQ sauce. We at the Outback three times per week before we had children. Trust me, it’s honey mustard. They do have a BBQ Chicken dish but it’s not Alice Springs. I also made the broccoli. Just a few spices and butter to finish. Delish. Thanks again!!
This was SPOT ON!! I’ve made it twice now and it’s perfect. Why do people comment that they are GOING to try something? Here is my r commendation: Cook this tonight. Your family will love you. Thanks for the awesome recipe. It was EXACTLY like Outbacks version.
LOL, Dawn! Thank you so much. I’m glad you loved it. I need to make this again! It’s so good! Thanks again. :)
Alice Springs chicken has BBQ sauce on it. Not a mustard sauce.
I think maybe everyone is confusing this with the Monterey Chicken from Chilis. That one has bbq sauce, bacon, tomatos and cheese. Both are delicious!
I agree with Dale. I also worked for Outback for twelve years. It was honey mustard. Not bbq sauce, They did however have a chicken sandwich with bbq, called “sweet chook of mine” back years ago. She might have been confused between the two.
I was a salute cook for outback. It has always been honey mustard.
Not at my Outback. It’s a honey mustard sauce, not straight BBQ. I am going to call them today and ask and make sure I’m not missing anything. I wonder if there are regional variations? Strange!
This looks so good…. especially because its cooler here in southern california. Of course it does have the magic words with it….BACON!!
Yumm! My hubby will be psyched I will be able to make this dish at home!
Thank you, Jennifer! It’s a seriously husband-pleasing dish, no doubt! ;)
This looks so scrumptious! Chicken ,bacon and cheese! So perfect together. I love this recipe!
Thank you, Diane! All the good stuff together, piled on chicken!
Oooh, now you’ve not only made me hungry but I want to go to Alice Springs and Uluru!!
This really looks fabulous – for me it would win hands down over the steak (I’m weird like that).
Another nice one, Meggan! :-)
I totally agree with you on the steak vs. chicken! Especially when the chicken is buried in good stuff… thank you, Helen!
I have to agree with Susan, unfortunately…. I tried a few things on their menu but it’s not a place I care for, this one looks especially well, kind of on the indulgent side with those toppings lol. Their sweet potato fries weren’t that bad if I remember. Looks yum though!
Thanks Malia, and I totally understand. It’s not for everyone, for sure! But for a special occasion… it’s definitely tasty!
Love this copycat recipe, looks so delicious! Now I need to try it! Love the sauce! Pinning!
Thanks Mira, the sauce is the best! Seriously. Love it. Even just with chicken fingers, ha ha!
Love this dish! Thanks for the copycat recipe – all the flavor without paying those restaurant costs! Besides, homemade is always better :)
What I love about homemade is you just get tons so you have a lot for leftovers. ;) This recipe was definitely a hit in my house!
This dish sounds very decadent! I wish I could be enthusiastic about anything from Outback Steakhouse, but can’t be, because they have nothing on their menu that I’m able to eat. The problem is that everything, even when you order a plain chicken breast, is way too salty. And the last time I ate there, when I tried for the plain chicken breast, it also tasted like lighter fluid. I think they brine everything. Even though this is probably very tasty, I’m going to pass on it.
You know, I love salt, and even I think their food is too salty. I guess I can say that with this dish, I didn’t add any extra salt on top of salty bacon, salty cheese, salty honey-mustard… ha ha ha. But yes. Your point is taken and true, for sure.
Why did I make the mistake of reading this right before I got into the gym? I am now starving for a cheesy, mushroom smothered chicken breast, with EXTRA bacon. The sauce sounds really good and I love a bit of chikky dunking.
You silly girl, reading food blogs before working out! XXXXtra bacon, please, right over here too!