Our latest feast

Thursday, October 26, 2017

Alice Springs Chicken

It's kind of funny when you see something on Facebook and it sits in your head until you do some research on it.  The other day a recipe popped up in one of the many foodie forums I belong to and I thought "WOW that looks different" as I read a recipe for Alice Springs Chicken and then the next thought was "what is the Outback Steakhouse?"

The Outback Steakhouse is an Australian inspired steakhouse restaurant in the States. Many items on the menu are similar to meals found at most bistro or steak restaurants in Australia however the menu items are "Aussie-ied" to reflect meals that we would eat out here in the Aussie Outback.  I guess the Outback Steakhouse is very similar to the Lonestar and Hogsbreath Chains. 
 
On the menu of very interesting dishes is The Bloomin' Onion.  The Bloomin' Onion is a signature Outback item. It is a one-pound onion cut to 'bloom' open, breaded, deep-fried and served with mayonnaise-horseradish sauce.    However I had to try Alice Springs Chicken!  Described as a wood-fire grilled chicken breast topped with sautéed mushrooms, crisp bacon, melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar and honey mustard sauce I knew it would be a winner at our place.
 
The copycat recipe for Alice Springs Chicken I found looked easy enough so it made up my mind to make it even though I have never been to an Outback Steakhouse.  All the ingredients just sounded so delicious together.  In fact the first this I thought was how it was similar to a gourmet chicken parma - just without the breadcrumbs and the tomato sauce and we all know how well a parma goes down in this house.

A juicy chicken fillet, marinated in honey mustard, smothered in mushrooms, bacon and cheese was presented to the family last night and it was really tasty.  A further drizzle of honey mustard mayonnaise added another sweet yet savoury dimension to the chicken temptation. 

This dish was really easy to prepare and cook, even easier to eat and as always, it was a really nice mid week wonder for our ever busy lives. However, I think I need to tweek the recipe a little more as it's quite high in SmartPoints but if you have a day where you can accommodate this dish you will enjoy it.


Alice Springs Chicken
(Recipe adapted from CenterCutCook.com)
 
Serves: 4
SmartPoints per serve: 16

1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup honey
3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
juice of half a lemon
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
salt
freshly ground black pepper
200 grams sliced button mushrooms
cooking spray
200 grams short cut bacon, thickly sliced
100 grams shredded low fat tasty cheese
100 grams shredded low fat mozzarella
 
In a small bowl, combine Dijon mustard, honey, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Pour half the sauce into a small bowl, cover and reserve for later.

Place the chicken in a large zip lock bag. Pour the remaining marinade in the bag and toss the chicken to coat. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours, overnight if time permits.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Spray a small frying pan with cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and cook for 7-10 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and just starting to turn golden brown.  Remove from pan.

Using the same frying pan, add bacon and cook until crispy.  Remove and drain on paper towel.

Heat a large frying pan to medium high heat. Coat with cooking spray.  Remove the chicken from the marinade, discarding marinade. Place the chicken in the pre-heated pan. Cook for about 4 minutes, then when the chicken is golden brown, flip the chicken and cook for an additional 4 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to an oven safe casserole dish.

Top chicken evenly with mushrooms and bacon.

In a small bowl mix the two cheeses together and sprinkle evenly over each piece of chicken.

Place the chicken in the oven and bake for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the cheese has melted.

Serve chicken drizzled with remaining honey mustard sauce or serve the sauce on the side.

 
(Click here for a printable version of this recipe)

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