Just as it’s important to read books purely for the pleasure of it, and not just because “they’re important” or, “will make your smarter,” so too, is it important to let yourself cook and enjoy foods that you simply want to eat. Enter this (very, very delicious) take on the long-running champ-of-a-menu item from Outback Steakhouse: Alice Springs Chicken.

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Yes, I’ve got what I suppose would be referred to as a copycat recipe, but I’m not sure that’s quite right. You see, this version is genuinely and truly better than anything you’d get in a restaurant, and that was my whole goal. I also (if you’ll indulge my own self-indulgence) do think it’s the best homemade “copycat” take on Alice Springs Chicken. Feel free to just jump ahead to the recipe itself or read on for just a few minutes, and I’ll explain what I did to develop what I think is such a killer take on this uber popular restaurant item.

Copycat Alice Springs Chicken recipe (why this version is where it’s at)

Alrighty then. The bones of this recipe’s original version are made up as such:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Mustardy marinade + Honey Mustardy sauce
Mushrooms
Cheese
Bacon

This is really one of those “how bad can that really be?” sorts of recipes. Or, as Ina would say, “who wouldn’t want that?”

But when I started working on this recipe, I really tried to figure out what I could do to make it sing – to make it stand out among the sea of copycat contenders. Truth be told, it wasn’t really tough – everything I needed to make this a truly great version of homemade Alice Springs Chicken was already in my pantry. So, that alone is a nice thing. This recipe doesn’t require a bunch of random ingredients that you’ll only use once and then relegate them to the shadowy corners of your drawers and cupboards (do people still call them cupboards ever?)

Anyway, here are the things that I did to level up this homemade version of Alice Springs Chicken …

Homemade Alice Springs Chicken: Tips & Tricks

Yogurt! Yogurt! Yogurt! A lot of the homespun versions of this dish that I checked out when I was developing my own call for mayo in the marinade. I love mayo, don’t get me wrong but as a marinade ingredient, it is absolutely bested by it’s thicker, tangier, more acidic cousin – Greek yogurt. Yes, I swapped out the mayo in my version and replaced it with some plain Greek yogurt and it’s PERFECT. Yogurt is acidic and therefore acts as a natural tenderizer and is perfect in marinades. But, unlike citrusy things – it won’t mess with the meat’s texture at all. This is especially true and important when using leaner, less fatty cuts such as the boneless/skinless breasts we’ll be using in this recipe. Various food cultures all over the world marinate their proteins in yogurt prior to grilling/cooking, as it is just as wonderful, smart thing to do (for the aforementioned reasons, among others).

You can see I reached for the yogurt for the same reasons in my Sheet Pan Chicken Tikka Masala. For more on the merits of yogurt marination, check out this post from Bon Appetit.

2. Pantry spices to the rescue! This sauce really wasn’t anywhere near its full potential until I added some very standard, everybody-has-them, dried spices/seasonings to the mix. I’m talkin bout garlic powder and onion powder, y’all. And, if you’re feeling particularly fun – poultry seasoning would also be nice. Calendar says its just past turkey day, so I’m guessing a loft of you have some poultry seasoning hanging around. This is a good recipe to use that in, as it adds a subtle herby quality to things, that is only improved upon and enriched by the showering of green, leafy FRESH herbs that we’ll throw down in the end, just before serving.

Garlic powder is sort of scoffed at by food people (read: food snobs!) but it really does have its place. It has a different flavor than fresh garlic and honestly the best trick is to use them together, to really develop incredible depth of flavor in recipes without spending hardly more than a penny or two. Anyway, you also can’t beat the efficiency of the ground stuff. Just reach for a jar and give it a generous sprinkling and BOOM. Major flavor without having to chop a thing.

P.S. The same thing can be said about onion powder.

P.P.S. Literally the same exact words.

3. Stock Concentrate. If you’ve been cooking along with me over the last year, then you’ll notice that I use this stuff pretty frequently in my savory dishes. From soups and sauces to stews and big fat roasts, a teaspoon or two of the (very widely available) stuff can work wonders on a humdrum recipe in a hurry, a very good My Kitchen Little Trick. In the case of our chicken from Alice Springs, a little bit of chicken stock concentrate absolutely lifts an otherwise ordinary-ish sauce up and into a much more interesting place. And you really didn’t have to do that much. This is a weeknight dinner warrior’s win, people! Oh yes.

This is such a great recipe, honestly it really is. It’s got a bit of an indulgent quality to it, yes. That’d be due to the bacon and little bit o’ butter that we’ve got going on. But it’s also going some good-for-you things about it, too. Healthy lean protein and a lighter-than-mayo yogurt stand as major building blocks in this incredible version of a very popular dish.

Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

¾ cup store-bought honey mustard

¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

1 teaspoon chicken stock concentrate (available in your store’s stocks/broths/soups section)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

Salt and pepper, as needed

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

12 slices cooked bacon, chopped (you can use less, I’m just extra this way)

2 cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese

Fresh chopped scallions, chives, and/or parsley, for garnish

How to make the best Alice Springs Chicken

This recipe is EASY guys – there’s nothing complicated here, no hocus pocus or tom foolery happening whatsoever. This is a marinade + quick sear + fast bake chicken situation and it’s so stinking tasty. Honestly, you’re going to be so happy you gave this one a try.

The method is simple and straightforward – designed to make the absolute most of our humble-yet-mighty squad of ingredients. The marinade helps the (lean and low-fat) chicken be a much better version of itself. It’s like wearing makeup, kind of. Okay not really.

Anyway, here’s the method:

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Adjust the rack to the middle position.

In a bowl combine the honey mustard, yogurt, stock concentrate, garlic powder, and onion powder. Season with salt and pepper. Pour about ⅓ of this mixture (you just need enough to coat the chicken) into a large zip-top bag, and add the chicken. Close the bag and toss or massage to coat. Using whatever implement you like, pound the chicken to a thickness of about half its original size (give or take, see note). Marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Stir ½ cup water into the remaining yogurt/honey mustard mixture, and set aside for now.

Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large ovenproof skillet set over medium high heat. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain and reserve a couple tablespoons of the drippings. Wipe/clean out the pan.

Still working over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the reserved bacon fat. Add the mushrooms, season lightly with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and tender; about 5 or 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate/bowl for the time being.

Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed, and place the marinated chicken breasts in a single, even layer in the pan (still over medium high heat). Cook on both sides until browned and crusty, about 4 to 5 minutes per side (a splatter screen is so helpful in times like these, if you don’t have one). If things start looking too dark/caramelized (that’s the honey), just finish the chicken and then add a little water to the skillet, scraping up the browned bits to release them. Give the pan a good rinse and carry on.

Turn off the heat and top the chicken with the reserved marinade/sauce, along with the mushrooms, cheese, and bacon (chopped or not). Bake just until the cheese is fully melted, the sauce is bubbly and the chicken is totally cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes. I like to broil during the last minute, for color.

Top with the chopped scallions/parsley and serve right away.

Where is Alice Springs? And are there a lot of chickens there?

If you’re still reading this, then I’d wager a guess that you are interested in food in a big way, and that you’re a person who likes to be well informed when you set out to make a thing. Or, you’re my Mom. (Hi Mom!). But if you, like me, have a hard-to-shake sense of curiosity about the origin stories of the things we eat – the dishes we both make and enjoy being made for us – then you might have wondered this exact thing. Or, maybe not. But still.

In short, Alice Springs is well … it’s in the Outback guys. It sits just below the Tropic of Capricorn in Australia’s Northern Territory and from the looks of it, seems like a really amazing place to visit. If you’re an adventure seeker – go there, and then please please tell me all about it.

I took a few minutes to actually research the foodways of this little corner of the world (I love that I get to do this, just saying), and here are some of the signature dishes/food items of Alice Springs whose food scene is referred to as “quirky” and “hip.”

Quail, dates, scallops, prawns, spicy coconut curries, mud crab.

No signs of cheesy chicken with mushrooms and bacon, though. Oh well.