Austrailian Chicken

We don't really eat out all that much. Our rationale is that it's not very enjoyable to pack up three kids and eat at a crowded, over-priced, chain restaurant that only has mostly-mediocre food. We can do better at home, for considerably less expense and hassle. When the husband and I do eat out at a restaurant, it's gonna be for a date night and it will someplace that is not inexpensive or --ahem-- kid-friendly. It doesn't happen that often, but when it does we want to relax and make sure it's worth our while from a foodie perspective.

With that said, there are a couple of chain restaurant dishes that I do miss and often think about. For example, I really love the Alice Springs Chicken at Outback Steakhouse. (I don't love it enough to go there and pay for it; but I love it nonetheless.) Imagine how happy I was to find a copycat recipe for said chicken that was just as good, if not better than the original version. Score! I love finding ways to have our favorite restaurant-type meals at home...it makes me feel all savvy and crafty. Kinda like I've found a way to outsmart the system.

Ha! Take that chain restaurants!!! I've even renamed my copycat version, to show you who's boss. Victory is mine!

Australian Chicken
Adapted From: sixsistersstuff.com via Pinterest

Ingredients:
cooking spray
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness
Lawry's seasoning salt to taste
6 slices bacon, cut in half
1 cup of your favorite honey mustard salad dressing
1/2 tablespoon of dried onion flakes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
salt to taste
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 glass dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Lightly sprinkle seasoned salt on both sides of chicken and set aside.

In a non-stick skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon from pan, reserving the bacon grease to a separate bowl. Drain bacon on a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.

In the same non-stick skillet, add about a tablespoon of bacon grease back to the pan. Heat grease over medium-high heat. Saute the mushrooms in the grease with a pinch of salt. Once mushrooms are cooked, remove to separate bowl and set aside (I put mine along side my draining bacon to save on doing dishes later.)

Again, in the same skillet, add another tablespoon of bacon grease back to the pan and heat over medium-high heat. Brown seasoned chicken on both sides, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place browned chicken in prepared glass dish. Sprinkle the chicken with dried onion flakes. Pour half of the honey mustard salad dressing over the chicken. Top each chicken breast with two halves of bacon and a spoonful of the cooked mushrooms. Drizzle the remaining honey mustard dressing over top of the mushrooms, on each breast. Cover chicken with shredded cheese and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is done thoroughly and cheese is melted and bubbly.



The Result:
This satisfied my fix, for sure. My kiddos loved it, and had thirds! The husband said that he thought it was better than the restaurant version, and I think he's right. It was pretty darn spectacular. This is a keeper recipe for sure!