Alice Springs Chicken is a popular dish from Outback Steakhouse, made with chicken breasts topped with bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and melted cheese. The chicken is first marinated in a honey mustard sauce and then baked. The dish gets its name from the town of Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory. This article will explore whether this dish is suitable for those following a keto diet.
What You'll Learn
How to make a keto-friendly honey mustard sauce
Alice Springs Chicken is a keto-friendly dish, especially when a sugar-free sweetener is used instead of honey. Here is a recipe for a keto-friendly honey mustard sauce, followed by instructions on how to incorporate it into the Alice Springs Chicken dish.
Keto-Friendly Honey Mustard Sauce Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons of yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon of Swerve, confectioners
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon of paprika
Instructions:
- Whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
- Place the raw chicken breasts and half of the honey mustard sauce in a freezer bag and seal the bag. Reserve the other half of the sauce for dipping.
- Marinade the chicken breasts in the fridge for 2 hours.
- In a medium skillet, melt butter and saute mushrooms for about 5-7 minutes until tender. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat on the stove and transfer the chicken breasts to the skillet. Discard the remaining marinade in the bag.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side until browned.
- Transfer the chicken to a casserole dish. Spoon the mushrooms over the chicken.
- Place a piece of bacon over each chicken breast and top each with shredded cheese.
- Place the chicken in the oven for about 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked internally to 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also use store-bought keto honey mustard sauce, such as G Hughes Sugar-Free Honey Mustard Sauce, as a shortcut.
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How to make a keto version of Alice Springs Chicken
Alice Springs Chicken is a popular dish from Outback Steakhouse. It's made with chicken breasts that are topped with bacon, sautéed mushrooms, and melted cheese. The dish gets its name from the town of Alice Springs in Australia's Northern Territory.
Ingredients:
- Chicken breasts
- Bacon
- White mushrooms
- Cheese (Colby-Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack)
- Mayonnaise
- Mustard (Yellow and/or Dijon)
- Honey or a keto-friendly sweetener
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Salt and pepper
- Butter or olive oil
- Scallions or green onions (optional)
Instructions:
- Prepare the honey mustard sauce by whisking together the mustard, mayonnaise, honey or sweetener, and garlic powder in a small bowl.
- Place the raw chicken breasts in a freezer bag with half of the honey mustard sauce and seal the bag. Marinate the chicken in the fridge for about 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a medium skillet, melt some butter or heat olive oil and sauté the mushrooms until tender. Set aside.
- Heat a large skillet to medium heat and transfer the marinated chicken breasts to the skillet. Discard the remaining marinade.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Cook for about 5-7 minutes on each side until browned.
- Transfer the chicken to a casserole dish.
- Spoon the sautéed mushrooms over the chicken.
- Place a piece of bacon over each chicken breast.
- Top each chicken breast with shredded cheese.
- Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Garnish with scallions or green onions (optional).
Your keto Alice Springs Chicken is now ready to be served! Enjoy the delicious combination of juicy chicken, crispy bacon, tender mushrooms, and melted cheese. Serve it with some extra honey mustard sauce on the side for dipping.
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The history of Alice Springs Chicken
Alice Springs Chicken is a popular dish from Outback Steakhouse, an Australian-themed American casual dining restaurant chain that started in Tampa, Florida. The dish is named after Alice Springs, a large town in Australia's Northern Territory.
The dish consists of chicken breasts topped with bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and melted cheese. The key element of this dish is the honey mustard sauce, which is used as a marinade and served on the side for dipping. The sauce is typically made with honey, dijon mustard, mayonnaise, and lemon juice, creating a tangy and sweet flavour.
To prepare the dish, the chicken is first marinated in the honey mustard sauce, then grilled or seared to create a golden-brown crust. The chicken is then layered with sauteed mushrooms, crispy bacon, and melted cheese, and baked in the oven until cooked through.
Alice Springs Chicken has become a favourite among customers, even in a steakhouse, and has inspired many copycat recipes for people to recreate the dish at home.
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How to store and reheat Alice Springs Chicken
Storing and reheating Alice Springs Chicken:
Alice Springs Chicken is best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It can be kept for up to three to five days and is best reheated in an oven, air fryer, or microwave.
For reheating in the oven, cover the chicken with foil and heat at 350°F for 10-15 minutes. For the air fryer, set the temperature to 400°F and reheat for 5 minutes. In the microwave, heat for 1-2 minutes.
The chicken can also be frozen for up to a month or two months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
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What to serve with Alice Springs Chicken
Alice Springs Chicken is a flavourful, juicy, and tender chicken dish. It is made with chicken breasts coated in a honey mustard sauce and topped with bacon, mushrooms, and cheese. This Australian-American dish is named after a town in Australia's Northern Territory.
- Keep it simple: Alice Springs Chicken is a rich and loaded dish, so it is best to keep the sides simple. A baked potato is a perfect starchy base that won't overpower the flavours of the chicken.
- Grains: Alice Springs Chicken pairs well with grain-based sides. Garlic pasta, such as aglio e olio, is a good option. The light dish with garlicky olive oil, parmesan, red pepper flakes, and a spritz of lemon juice complements the chicken without being overwhelming. Alternatively, steamed jasmine rice is a simple and common dish in Asian cuisine that works well with almost all meat-based recipes.
- Vegetables: The dish also goes well with vegetable-based sides. A fresh side salad, such as a strawberry spinach salad, is a welcomed addition. Roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, potatoes, carrots, or eggplants, are also good options to offset the rich and savoury taste of the chicken.
- Other sides: If you're looking for something crispy, try a blooming onion instead of the usual fries or chips. You can also serve mashed potatoes, brown bread dinner rolls, or cauliflower rice.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Alice Springs Chicken is keto-friendly, but it's best to make it yourself to ensure it fits within your macros.
It's a chicken dish made with chicken breasts and a honey mustard sauce. It's then topped with mushrooms, bacon, and cheese.
It typically takes around 30 minutes to cook Alice Springs Chicken, but you'll also need to allow time for preparation and marination.
Basic white button mushrooms or baby bella mushrooms are good options. You can also use whatever mushrooms you have on hand.
It's best to reheat Alice Springs Chicken in the oven. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.