Outback Alice Springs Chicken (Bacon, Mushroom & Melted Cheese)

My husband doesn't really love copycat restaurant recipes — except for this one. The first time I put Alice Springs Chicken on the table, he ate two pieces and asked me when I was making it again. That was about a year ago, and I've been making it on rotation ever since.

What makes this work is the honey mustard sauce. I know that sounds simple, but it's genuinely good — creamy, a little tangy, slightly sweet — and it pulls together the bacon, mushrooms, and cheese in a way that feels like more than the sum of its parts. I've tried a few different ratios over the months, and the one I'm sharing here is the one I keep coming back to. It's not Outback's exact recipe. It's my version, made in a regular skillet and a basic baking dish.

This is the kind of dinner I make on a Friday when I want something that feels like a treat but I don't want to spend an hour in the kitchen. The searing step is what makes the chicken actually taste good — don't skip it. And if you're looking for something to serve alongside it, my Crispy Smashed Potato Salad goes really well here, or just mashed potatoes if that's what you have energy for.

One thing to know going in: shred your own cheese. I learned the hard way that the pre-shredded bags have a coating on them that stops them from melting properly. You end up with a dry, slightly grainy top instead of that glossy, bubbly cheese pull. It takes two extra minutes and makes a real difference.

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• The honey mustard sauce is genuinely good: I've made a lot of honey mustard sauces over the years, and this one hits a balance I really like — the mayo keeps it creamy, the Dijon adds a little sharpness, and the honey rounds everything out. It's not too sweet, not too sharp. My husband drizzles extra on the side, which is how I know it's right.

• It comes together in under an hour: You're looking at maybe 40 minutes start to finish, including the oven time. Everything happens in one skillet before it goes into the baking dish, which means the cleanup is manageable. I've done this on weeknights when I had 45 minutes and nothing planned — it works.

• The toppings are completely adjustable: More bacon? Go for it. No mushrooms? Skip them. Saad picks the mushrooms off every single time and still cleans his plate. You can load on extra cheese or go lighter — whatever your family actually eats.

• Ingredients you can find anywhere: Nothing here requires a specialty store. Chicken breasts, bacon, mushrooms, Colby Jack — all standard grocery store items. I usually pick these up at Walmart or Aldi without any planning ahead.

• It holds up as leftovers: Reheated the next day in a covered skillet over low heat, this is still really good. The sauce soaks into the chicken a bit more overnight, which I actually prefer. I've eaten it cold straight from the fridge at lunch and had no regrets.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1½ cups shredded Colby Jack cheese (shred it yourself — see Tips)
• For the Honey Mustard Sauce:
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup Dijon mustard
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Directions

1. Make the honey mustard sauce: Whisk together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, honey, and lemon juice in a small bowl until smooth. Taste it — it should be creamy and slightly tangy with a gentle sweetness. Set it aside, or pop it in the fridge if you're prepping ahead.
2. Cook the bacon: In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Remove it to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once it's cool enough to handle, crumble it or leave it in strips — whichever you prefer. Don't wipe out the pan; you want that bacon fat for the mushrooms.
3. Sauté the mushrooms: In the same pan with a little of the bacon drippings, cook the sliced mushrooms over medium heat until they're softened and starting to go golden, about 5 minutes. Set them aside with the bacon.
4. Sear the chicken: Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and black pepper. Add the olive oil to the skillet and sear the chicken for 5–7 minutes per side over medium-high heat until cooked through. The sear builds color and flavor — don't rush it by cranking the heat too high or the outside will brown before the inside cooks.
5. Assemble: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Transfer the seared chicken to a baking dish. Spoon honey mustard generously over each piece, then layer on the mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese.
6. Bake: Bake for 10–15 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and bubbling. If the cheese starts to brown before the chicken is done, loosely tent the dish with foil.
7. Rest and serve: Let the chicken sit for 5 minutes before serving. This helps the juices redistribute and makes the chicken noticeably juicier when you cut into it.

Tips for Success

• Pound the chicken to even thickness: If one end of the breast is much thicker than the other, it will cook unevenly — the thin end dries out before the thick end is done. I use a rolling pin inside a zip-lock bag to pound them to roughly ¾-inch thickness. It takes two minutes and makes the whole dish more consistent.

• Shred your own cheese: Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch to prevent clumping in the bag, which also prevents it from melting smoothly. I buy a block of Colby Jack and grate it myself. The melt is completely different — glossy and even instead of dry and clumped. Takes maybe two minutes with a box grater.

• Don't skip the sear: I tried baking the raw chicken directly once to save time. The result was pale, rubbery chicken with no real flavor. The sear adds color and seals in some of the moisture. It's an extra 10 minutes but the difference is significant.

• Make extra honey mustard: The recipe makes enough to coat the chicken, but I always double the sauce. Half goes on the chicken before baking, and the rest goes in a small bowl for dipping or drizzling at the table. My husband goes through a lot of it.

• Use the bacon drippings for the mushrooms: Don't drain the pan between the bacon and mushroom steps. Cooking the mushrooms in the bacon fat gives them a savory, slightly smoky flavor that you just don't get with plain oil. It's one of those small things that adds up.

Variations

• Spicy honey mustard: Add a teaspoon of sriracha or a pinch of cayenne to the sauce. My husband does this every time without fail. It doesn't make the sauce fiery — just gives it a little kick at the back that cuts through the richness of the cheese.

• Cheese swap: Colby Jack is my go-to here, but Swiss melts beautifully if you want something slightly more mild and nutty. Pepper Jack works too and adds a little heat. I've even used plain sharp cheddar in a pinch — it's richer but works fine.

• Add sautéed onions: Slice half an onion thin and cook it in the bacon fat alongside (or before) the mushrooms. Caramelized onions with bacon and cheese is a combination that works in basically any context, and this dish is no exception.

• Grilled version: In summer I take this outside and grill the chicken instead of pan-searing and baking. Grill the chicken to nearly done, then pile on the toppings and close the lid for a few minutes until the cheese melts. The smokiness from the grill works really well with the honey mustard.

• Turkey bacon: If you don't eat pork, turkey bacon works here. It won't render quite as much fat, so sauté the mushrooms in a small splash of olive oil instead. The flavor is a little lighter but the dish still holds together well.

Serving and Storage

Serving

I usually serve this with mashed potatoes or my Crispy Smashed Potato Salad on the side — something that can soak up the extra honey mustard sauce is always a good call. Steamed broccoli or roasted green beans work well too if you want to balance out the richness. Put the extra honey mustard in a small bowl on the table; people will use it. If I'm feeding guests, I'll do Fried Cornbread on the side, which is a surprisingly good pairing.

Storage

Leftovers keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. To reheat, I cover the chicken loosely with foil and warm it in a 325°F (160°C) oven for about 10–12 minutes — this keeps it from drying out. You can microwave it in a pinch, but the cheese gets a little rubbery. I don't recommend freezing this one; the sauce separates and the mushrooms go soft in a way that doesn't recover well.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I prep this ahead of time?

Yes — this is actually one of my better make-ahead dinners. You can sear the chicken, cook the bacon, sauté the mushrooms, and mix the honey mustard sauce all in advance. Store everything separately in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When you're ready to eat, just assemble in the baking dish and bake as directed. It saves a lot of the active cooking time on busy nights.

Can I skip the mushrooms?

Absolutely. Saad skips them every time and the dish is still completely satisfying. The mushrooms add an earthy, savory layer that I personally love, but they're not structural to the recipe. Just leave them out and go heavier on the bacon if you want to compensate.

What cheese works best if I can't find Colby Jack?

Monterey Jack is the closest substitute and melts in almost exactly the same way. Sharp cheddar works and gives you a stronger flavor. Swiss is good if you want something milder and slightly nutty. I'd avoid mozzarella on its own — it melts well but doesn't have enough flavor to stand up to the bacon and honey mustard.

Is this recipe gluten-free?

The base recipe is gluten-free, but you should check your Dijon mustard label to confirm — some brands include additives that contain gluten. The rest of the ingredients (chicken, bacon, mayo, honey, mushrooms, cheese) are naturally gluten-free. If you're cooking for someone with celiac disease, also check the bacon packaging.

Can I grill the chicken instead of baking it?

Yes, and it's really good this way. Grill the chicken until it's nearly cooked through, then add the honey mustard, mushrooms, bacon, and cheese on top and close the grill lid for 3–4 minutes until the cheese melts. The smoky char from the grill pairs well with the sweetness of the sauce. I do this version in summer when I don't want to heat up the oven.

This is the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in the rotation without a lot of fanfare. No special equipment, no hard-to-find ingredients, no complicated technique. Just solid, satisfying chicken that tastes like you put more effort in than you actually did.

What I keep coming back to is how well the components balance each other — the salt from the bacon, the richness of the cheese, the tang of the honey mustard. It's not my mom's cooking and it's not Outback's either. It's just a dependable Friday night dinner that my husband asks for by name. That's the bar I'm cooking to.

If you're in a cheesy-chicken-dinner mood and want something a little lighter on the side, my Healthy Ranch Chicken Salad is a good weeknight pairing. And if you want to end the meal on something sweet without a lot of effort, the Crumbl Cookie Copycat is something Zainab has been requesting on repeat lately.

Make extra honey mustard. Trust me on that one. 🍗🧀✨

If you liked this, here are a few more recipes you might want to try:

• Crispy Smashed Potato Salad — great alongside this chicken
• Creamy Chicken and Jalapeño Soup — for when you want something warming and bold
• Fried Cornbread — an easy side that goes with almost everything
• Healthy Ranch Chicken Salad — if you want to use up leftover chicken
• Crumbl Cookie Copycat Recipe — for dessert, because you've earned it