Outback Steakhouse has served Alice Springs Chicken for decades, and it remains one of the most popular chicken dishes on the menu. It is not complicated — grilled chicken under mushrooms, bacon, and cheese is the oldest comfort formula in the book — but the execution details separate a great version from a flat one.
The honey mustard is the defining variable. Most people make a simple honey-mustard dip and call it done. Outback’s version uses a mayo-forward sauce (more like a honey-mustard aioli than a vinaigrette) that does three separate jobs: it tenderizes and flavors the chicken during marination, provides a glaze that caramelizes slightly during searing, and then lands on the plate as the finishing sauce. Stripping any one of those uses out produces a lesser result.
Why Each Component Matters
The marinade pulls double duty. A thin honey-mustard vinaigrette would run off the chicken during cooking. The mayonnaise acts as an emulsifier that keeps the sauce on the surface, and the fat content in the mayo creates a light crust on contact with the hot pan. You taste honey mustard in every bite rather than just where you drizzle the table sauce.
Cremini mushrooms over button mushrooms. Button mushrooms release more water during cooking and have a milder flavor. Cremini mushrooms (the same fungus at a slightly older harvest stage) have denser flesh and a deeper, more savory taste — they hold up under the cheese without becoming soggy. Cooking them in the bacon drippings rather than oil adds a second layer of flavor that no technique shortcut can replicate.
The cheese blend matters. Outback uses a Monterey Jack and cheddar combination. Monterey Jack melts smoothly and evenly with a mild, creamy flavor. Cheddar adds the sharpness and orange color you see when the dish arrives at the table. Using either alone leaves something missing — pure Jack is bland under the broiler, pure cheddar can turn greasy.
Broiling finishes everything at once. Putting the assembled chicken under a high broiler for 2-3 minutes melts and lightly browns the cheese while the rest of the dish stays juicy — no secondary cooking, no chance to dry out the chicken you just carefully seared. If you do not have a broiler, set your oven to 450°F convection for 5 minutes instead.
Cost Breakdown
| Restaurant (Outback) | Homemade | |
|---|---|---|
| Alice Springs Chicken (1 serving) | ~$22–24 | ~$4.25 |
| 4 servings | ~$88–96 | ~$17 |
| Savings | ~$71–79 |
The restaurant dinner entrée runs about $22–24 depending on location (roughly $23.49 as of 2026) and includes two sides; the 5 oz lunch portion is about $17 without sides. The homemade figure is the chicken alone, so it is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison — but even adding a side, you are well under the restaurant price. Homemade cost breakdown per 4 servings: chicken breasts ($6), bacon ($3), cremini mushrooms ($2), Monterey Jack and cheddar ($3), honey/Dijon/mayo for the sauce (~$1). The sauce recipe makes enough for marinating and serving all 4 portions.
Getting It Right
- Pound the chicken first. An uneven breast means the thin end is overcooked by the time the thick end reaches 165°F. Three minutes with a mallet or heavy pan solves this.
- Mushrooms must be completely dry. If they steam instead of sear (too much mushroom in the pan, heat too low), the liquid will pool under the cheese and make it slide off. Cook in two batches if your skillet is small.
- Do not skip the 30-minute marination. The chicken can go longer (up to 4 hours refrigerated) but needs at least 30 minutes for the honey mustard to penetrate beyond the surface.
- Pull the chicken at 160°F, not 165°F. Residual heat carries it the last 5 degrees while you build the cheese layer. Waiting until 165°F in the pan means the final product reads 170°F — technically safe but noticeably drier.
- Use the same skillet for everything. One oven-safe skillet means every bit of flavor (bacon fond, mushroom fond, chicken sear) stays in the pan. Cast iron holds heat evenly for the broiler finish; stainless works equally well.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate leftover assembled chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The mushroom topping and cheese hold well.
Best reheat method: Place on a baking rack over a sheet pan and reheat at 375°F for 10-12 minutes. This re-crisps the top without making the cheese rubbery. Avoid the microwave — it steams the cheese into a gummy layer and toughens the chicken.
Make-ahead: The honey mustard sauce keeps in the refrigerator for 2 weeks. The chicken can marinate up to 24 hours before cooking. Prep the bacon and mushrooms up to a day ahead and refrigerate separately; reassemble when ready to cook.
Complete the Outback Experience
- Outback Bloomin’ Onion — start the meal right. Tempura-style batter, seasoned dipping sauce, the whole table-side experience at home.
- Outback Bread — the honey-wheat dinner rolls that arrive before any appetizer. Takes 90 minutes start to finish, most of it hands-off rising time.
- Outback Grilled Chicken — the lighter alternative. Same honey-Dijon technique, no cheese or bacon topping, about 280 calories per serving.
