Alice Springs Chicken

When I used to frequent restaurants very often, my favorite dish at Outback Steakhouse was their Alice Springs Chicken. A grilled chicken breast topped with Monterey Jack cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms, and a honey mustard sauce. Last night I created my own version and I must say I was rather impressed with myself. I think my version tasted a lot better than theirs and with much less carbs too! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half for two thin pieces of chicken per breast
4 slices of thick cut bacon, each piece cut into two pieces
4 slices of Monterey Jack cheese OR 1 cup of shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
6 large mushrooms, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp oilve oil


Honey Mustard Sauce:

1/2 cup of Mayo
5 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp sour cream
4 teaspoons of Splenda (I used liquid for less carbs)
2 tbsp heavy cream
pinch of salt

The sauce makes a little over a cup. You won't use all of it in this recipe, but you can store the rest covered in a plastic container in the fridge for up to a week. The sauce is really good! It would go great as a dip for veggies, low carb chicken tenders, or thinned out with a little extra heavy cream for a delicious salad dressing!


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large frying pan over medium high heat, add olive oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste and cook until cooked through and golden brown. (I did mine in several batches)
3. In a separate pan cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to paper towel lined plate. Add mushrooms to the pan with the bacon grease and sautee until cooked. Remove mushrooms to paper towel lined plate with the bacon
4. To make the sauce: Mix all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium bowl, and set aside
5. In a baking sheet or pan, place the chicken breast, top each piece with one piece of bacon, half a slice of Monterey Jack cheese, mushrooms, and drizzle with the honey mustard sauce.
6. Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

I served mine with Garlic and Herb "rice"  Very simple, I just added 3 tbsp of my Garlic and Herb Compound Butter to my Perfect Steamed Cauli Rice and Ta-Da! A super simple super yummy side! You could also steam some veggies, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, and top with the compound butter.


This recipe yields 4 servings of two pieces of chicken each.

Each serving has 2.3 Net carbs

Please note the carb count is only for the chicken dish, not any sides. It is also calculated with liquid Splenda.

Crispy Mexican Chicken Melts

This recipe uses my basic breading and Mexican spices to creat a zippy, crispy, juicy chicken that is then topped with salsa, cheese, and sour cream. Perfect for when you're craving Mexican food and easy enough to whip up during the week or any time. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise for a total of 8 thin pieces of chicken
2 eggs beaten with 1 tbsp of water
1 recipe of my basic breading
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup of Mexican salsa (homemade, or store bought but check the label for no added or reduced sugar)
1/2 cup of Muenster cheese, shredded (Muenster is my favorite cheese but you can also use Monterey or pepper Jack)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tbsp olive oil
black pepper to taste


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F
2. In a large pan add the olive oil and heat to medium heat
3. In a large plate/bowl add the simple breading mix and the cumin, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper
4. Dip the chicken pieces into the egg wash, then into the seasoned breading. Add to pan and fry until golden brown on both sides and cooked through. About 4 minutes per side (Do not over cook the chicken because it will still go into the oven for 10 minutes)
5. Place the chicken pieces on a plate lined with paper towels. Until you have finished cooking all of the chicken pieces.
6. In a cookie sheet or baking pan place the "breaded chicken". Top each piece of chicken with 1 tbsp salsa and 1 tbsp of cheese. Sprinkle green onion and half of the cilantro on top of the chicken
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly
8. Remove from oven and top with a dollop of sour cream and remaining cilantro

This is one of my new favorite recipes!

This recipe yields 4 servings of 2 pieces of chicken each. I served mine with a rainbow of fresh bell peppers and avocado. But you could serve your with a salad or cauli rice as well.

The carb count will vary slightly depending on what kind of salsa you use. For this recipe and carb count I used Pace Picante hot sauce.

Carb counts for recipe as written not including any sides in the picture:  3 Net carbs per serving



Recipe as written is induction friendly

Chicken Salad Melts

I had some leftover chicken from last night and was craving something cheesy and delicious! I made a super simple chicken salad that was really good even by itself, but I piled it up on top of fresh tomato slices and topped it with cheese. It's a great quick lunch!

Makes two servings of 2 melts each

Ingredients:

For the chicken salad I used:

1 leftover large cooked chicken breast that was seasoned with lemon pepper, chopped
1/4  cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp red onion, chopped

You'll also need:

1 medium tomato sliced into 4 thick slices
4 slices of cheese, you choice. I used 2 sharp cheddar and 2 swiss. Both were really good.


Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. In a medium bowl mix the chicken, mayo, sour cream, parsley, lemon juice and onion, mix until combined.
3. In a small baking pan arrange the four slices of tomato and top evenly with chicken salad. Add 1 slice of cheese to each one.
4. Bake in the oven for 5-7 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Serve 2 melts per person.


Net carbs:  PER MELT 2.5    OR 5 PER SERVING


You can also make this chicken salad and just eat it over lettuce or with celery sticks. Yum!