Baked BBQ Chicken

This was SO quick and easy. I used chicken tenders because it's what I had in my freezer, but you could easily use thighs or an entire chicken and just adjust the cooking time accordingly. Also, make sure you use a good barbecue sauce that you like; the chicken will taste just like whatever sauce you use.  It's excellent served with a baked potato and a salad.  Hope you enjoy!


Baked Barbecue Chicken
1 lb chicken tenders
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Prepared barbecue sauce (I used about 1 cup)

Preheat oven to 350.  Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Bake them for 25 minutes in a dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Then remove them from the oven, and pour the desired amount of barbecue sauce evenly over the chicken.  Return to the oven and bake for 15 additional minutes.

Honey Pecan Chicken Breasts

This was so delicious!  It was even better because I had everything I needed already at the house.  It would be great over rice that could soak up some of the extra sauce.  We'll definitely make this again soon; it was easy, quick, and such a treat!

Honey Pecan Chicken Breasts

2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 Tbsp butter
1/4 tsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp finely chopped pecans

Flatten chicken to 1/2-inch thickness.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and cayenne.  In a large nonstick skillet, brown chicken in butter for 3-4 minutes per side or until juices run clear.  Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.  Add garlic, honey, and pecans to the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes.  Top chicken with honey/pecan sauce, and serve warm.

Marinade for Grilled Chicken

This is so great because you probably already have all of these ingredients at your house already.   It's a quick, easy, and tasty marinade to throw together in the morning so the chicken can soak it up all day long before dinner.  The longer the chicken sits in it, the more flavorful it will be! 

I made enough for two large chicken breasts, but you can always adjust the amounts if you're feeding more people.  I also think apple cider vinegar would be a good substitute for the red wine vinegar. 

I grilled the chicken on my grill pan for about 6 minutes per side over medium heat, but feel free to light up the charcoal or even bake the chicken in the marinade.  Hope you like it!

Marinade for Grilled Chicken

1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp Worcestershire suace
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp and 1 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp finely minced fresh parsley

Mix together all ingredients in a large zip-top bag.  Add chicken to bag, and marinate in refrigerator for at least two hours. 

Mexican Chicken

We love our Mexican food in this house, and this Mexican chicken was awesome!  This was so easy and delicious, and we had everything we needed at the house already.   I highly recommend this! 

Mexican Chicken

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin

Montreal steak seasoning

1/2 cup salsa

1/2 cup shredded pepper jack, cheese

Cilantro, for garnish

Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 9"x13" dish with cooking spray.  Season chicken with steak seasoning, and place in baking dish.  Top each chicken breast with salsa, and bake for 35 minutes.  After 35 minutes, top chicken with shredded cheese, and return to oven for 5 minutes, or until cheese is melted.  Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Easy Chicken with Greek Yogurt

This was so easy and so tasty!  It's definitely fast enough to make after a long day at work.  Plus, when you use nonfat Greek yogurt, there's so little to feel guilty about.  You can't lose!  (Please do try it in spite of the bad picture.  One day I'll improve my photography skills.)

Easy Chicken with Greek Yogurt

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp seasoning salt (I use Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix yogurt, cheese, and seasonings in a bowl.  Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray, and place chicken breasts in dish.  Spread mixture over chicken breasts, and bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

Holy cow.  We LOVED these.  We used the Salsa Crock Pot Chicken (which we make about once a week--so handy to have ready!) for the filling.  We had the rest of the ingredients in the fridge or the pantry, which might say more about us than how common the ingredients are, but that's okay.  They're easily adaptable, so if you want to add jalapenos or black beans or pico de gallo or whatever else, you can.

We recommend them highly, and we hope you like them as much as we did! 

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast

1 cup sour cream

6 large flour tortillas

1/2 cup tomatillo salsa (salsa verde)

1 small can green chiles

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350.  In a bowl, combine chicken, 1/2 cup sour gream, green chiles, and cheese.  Divide the chicken mixture evenly among the six tortillas.  Fold tortillas, and place seam-side-down in a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes.

Remove enchiladas from oven.  In a small bowl, combine the salsa verde with the remaining half cup of sour cream.  Pour mixture over warm enchiladas, and serve.

Delicious Chicken Salad

This was amazing chicken salad!  It was my first time to make my own, and I'll definitely make it again.  I loved the sweet crispness of the grapes; that was my favorite part.  I ended up making sandwiches and serving them on Hawaiian rolls--to die for!  The two of us had them for dinner, and we both had chicken salad sandwiches for lunch for the next two days, so it makes plenty for leftovers. Yum!

Chicken Salad

3 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast
3/4 cup light mayonaisse
3/4 tsp paprika
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp seedless red grapes, quartered
3/4 cup chopped celery
1 green onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 tsp seasoning salt
ground black pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise with paprika and seasoned salt. Blend in grapes, celery, green onion, and nuts. Add chopped chicken, and mix well. Season with black pepper to taste. Chill at least one hour.

Chicken Breasts Eden Isle

Are you ready for this? Cream of chicken soup, sour cream, AND cream cheese. It's every bit as wonderful as you think it is. (The picture doesn't do it justice.)  You just have to get on the treadmill. (Or you can pull around my baby nephew in his wagon six times a day--I think that burns several calories. I hope so, at least.) This was excellent.

The dried beef isn't beef jerky. It's on the same aisle as the tuna and canned meats. I'd normally be wary of an ingredient like that, but it was really good. It's worthy of a spot on your Easter table!

Chicken Breasts Eden Isle

4-6 chicken breasts,pounded thin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 pkg (about 3 oz) dried beef
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 (8 oz) container sour cream
3 oz cream cheese, softened

Preheat oven to 325. Place chicken breasts in a single layer in a 9x13 baking dish; sprinkle with pepper. Separate slices of dried beef and place over chicken. In a separate bowl, combine the soup, cream cheese, and sour cream. Spoon mixture on top of chicken and beef. Cover dish with foil, and bake at 325 for one hour.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Happy hour is a regular occurrence for us, but with this beautiful weather we're already having, we're about to change our HH location from a restaurant to our back porch.  We've found that these egg rolls are very good with a cold drink after a long day at work.  They're really good!  We'll be making these often.

The recipe below makes 6 egg rolls, but you could easily double or triple it for your crowd.  I used cilantro instead of parsley.  To make it easy on yourself, use rotisserie chicken or Crock Pot Salsa chicken; I bet you could even use canned chicken.  If you wanted a meatless recipe, you could leave out the chicken and use more black beans for protein.

Southwestern Egg Rolls

1 Tbsp vegetable oil6 (6 inch) flour tortillas
1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half, cooked and shredded
2 Tbsp minced green onion
2 Tbsp minced red bell pepper
1/3 cup corn kernels
1/4 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp diced jalapeno peppers
1/2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley or cilantro
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/3 tsp salt
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Preheat oven to 450. 

Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in green onion and red pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until tender. Add shredded chicken into the pan with onion and red pepper. Mix in corn, black beans, jalapeno peppers, parsley, cumin, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Cook and stir 5 minutes, until well blended and tender. Remove from heat and stir in Monterey Jack cheese so that it melts.


Wrap tortillas with a clean, lightly moist cloth. Microwave on high approximately 1 minute, or until hot and pliable. Spoon even amounts of mixture into each tortilla.  Fold ends of tortillas, then roll tightly around mixture. Secure with toothpicks.

Place egg rolls on baking sheets sparyed with cooking spray.  Bake for 15 minutes in preheated oven, turning tortillas after 8 minutes for even browning.  Cut diagonally, and serve warm.

Chicken Enchiladas

Yum!  Everyone loves enchiladas, and these will not disappoint!  It calls for 3 cups of cooked chicken for 8 enchiladas, and I completely recommend making all 8 enchiladas, even if you're only cooking for 2 (like I am).  They make awesome lunch leftovers.  As a shortcut, you could use rotisserie chicken or Crock Pot Salsa Chicken. 

I had all the ingredients in my refrigerator already (which only attests to my love for Mexican food), but I bet you have at least some of them, too.  You should definitely try these!

Chicken Enchiladas

3 cups chopped cooked chicken
8 (8-inch) tortillas
8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
1/4 cup jalapeno peppers, diced
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup salsa
Cooking spray
Toppings: diced tomatoes, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, etc.

Combine chicken, cheese, jalapenos, and 1/2 cup sour cream.  Spoon chicken mixture evenly down the center of each tortilla, and roll up.  Arrange seam-side-down in a lightly greased 9"x13" baking dish.  Coat tortillas with cooking spray.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden.  Stir together salsa and remaining sour cream, and spoon over hot enchiladas.  Sprinkle with desire toppings.  Yields 4 servings.

Chicken Mediterranean

We liked this, and it was easy enough to make on a weeknight.  To be honest, I took out the most Mediterranean aspect out of this by leaving out the 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives it calls for.  We're not olive people, but if you are (like most people are), then add them with the tomatoes. 

You can use any short pasta; the original Southern Living recipe called for penne, but I had some rigatoni that I needed to use.  The feta on top never really melts, but when it gets soft and warm, it's just so good. 

Hope you like it!

Chicken Mediterranean

1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken tenders
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/3 cup crumbled feta
4 ounces short pasta, cooked

Combine chicken, garlic, and olive oil in a zip-top bag.  Seal and marinate at least 2 hours.  When ready, cook chicken mixture in a large skillet over medium-high for 8 minutes or until chicken is done; remove from skillet.  Add tomoatoes and Italian seasoning to skillet.  Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often for about 7 minutes.

Return chicken to skillet.  Sprinkle with feta cheese, and remove from heat.  Cover and let stand 5 minutes.  Serve immediately over hot cooked pasta.  Yield: 2 servings.

Chicken and Cheese Flautas

We love Mexican food, and this was a great Mexican dish that's easy to make at home.   You could use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but we still love the crock pot salsa chicken.  These didn't take long to make, and you could easily add ingredients to your liking--maybe black beans inside or guacamole as a dipping sauce.

I got this recipe from Framed Cooks; she has such beautiful photos (and delicious recipes).  Check her out, if you haven't yet. 

We'll make these again!  Hope you try them and like them!

Chicken and Cheese Flautas

4 large flour tortillas
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded cooked chicken
1 tsp cumin
1/2 cup salsa
Vegetable oil
Sour cream
Jalapenos

In a small bowl, combine cheese, chicken, and cumin.  Mix well.  Place about 1/4 cup chicken mixture on each warm tortilla.  Top each with one tablespoon of salsa.  Roll up tightly; secure each with a toothpick.  Brush filled tortillas with oil.

In a large skillet, cook filled tortillas over medium heat for 4-6 minutes or until filling is hot and tortillas are toasted, turning occasionally.  Remove toothpicks, and serve with sour cream and jalapenos.

Cheddar Chicken Tenders

This was a recipe my sister sent me, and we really enjoyed it.  I changed the original recipe to fit what I already had, so instead of using crushed Ritz crackers, I used some seasoned bread crumbs.  The sauce, which consists of cream of chicken soup, butter, and sour cream, makes this obviously decadent.  Awesome.

Next time, I'll dip the chicken in egg (instead of milk) before the cheese and bread crumbs.  Be aware that you'll have some trouble making the cheese stick; it'll fall off when you're trying to press the bread crumbs, so your bread crumb bowl will end up full of cheese.  Just get as much of it as you can on the chicken.  It'll all end up very tasty melted together later.

Cheddar Chicken Tenders

2 large chicken breasts
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/3 cup milk
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 tsp dried parsley
1 (10oz) can cream of chicken soup
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sour cream

Preheat oven to 400.  Cut chicken breasts into strips.  Place milk, cheese, and breadcrumbs into three containers.  Dip each strip of chicken into the milk, then the cheese, and then the breadcrumbs.  Don't worry if some of the cheese falls off.  Spray a 9"x13" casserole dish with cooking spray, and place the prepared chicken in the dish.  Continue with the rest of the chicken.  Sprinkle the dried parsley over the chicken.  Cover the dish with foil, and bake for 35 minutes.  Remove the foil, and bake for another 10 minutes. 

In a medium sized sauce pan, combine the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, and butter with a whisk. Stir it over medium high heat until the sauce is heated through. Serve over the chicken.

Chicken in Wine Sauce

This is such a delicious baked chicken dish, and it takes almost no time to throw it together.  If you're still scrambling to plan a Christmas menu, this is a worthy contender for the main dish at one of your meals.

If you don't drink or don't want to use wine for any reason, you can substitute the wine for milk or even water.  My sister says she commonly makes this dish for her friends who just had babies, and she and uses milk or water.  The taste isn't noticeably different.  Also, the last time I made it, I forgot to use the butter in the recipe, and it was still great.  That might be a meager way to cut some calories.

The recipe is from Paula Deen's cookbook, The Lady and Sons.  I hope you like it!

Chicken in Wine Sauce

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices Swiss cheese
1 (10.75 oz) can condensed cream of chicken soup
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup herb-flavored stuffing mix, crushed
4 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Place chicken in shallow buttered casserole dish.  Layer cheese on top.  Mix soup, wine, salt, and pepper; pour over cheese.  Sprinkle stuffing mix on top, and drizzle with melted butter.  Bake for 45-60 minutes. 

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce

When I found this Southern Living recipe, I couldn't wait to try it.  These were SO good; Buck has already requested them again.  He said he would have been fooled into thinking these were crab cakes if I hadn't told him they were chicken. 

I used my favorite Crock Pot Salsa Chicken for the shredded chicken, and the salsa added extra moisture and flavor.  You could just as easily use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store as a short cut.  As another short cut, I used the roasted red bell pepper from a jar since I didn't have a fresh one.  The cakes aren't spicy, but the red pepper in the creole sauce does add some heat.  I highly recommend these!

Chicken Cakes with Creole Sauce

1/2 medium size red bell pepper, diced
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1 cup soft breadcrumbs
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp light mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Creole mustard
1 tsp Creole seasoning

Saute the bell pepper, green onion, and garlic in a skillet coated with cooking spray for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Wipe skillet clean.  Stir together bell pepper mixture, chicken, and remaining ingredients in a bowl.   Shape chicken into 8 patties.  Cover and chill 15 minutes.

Cook patties, in 2 batches, in skillet coated with cooking psray over medium heat, 3 minutes on each side or until golden.  Serve immediately with Creole Sauce.

Creole Sauce

1 cup mayonnaise
3 green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp Creole mustard
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Stir together all ingredients until well blended.

Chicken and Black Bean Mini Empanadas

I really liked these!  This were really good served with salsa and sour cream.  If you're going to the trouble to make them, you might as well make several sheets of them, and that's fine because they reheat beautifully.  I was able to get 11-12 empanadas per sheet of puff pastry, and I cut them into circles with a water glass.  I'm sure a biscuit cutter is more proper, but you use what you have.  Similarly, I used a beer bottle to roll the puff pastry dough into the a bigger rectangle because I didn't have a rolling pin.  I've since received one.  (Thanks, Amanda.)

To speed up the process, you can also make the filling the day ahead.  I made the filling with my favorite, Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, but you could use any shredded or ground meat--beef, pork, turkey, or deer (if you live in my neck of the woods).  The recipe calls for a can of black beans, but I didn't even use half of it. 

This is the perfect party appetizer or tailgate food, and they're nice and filling.  You should try these! 

Chicken and Black Bean Mini Empanadas

4 sheets Puff Pastry dough
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
1/2 lb  cooked shredded salsa chicken
1 Tbsp Philadelphia Cooking Creme Southwest Blend
1 small red bell pepper, diced (I used one from a jar)
2 tsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used the 4 cheese Mexican blend)
1/2 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Thaw the puff pastry sheets at room temperature for 40 minutes or until they're easy to handle.  Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. Stir the egg and water with a fork in a small bowl.

Heat a skillet over medium heat, and combine the chicken, bell pepper, taco seasoning, and Cooking Creme until warm.  Remove from heat, and stir in the cheese and half the can of black beans. 

Unfold one sheet of puff pastry on a lightly floured surface, and roll out into a 16"x12" rectangle.  Cut into 12 (2.5") rounds.  Put 1 teaspoon of the chicken mixture on each round.  Wet the edges of the round; fold over and press the edges with a fork to seal.  Place the empanadas on the prepared baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining sheets of puff pastry.  Brush empanadas with egg wash. 

Bake for 18 minutes or until golden.  Serve with salsa and sour cream. 

Savory Slow Cooker Chicken

If you were a fan of the Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, a.k.a. the easiest chicken in the world, you'll also like this recipe.  It has only a few more ingredients (but that's understandable, as the salsa chicken's only ingredients were salsa and chicken) and is just as easy to throw together.

After it was finished in the crock pot, I shredded it with two forks, and we ate it on sandwiches, which were very good.  What was even better, though, was warming it in a skillet with a spoonful of Santa Fe Blend of Philadelphia Cooking Creme.  That gave the chicken a little southwest flair, so we naturally had some chicken nachos that night--our favorite. 

Thanks, Amanda, for sharing this recipe! 

Savory Crock Pot Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1.5oz package onion soup mix
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 cup Italian dressing
1/4 cup water

Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle soup mix and garlic salt on top of chicken, and then pour dressing and water on top.  Cover with lid, and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4 hours.  Shred chicken with two forks, and serve.

Chicken and Peaches

This is a dish Rachael Ray made on her show last week, and once I saw it, I couldn't wait to try it.  It's definitely a strange combination, but it worked nicely together.  It also looks beautiful on a platter.  

Her original recipe uses chicken breasts and thighs, but I just used chicken breasts and it was fine.  Also, don't skip out on the hot sauce.  It's really not spicy, and it would be bland without it.  Serve this with rice or at least some bread or biscuits to soak up the sauce.

Chicken and Peaches

1 Tbsp butter
2 peaches, pitted and sliced thickly
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 onion, chopped
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup peach preserves
1 tsp hot sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce)
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper

Heat a medium skillet with the butter over medium heat.  Add the peaches and lemon juice, and cook until lightly golden, about 10 minutes. 

While the peaches cook, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high to high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and cook until the chicken is cooked through.  When finished, remove to a plate and cover with foil. 

In the skillet that had the chicken, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and chopped onion; cook for 1-2 minutes.  Stir in chicken stock, peach preserves, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, and season with black pepper to taste.  Cook over medium heat for a couple of minutes to thicken.  Arrange chicken and peaches on a platter, and douse with peach sauce. 

Pollo Loco - Mexican Chicken and Rice

This was absolutely fantastic!  This is just as good, if not better, than the best chicken and rice you get at your favorite Mexican restaurant.  It will have to be a once-a-week meal in this house. 

I could have done more with the presentation in the photo to wow you, so if the photo doesn't do it for you, please try this recipe anyway.  It was delicious, and the leftovers were great, too!  Thank you, Steph at Plain Chicken, for sharing the recipe!

Pollo Loco

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle Lawry's Baja Chipotle marinade
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long grain rice--not instant (but I used medium grain and it was fine)
1 Tbsp dried minced onion flakes
1 tsp taco seasoning
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1 container Mexican queso (I used Gordon's cheese dip)

Marinate chicken breasts in Baja Chipotle marinade in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best).  When ready, grill chicken until done (165 degrees). 

While the chicken is grilling, prepare the rice.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat, and add rice.  Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden (8-10 minutes).  While rice is cooking, sprinkle with taco seasoning. 

Stir in onion flakes, chicken broth, and tomato sauce; bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.   Fluff with a fork. 

Heat cheese dip according to package directions, and set aside.

To assemble the pollo loco, spoon 1/4 of the rice on a plate, top with a chicken breast, and spoon 2-3 tablespoons of queso on top.  Garnish with chopped tomatoes and cilantro, if desired. 

Alice Springs Chicken

This will make your tastebuds very happy.  Your nose will love it, too.  Your waist, arms, and butt--not so much.

We don't go to Outback very often, but whenever we do, I get the Alice Springs Chicken.  I know--it doesn't seem right to get chicken at a steakhouse, but seriously, what's not to love here?  Chicken, mushrooms, bacon, cheese.  More, please! 

This recipe is from a cookbook my mom gave me a few years ago called Top Secret Restaurant Recipes.  The only things I changed about it were shrinking the portion size, using a Mexican cheese blend instead of separate Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and omitting the parsley.  I'll type out the entire recipe for you, though, so you can make and enjoy your own Outback treat. 

And yes, I do notice the lack of color on this plate.  We desperately needed a salad.  But aren't my placemat, napkin, and dinner plate pretty?

Alice Springs Chicken

1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp lemon juice

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups sliced mushrooms (10-12 mushrooms)
2 Tbsp butter
8 slices bacon, cooked
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tsp finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Thoroughly combine the Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil, and lemon juice in a small bowl.  Pour about 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken breasts, and marinate them, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Chill the remaining marinade until later.

After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375.  Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of oil.  (If you don't have an oven proof skillet, transfer the chicken to a baking dish for baking.)  Sear the chicken for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.  Remove the pan from the heat, but keep the chicken in the pan.

As the chicken is cooking, in a small skillet, saute the sliced mushrooms in the butter.

Brush each seared chicken breast with a little of the reserved honey-mustard marinade (not the portion that the chicken soaked in), being sure to save a little extra to serve alongside the finished dish.

Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika.  Stack two pieces of cooked bacon, making an X, on each chicken breast.  Spoon the sauteed mushrooms onto the bacon, being sure to coat each breast evenly.  Spread 1/4 cup of Monterey Jack cheese onto each breast, followed by 1/4 cup of Cheddar. 

Bake the pan of prepared chicken breasts for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is thoroughly melted and starting to bubble.  Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon of parsley before serving.  Put extra honey mustard marinade into a small bowl to serve on the side.