Alice Springs Chicken

The picture doesn't do it justice. I promise this chicken tasted like heaven in your mouth. It was so good! It's adapted from a recipe found in my Top Secret Restaurant Recipes cookbook (a great cookbook). We had this chicken along with smashed potatoes, salad, and garlic bread for Valentine's Day dinner.

Honey Mustard Marinade:
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Chicken:
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups canned mushrooms (or 10-12 sliced fresh mushrooms)
2 tablespoons butter
pepper
paprika
1 cup bacon bits (or 8 slices cooked and crumbled bacon)
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
parsley

1. Use an electric mixter to combine the Dijon mustard, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, and lemon juice. Mix for about 30 seconds.

2. Pour 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken breasts and marinate them, covered, in the fridge for at least two hours (we did our's overnight). Chill the remaining marinade for later.

3. After the chicken has marinated, preheat the oven to 375. At the same time heat a frying pan large enough to hold all of the chicken and 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Sear the chicken in the pan for 3-4 minutes per side or until golden brown.

4. As the chicken is cooking, drain the canned mushrooms and them saute them in a pan with the butter.

5. Put the chicken in a baking dish and brush each piece with a little of the left-over marinade (do not use the marinade the chicken soaked in). Be sure to save a little extra sauce to serve on the side of the chicken.

6. Season the chicken with pepper and paprika to your liking (you can add salt too if you want).

7. Sprinkle the chicken with bacon bits.

8. Spoon the mushrooms evenly onto the bacon.

9. Spoon the cheese onto the mushrooms.

10. Bake the chicken for 7-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble.

11. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with parsley before serving. Put extra honey mustard in a small bowl to serve on the side. (We mixed the extra sauce in our potatoes instead).