When I was little I would long for summer days that were waaaaaayyyy to hot to cook . Days like that meant there was a very good chance our family would head on down to sizzler for dinner!

Oooooohhhhhh yeeeaaaeahhhhh . . . bring on that cheese toast and all you can eat baby!

I remember ordering in the Malibu chicken . . . grilled chicken topped with ham and cheese and there was this outrageously delicious honey mustard sauce that came with it.

To.

Die.

For.

Or so I thought at the time. Recently we returned to good ol’ sizzler . . . the Malibu chicken . . . was not as I remembered it (when I say recently it may have actually been over a year ago . . . not that I exaggerate at all, ever, much . . . forgive me?).

Don’t you hate when that happens?

I don’t mean my exaggerating, I mean a food memory/craving turning out to be less than you remember/hoped for?

Well dry those tears I have the solution . . . When I say “I” have the solution I mean Ree has the solution . . . I merely re-created (yet another of) her magnificent recipes.

This chicken is marinated in the most ah-mazing honey mustard dressing/sauce I have ever tasted!

Seriously!

I made another batch of the marinade just to keep on hand to use on sandwiches, as salad dressing or just to dip carrots in.

OoooHHHhhh so, SO good!

Back to the chicken . . . marinated in sweet honey mustard sauce that also has a hint of smokiness to it thanks to the sneaky addition of some paprika . . . succulent chicken, sweet, smoky honey mustard topped with salty bacon and finished with some ooey, go0ey melted cheese!!!!!

You need this in your life!

If you really love your family (or even just yourself) you will make this for dinner . . . or lunch . . . whichever comes first!

We had ours with some baked sweet potato and a simple spinach leaf salad . . . since the original sampling we have also had it chopped up and tossed through a salad, on some seriously soft wholemeal bread fresh from the bakery . . . all of which have been out of this world delicious!

However you choose to serve it you can’t go wrong.

Unless of course you choose not to make it . . . big mistake girlfriend, big, BIG mistake!

So go, make this chicken already. You deserve it 🙂

Ranch Style Chicken

Slightly adapted from this recipe as appears in The Pioneer Woman Cooks – Food from My Frontier
Serves 8-10

Ingredients –

6 Whole Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon Mustard
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp salt
Crushed red pepper flakes to taste
1 pound (450g) Bacon (I use this centre cut bacon, visible fat/rind removed)
2 cups Grated cheese (I use coon light and tasty)

Method –

1 – In a medium fry pan over medium high heat cook bacon and set aside (wrap in foil to keep warm until ready to use)

2 – With a very sharp knife cut the chicken breasts in half down the middle. This will result in 2 chicken breast pieces that are thinner and more unioform in size.

3 – In a large bowl, combine the honey, Dijon, lemon juice, paprika, salt and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

4 – Add the chicken to the marinade and toss to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and marinate in the frige for 2-4 hours.

5 – When you’re ready to the chicken, remove it from the marinade and grill it over medium high heat for 3-4 min per side.

6 – When a couple of minutes grilling time are left, lay 2 pieces of bacon onto each chicken breast.

7 – Top with cheese and allow it to melt on the grill (you can finish melting the cheese under the broiler/grill/in the oven)

Ree’s Variations –

– Serve with twice baked potatoes and green salad

– Slip it inside a bun and serve to loved ones on the go

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Nutritional Info approx per serve (using ingredients above) obtained using fatsecret.com –

Cal – 223
Fat – 8g
Carbs – 11g
Protein – 31g
Fiber – 0g

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Nutritional Info approx per serve (Dressing only) obtained using fatsecret.com –

Cal – 40
Fat – 0.4g
Carbs – 9.7g
Protein – 0.3g
Fiber – 0.2g