LILLY’S “ALICE SPRINGS CHICKEN” CASSEROLE

Apr 12

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Outback Restaurant has always been one of our favorites. We still eat there occasionally since they always go the great lengths to make sure our ‘special’ order is served according to our wishes. We typically order some sort of plain meat or fish and plain steamed vegetables, as well as salad with olive oil and vinegar only. It works just fine for us since we’ve been symptom-free for a while and we know for sure that micro-mistakes will no longer cause us any intestinal problems. Although we’re not strictly on SCD, we still strictly adhere to a diet free of sugar, grain, and lactose which unfortunately excludes our former favorites such as baby back ribs, chicken wings, and Alice Springs chicken.
Once my chronic fatigue had improved sufficiently, I found a new passion in changing our former favorite dishes to match our new lifestyle. As my children discovered that there were ways to alter recipes to make it work for us, they hopped on the train, getting creative themselves in trying to figure out how to get those long-lost recipes back. Sometimes we fail and the outcome is not what we expected, but a lot of times we succeed and are very proud of our newest additions to our family recipe collection. Our latest creation, Alice Springs chicken, is an Outback Steakhouse copycat and was altered by my daughter Lilly. It has been high in the charts for our favorite family dinners ever since. For me, the dish is rich enough to add only a simple salad, but of course you can enjoy it with your favorite steamed vegetables and homemade iced tea or lemonade and it’ll be just like the one we used to order, only better - homemade!

SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS
for the marinade:
1/2 cup dijon mustard
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup SCD legal mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp sea salt
fresh grated black pepper

for the chicken casserole:
6 organic, free range, boneless chicken breasts
2 tbsp ghee
10 oz baby bell mushrooms
8 slices sugar free bacon (I use Applegate Naturals No Sugar Uncured Bacon)
2 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese
2 tbsp minced parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS
for the marinade:
Add the mustard, honey, mayonnaise, lemon juice, sea salt, and pepper to a small bowl and whisk until well combined.

Using a sharp knife, cut the chicken breast into bite size pieces. Add the chicken and half of the marinade to a large bowl and toss to combine.

Cover the chicken and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

for the chicken casserole:
Add the ghee to a large skillet or frying pan and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer. Fry the chicken at high heat until browned all around then remove from the pan.

Slice the mushrooms and cut the bacon into small pieces. Add the mushrooms and bacon to the pan and fry until most of the fat from the bacon has melted.
Add the chicken, mushrooms, and bacon to a baking dish and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 400°F / 200°C for 15 to 20 minutes until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Remove from the oven and garnish with parsley.

Serve with marinade, salad or your favorite vegetables.