This easy, make at home version of Sizzler’s Malibu Chicken is a nostaglic blast from past! Panko breaded chicken topped with deli ham and Swiss cheese served with a creamy honey mustard dipping sauce.
After discovering how much my family loved these flavors, I came up with my Chicken Cordon Bleu Sandwiches. Another old family favorite!
The first time I tried Malibu Chicken was at my mother-in-law’s house waaaayyy back in time when I was dating my husband. That sounded weird. I wasn’t dating my husband, I was dating the young guy who would one day become my husband. There, that’s better.
It was the early 80’s and this tasty chicken dish from Sizzler was quite the rage. It’s a bit ironic that I’ve never had the Sizzler version. In fact, I’ve never dined there – ever. My great big family of eight was not having fancy dinners out at Sizzler. Ha! So, needless to say, I was pretty pleased when Paul’s mom whipped this up for dinner one night. I promptly pulled out my trusty recipe cards and wrote the recipe down.
It is that very recipe that I’m giving a refresh today and bringing front and center to share with you. This nostalgic chicken dish was cooked and consumed in our home countless times when my boys were young.
Ironically, for years I assumed that Paul’s family was livin’ it up at Sizzler, ordering appetizers and Malibu Chicken while I was at home eating pot roast. When I was putting this post together I asked him to tell me about his glory days at Sizzler only to find out that they weren’t eating there either!
Like most of the popular recipes that made the rounds back then (I’m looking at you Tamale Pie and Cream of Mushroom Pork Chops), I have to assume she got the recipe from a magazine or a morning television show.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: Thin sliced boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you’re starting with thick breasts, you’ll need to slice them through the middle, lengthwise, to create thin cutlets.
- Breading: All-purpose flour, a large egg, vegetable or olive oil, and seasoned panko bread crumbs.
- Oil: Vegetable oil or olive oil for cooking the chicken.
- Seasoning: salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Ham and cheese: Sliced deli ham and sliced Swiss cheese.
- For the Malibu Sauce: This sweet and creamy honey-mustard dipping sauce takes this dish over the top! It consists of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard (regular or coarse ground), yellow mustard, honey, and onion powder.
How to Make Malibu Chicken
Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season it with a little salt and pepper.
Grab three shallow bowls and set up your breading station.
- Bowl 1: Flour
- Bowl 2: Egg whisked with vegetable oil.
- Bowl 3: Seasoned panko bread crumbs
- Season each piece of chicken with a little salt and pepper. Then, dredge one piece in the flour, coating both sides, and shake off any excess.
- Place the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture and flip it over to coat both sides. The flour helps the egg adhere to the chicken.
- Finally, dip the chicken in the bread crumbs, coating both sides.
- Transfer the breaded chicken to a baking sheet or sheet of foil and repeat the process to bread the remaining chicken.
This recipe yields four servings. If you’re skillet is not large enough, you may need to cook the chicken in batches.
- Brown: Cook the breaded chicken in olive oil in a large, oven-proof skillet. You’re just browning it here – not cooking it through. It should only need 3 to 4 minutes per side to get nicely browned.
- Bake: Layer each piece of chicken with a slice of deli ham, folded to fit the chicken, and a slice of Swiss cheese. Pop the oven-proof skillet in a pre-heated 350 degree F oven and let it cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the center of the thickest portion. Thicker pieces of chicken will require more time to cook through.
While it bakes, the edges of the ham get all nice and crispy and the cheese gets all melty and gooey. It’s a beautiful thing.
The Famous Malibu Sauce
Mix up the easy Malibu Sauce in a small bowl and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve. You can do this while the chicken bakes or even a day in advance, if you’d like.
The combination of these ingredients creates a sweet and creamy honey mustard sauce that is very close to the restaurant version. It’s an irresistible flavor that makes the dish very kid-friendly and it also works well as a sandwich or burger spread. My boys loved the stuff!
Big Batch Malibu Chicken
Serving more than four? No problem!
- Double the recipe and brown the chicken in batches.
- Line a large baking sheet with foil and generously coat the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the browned chicken to the prepared baking sheet.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and proceed with recipe as directed.
Serving Suggestions
Here are some ideas for rounding out your menu. These recipes will make this a super family-friendly, delicious meal!
- Potatoes – Crispy Oven Baked Fries are my first choice. You could also do Crock Pot Baked Potatoes or Twice Baked Potatoes.
- Salad – Toss a Simple Italian Salad or Italian Chopped Salad.
- Vegetables – Sautéed Green Beans, Zucchini and Sweet Corn with Feta, or Sautéed Broccolini.
- Pasta or Rice – Easy Parmesan Noodles or Almond Rice Pilaf would both be delicious with this chicken.
Sign up for my free newsletter for all the latest recipes and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more cooking inspiration!
Malibu Chicken
Ingredients
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 cup seasoned Panko bread crumbs
- 4 thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed
- 4 slices deli ham
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
Malibu Sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, regular or coarse ground
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Season each piece of chicken with a little salt and pepper, to taste.
Set Up the Breading Station
- Place the breading ingredients in 3 separate shallow bowls.Bowl 1: All-purpose flourBowl 2: Whisk the egg with the vegetable oil.Bowl 3: Bread crumbs
Bread the Chicken
- Dredge a piece of chicken in the flour to coat both sides and shake off any excess. Place the flour coated chicken in the egg mixture and flip it over to coat both sides. Finally, dip the chicken in the bread crumbs, coating both sides.Transfer the breaded chicken to a baking sheet or sheet of foil and repeat the process to bread the remaining chicken.
Brown the Chicken
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over MEDIUM heat. Cook for about 3 minutes per side, until nicely browned. You don't want to cook the chicken through at this point. Once browned, layer the chicken with a piece of ham and then top with the Swiss cheese.
Bake
- Transfer pan to the preheated oven and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the thickest potion.
For the Malibu Sauce
- While the chicken is baking, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
This post was originally published on January 11, 2015. It has been updated with new text and images.
This looks delicious, but do you know why it was called Malibu Chicken? lol! It seems close to a chicken cordon bleu.
I’m wondering if the dish originally was offered by a restaurant in Malibu? That sounds good so let’s just say that. Ha! I honestly don’t know fur sure but yes, it’s like an inside out cordon bleu. I think it is the dipping sauce that really sets it apart.
Awww, foodie memories are the best and this is just the type of dish my family loves! Tasty looking dipping sauce too!
This is totally my kind of meal! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
What a great story! My family and I would love this! We rarely eat at Sizzler because of the cost, but this is my favorite thing to order. Pinning and making this soon!
I’ve never been to Sizzler and I’ve never had Malibu chicken but it looks delicious. Sort of a deconstructed chicken cordon bleu. YUM!
I love malibu chicken, it’s so easy and SO delicious!
Love the story! I like it when family recipes are shared like this one. I’m going to try it soon…
My family would LOVE this!
Ohhhh my kids would love this (and so would I)! Sounds and looks wonderful!
This recipe is sooooo us. My family would love this. Pinning to save – thanks for sharing!
My boys would love this!
It’s definitely boy-friendly. Thanks, Amanda!
Hi Friend! I love the story that goes with this recipe…. It makes this dish that much more special. I started dating my man when we were in high school and today whenever I make dinners we had with family all those years ago it feels so good. I just pinned this to add to my next menu plan!
One more thing that you and I have in common 🙂 Thanks, Kim. I hope you enjoy it!