This Malibu Chicken recipe is an easy weeknight meal of boneless skinless chicken breast, low carb keto breadcrumbs, deli ham, and Swiss cheese.
A few months ago I saw a recipe for Malibu Chicken on my friend Stacey’s blog Beauty and the Foodie. I had never heard of Malibu Chicken before and decided to do a google search. Here is what I found out.
Malibu Chicken is a dish made famous by the Sizzler Steak House and consists of breaded chicken, ham, and cheese baked in the oven.
There are many a copycat recipe for Malibu chicken online and they are all very similar. I even saw a YouTube clip of the original 1970’s television advertisement for Malibu chicken. The announcer described a breaded chicken patty topped with ham and cheese served with a mustard dipping sauce and a steak. Honestly, the dish looks ghastly in the commercial.
One can find the most popular recipe for Malibu chicken on Chef in Training. Nikki states that her mother worked for Sizzler Steak House and shared the recipe with her. I looked at her recipe and thought it sounded wonderful, but I knew I could make it easier and low carb, gluten free, and even keto.
I’ve made this recipe at least 10 times in the past few months and it’s always great. Since the original recipe for Malibu chicken calls for a mustard dipping sauce and a separate sauce in which to marinate the chicken, combining them into one and dividing use is the easiest solution.
And instead of coating the chicken in breadcrumbs, I chose the low carb breadcrumb option of crushed pork rinds and Parmesan cheese. I’ve even eliminated the step of coating the chicken in the low carb seasoned bread crumbs recipe to save time and work.
Some of you may be of the opinion that baked chicken breasts are dry. This recipe for Malibu chicken is moist every time.
I do, however, buy a better quality chicken. It is not organic, but it is free of antibiotics and hormones, and air chilled instead of flash frozen. The breasts are more modest in size and after removing the “tender”, each breast is five to six ounces in weight. I’m of the opinion that 4 chicken breasts is enough for 4-6 people and my family of 4 always has some left over.
This Easy Malibu Chicken Recipe is 4 net carbs per serving.
Easy Malibu Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts (6 ounces each)
- salt and pepper
Malibu Dipping Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard (or Dijon or a combo)
- 1-2 tablespoon low carb powdered sugar (powdered sugar if not low carb)
Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup crushed pork rinds (35 g) (panko crumbs if not low carb)
- ¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (60 g)
- 2 teaspoons granulated garilc
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
Top With
- 8 pieces of deli ham (thin slices) (about 6 oz)
- 4 slices of Swiss cheese (4 oz)
Instructions
- Preparation: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and place rack into the middle position. Finely crush the pork rinds in a food processor or place them in a bag and bash them with a mallet or rolling pin. Ready a 9 x 13 inch glass baking dish or a ¼ size sheet pan for the chicken.
- Method: Put the chicken on a plate and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper. Mix the mayonnaise, mustard and sweetener in a bowl. Add ¼ cup of the mustard mixture to the plate with the chicken, reserving the rest of the mixture as the dipping sauce. Roll the chicken in the mixture with a fork, right there on the plate. (Alternately, the chicken can be placed in a bag or in a bowl and mixed with the mustard mixture and marinated.) The chicken can be cooked right away or marinated for up to 1 day.
- Mix crushed pork rinds, Parmesan cheese and seasonings together. Sprinkle ½ of the crumb mixture in the baking dish or sheet pan where the chicken will be placed. Place the chicken on top of the crumbs. Add the other half of the crumb mixture over the chicken breasts.
- Bake: Bake for 30 - 40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the oven and add the ham and cheese on top. Place back into the oven until the cheese has melted. Serve. (Serves 4-6 people)
Cindy H.
The chicken was tasty but I wish the pork rind crumbs were crispier. It got a bit mushy and I may just leave it off next time? My husband does carnivore and I'm low carb so this recipe is great for us.
Karen
This was sooo good! I am excited to have found this recipe… more excited about how good the chicken is and incorporating into other recipes. Yum!
Jane R
This sounds like a lovely recipe, but I can't get my head around the sugar in the mayo mustard sauce??
Kim Hardesty
Hi Jane. This recipe is delicious. There is no added sugar in the recipe, just zero carb sweetener (low carb sugar substitute) like erythritol, zylitol, or Allulose. It gives it a "honey mustard" taste which is nice with the cheese and the ham. -Kim
Heather
Making again today. Was super delish last time
Bonnie
This was the most amazing dish. We absolutely loved it. It followed the recipe exactly. No modifications that I saw needed to be made. It most certainly will be in our rotation (frequently)!! :) Thank you for sharing.
Kendra
The Malibu chicken was awesome! Family loved it too. Will definitely put on the regular list.
Kendra H
Recipe turned out awesome! Family loved it. Will definitely make again.
Lori
My family loves this.
Susan
I rate the Malibo Chicken 5+ rating the family just loved it
Eve Hunt
can’t wait to try some of these. The crockpot is wonderful for summer to keep from heating the house up.
Kim
Thanks, Eve. I haven't tried making this in the crockpot. Thanks for the suggestion. -Kim
Cindy
This sounds sooooo good,and I was just looking for a little variety on my Atkins.I cant wait to try it !
Carol
Well that was easy, and so delicious. I'll definitely make it again. Thanks for the recipe Kim!
Kim
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, Carol. It's a family favorite at my house. -Kim
Sharon
Do you think a skinless Turkey Breast would work for this recipe? I’ve got some I need to use up.
Kim
Sure, Sharon! I would pound it flatter and the cooking time may be a little different, but it should taste great! -Kim
Patricia
I made this recipe last night and was really surprised at how flavorful it was. This recipe will be at the top of list.
Laura
Looks delicious! Do you have a preferred brand of pork rinds?
Kim
I like Baconettes, Laura. -Kim
Erica B
Hi Kim, what kind of parmesan did/do you use in this recipe: freshly grated, or shelf-stable? Thank you!
Kim
I use the good stuff, Erica, but you could probably get away with the shelf stable for this recipe. -Kim
Erica B
Ah, got it. I used shelf-stable parmesan, and my chicken didn't turn out very crispy. It was very tasty though, and we enjoyed it first with roasted garlic smashed cauliflower, and later atop a bed of lettuce, parsley, and scallions with the dipping sauce thinned out for dressing. My husband thought it was excellent, so I'll definitely make it again, and I'll use "the good stuff." =) Thanks for the recipe!
Kim
I'm glad the recipe was tasty regardless, Erica. Have a great week. -Kim
Tracy
This is so delicious and super easy to make. I have made it several times now. I just love that sauce too. I now keep a jar of it in the fridge. I love it with tuna and as a dip for bunless cheeseburgers.
Kim
I'm so glad to hear this, Tracy. I like the sweet mustard sauce, too. I bet it's good with the tuna! Have a great week. -Kim
Rebekah
This is delicious and comes together very easily. This is going into our regular rotation. My husband loved the dipping sauce and thought it took it to the next level. I served with green beans and it was a perfect meal.
Kim
I'm so glad Rebekah. Thanks for sharing this with me. -Kim
Sandra Craw
Soooo, I tried this recipe tonight. Omg, so delicious! However, I thought I had some ham, but I did not. I was so bummed, cuz my taste buds were set! I looked through my freezer, and found some European Cottage bacon. This bacon is good stuff (does not taste like bacon, but like smoked ham), so I thought, why not! I'm so glad I did because it was absolutely devine and my husband loved it! The chicken was so moist and juicy, as you stated. I definitely will be baking this again!
Thank you so much for an easy and delicious keto chicken recipe!
vickie
This was the best Keto recipe I've tried by far! the chicken was very juicy & my kids asked for seconds! Definitely will be a weekly dinner, Thank you for posting.
Kim
Fantastic, Vickie! I'm thrilled your family liked it. Have a great weekend. -Kim
Christopher
I made these yesterday for my wife and I and they were amazing. I surprised myself because I dont cook very often. Wonderful recipe and very easy to make. Thank you
Kim
That's fantastic, Christopher! I bet she was happy you surprised her with dinner. I'm so glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for your comment. -Kim
Mks
Just made this, it was awesome. I used bacon instead of ham and mozerella instead of swiss, and brown sugar instead of powdered, but the results were amazing. Will make it again for sure.
Kim
Fantastic, Mks. I love how you made this recipe your own! Thanks for taking the time to share your changes and leave such a great comment. Have a great week. -Kim
Lisa
I tried this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you
Lisa
The rating is a 5+++++
Kim
I'm so glad! Enjoy your evening. -Kim
Yazmin
This was incredibly good. We were tempted to lick the plates clean! That crumb topping was so tasty. I might try it on cauliflower cheese the next time we have it. Thanks as always for another outstanding recipe!
I think I would be lost without your site now! We’ve been trying a new recipe every single week this year and they’ve all been incredibly good. Especially the peanut butter cookies! I’ve used those babies as one large baked cheesecake crust topped with a simple sugar-free chocolate and peanut butter no-bake chilled cheesecake filling. Everyone went crazy for it and it was demolished immediately! It was higher in carbs though, about 13g net per slice I think, but I can see myself doing it again as a tasty treat for special occasions.
Kim
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Yazmin! This is one of our go-to's during a busy week. Your cheesecake sounds absolutely astounding! Wow. I wish I had a piece. Thanks so much for taking the time to share it with me - it was very thoughtful. Have a great day. -Kim
Lindsey
Hey there! My husband and I are brand new to Keto and this looked like a great recipe to try tonight. The only question I have is on the macros. We are doing 4 chicken breasts (6 oz each) and everything else will stay the same. My question is, how do I calculate the calories? There are 3 different values listed and I’m not sure which one to go by? Is it the 696? The 495? Or the 464? I’ve entered all the ingredients into MFP and that is giving me 635! Any help would be appreciated! Thank you!
Kim
Hi Lindsey. I'm seeing 696 calories per person if serving four, or 464 per person if serving 6. I use a recipe program called MasterCook which is a cookbook program. My experience is that all nutritional calculators use different algorithm to calculate their net numbers and it depends a lot on how the user enters the information. I always use weights instead of serving sizes when I enter ingredients - it gives me the most accurate counts. I suggest you double check your numbers in Fatsecret.com. I think it has the most accurate nutritional calculators around, but make sure to choose ingredients carefully for truer counts. For example, there is a mayonnaise that has a lot of carbs and sugar per serving. Mayonnaise should have zero carbs. I hope this helps. -Kim
Rhonwyyn
Remember, too, that every body metabolizes food calories differently, so the caloric measurements of food really don’t matter in the long run. Just make sure you’re listening to your body and giving it all the nourishment it needs, regardless of what you look like.
Kristi
This was really wonderful, it was a big hit with the family! I only had brown sugar substitute and it worked perfectly in the dipping sauce. This will definitely go in the rotation!!
Kim
Fantastic, Kristi. I'm so happy you liked it! -Kim
Tawnia
This was a delicious meal. Served with sautéed kale. Followed the recipe exactly except using sweetener in the sauce. Very easy to make as well. Thank you for sharing!
Kim
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tawnia. I love that you served it with sauteed kale. I love my greens. -Kim
Kim
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tawnia. I love that you served it with sauteed kale. I love my greens. -Kim
Cheryl
Delicious! It smelled so good while baking that my 16 year old son was stalking the timer. The whole family loved it! Thanks for a great recipe.
Kim
Lol. I love that story. Thanks, Cheryl! -Kim
MARCIA
CAN I SUBSTITUE SPLENDA FOR THE POWDERED SUGAR?
Kim
You may sweeten the sauce any way you want, Marcia. Low carb sweeteners are expensive (I really love Sukrin) so feel free to use what you have. I do want to caution you about Splenda for Baking, though. It is mostly dextrose which has a higher glycemic index than table sugar. So, don't use that. I did see that they have an erythritol blend available now, and that would be better. Have a great day. -Kim
Adam
Kim, I don't know you but I love you... for posting this recipe! It is one of the BEST low carb recipes I have tried. I added some steamed green beans as a side, and it was an awesome meal! So glad I tried this and have it in my arsenal now! Thanks again!!!
Kim
You win the award for best comment of the day, Adam! We love this recipe a lot, too. It's a go-to for busy weeknights. Your chicken and green beans sounds like the perfect combination. Thanks for taking the time to let me know you like the recipe. Have a great week. -Kim
Ellen
Hi Kim. Made this for supper tonight. Let's not mince words here...KILLER recipe! Thank you! First time in my life I've had pork rinds, too.
Kim
I'm thrilled you liked the recipe, Ellen. Pork rinds make a great crispy coating. Thanks for taking the time to comment on it. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Christine
Kim, thank you for this AMAZING recipe! Made this today for weekend lunch, and it was incredible! I made a few substitutions to meet what I had on hand, but this recipe is so simple and delicious! I used boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts, and it was so juicy. I don't have icing or confectioners sweetener, so I used some liquid stevia to sweeten the sauce. For the crumbs, I did use crushed pork rinds and parmesan cheese with salt and pepper, but I also added a bit of almond flour and ground flaxseed and omitted the garlic and onion powder (because I am allergic to garlic and onions). Doubled the recipe in order to save some for lunches, but there was none left! :)
Kim
I'm so glad you like the recipe, Christine, and were able to make it your own! Everyone needs easy recipes in their "back pocket" and we enjoy this one often. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a great weekend. -Kim
Karly
Talk about DELISH! This looks so flavorful and such a fun way to dress up a plain chicken breast. Gotta try this one soon!
Kim
Thanks, Karly. This was a fun recipe and my family loved it. Enjoy! -Kim
Cindy
Food safety issue - keeping the sauce you just dipped raw chicken in for dipping is very dangerous. I recommend making more dipping sauce totally separate from the coating.
Kim
You are absolutely correct, Cindy. I mention that only 1/4 cup of the mustard mixture is used for the chicken. The rest is used as a dipping sauce. I will see if I can make that more clear in the instructions. Thanks so much for letting me know that it was unclear. I appreciate it. -Kim
Cindy
So sorry I missed your mention to separate out a 1/4 cup first!
Kim
That's okay, Cindy. I was happy to go back and re-check just in case. Better to be safe than sorry. Have a nice weekend. -Kim
audrey
Kim, I made this for dinner last night and I have to say it is delicious. It was very easy to make, smelled wonderful cooking and was an easy clean up. Thank you for the recipe.
Kim
Fantastic, Audrey. I'm so pleased you liked it. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. Have a great evening. -Kim