Alice Springs Chicken Casserole
Alice Springs Chicken Casserole was inspired by a dish from Outback Steakhouse that my brother-in-law Kelly turned into a casserole! And I made this with a purchased low-carb Alfredo Sauce to make this creamy chicken casserole easy to make and perfect for a carb-conscious meal!
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This delicious Alice Springs Chicken Casserole is a recipe I made in the early days of my blog, inspired by a restaurant chicken dish. The popular chicken from Outback Steakhouse features chicken breasts topped with bacon, mushrooms, cheese and a creamy honey-mustard sauce. My brother-in-law Kelly is a fan of Alice Springs Chicken, and years ago he tried making it at home. And those experiments inspired me to turn it into a casserole!
My tasty version uses Alfredo Sauce to replace the honey-mustard topping, and replaces bacon with ham. And it was the low-carb Rao’s Alfredo Sauce with only 2 carbs in one-fourth cup that gave me the push to update the photos for this recipe. Using that sauce makes my version of Alice Springs Chicken so easy to get on the table without adding lots of carbs.
Of course my recipe isn’t as sweet as the the restaurant version with honey! But it’s delicious, and this has been a hit with everyone I’ve made it for. If your family likes these ingredients, I hope you’ll try this tasty chicken casserole for a family dinner that no one will guess is low in carbs!
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What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- olive oil
- Dried Sage (affiliate link)
- Dried Thyme (affiliate link)
- Onion Powder (affiliate link)
- brown mushrooms
- lean ham
- Rao’s Alfredo Sauce (affiliate link), or other low-carb Alfredo sauce
- sour cream
- freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese
- grated Mozzarella cheese
- grated Monterey Jack cheese
How to make Alice Springs Chicken Casserole with homemade Alfredo Sauce:
If bottled Alfredo sauce is a deal-breaker for you, I think it would be fun to try this a homemade sauce. Check out Creamy Low-Carb Alfredo Sauce or Creamy Cauliflower Sauce, and those options for a low-carb sauce would still keep this recipe gluten-free.
How low in carbs is Alice Springs Chicken Casserole?
This flavorful casserole with chicken, mushrooms, ham, and a creamy sauce has only 7 net carbs per serving with 36 grams of protein.
Steps for making Alice Springs Chicken Casserole:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil. (I used a dish that was 9″ x 12″ but it could have been a bit smaller.)
- Trim four large chicken breasts and rub with the dried herbs.
- Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and barely brown the chicken, just 3-4 minutes per side. (It will cook more in the casserole dish.)
- Remove chicken to cutting board and let it cool. When it’s cool enough to handle, cut the chicken lengthwise into thick strips and and layer in the bottom of casserole dish.
- While the chicken cooks, wash mushrooms if needed, thickly slice, add one more teaspoon oil to the pan and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Layer the mushrooms over the chicken in the casserole dish.
- Cut ham into cubes, and add the last teaspoon of olive oil and saute the ham in the same frying pan until it’s slightly browned. Layer browned ham over the mushrooms.
- Mix sour cream and grated Parmesan with the Rao’s Alfredo Sauce (affiliate link).
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, mushrooms, and ham.
- Sprinkle with grated Mozzarella and Monterey Jack Cheese, or any white cheese you prefer.
- Bake about 20 minutes covered, or until the cheese is mostly melted.
- Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more, or until the top is nicely browned.
- Serve the casserole hot, and enjoy.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Alice Springs Chicken Casserole would be great with any of these low-carb side dishes:
- Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese,
- Lemon Green Beans
- Easy Cauliflower Rice (with Garlic and Green Onion)
- Air Fryer Asparagus with Lemon and Parmesan
- Stir-Fried Spinach with Garlic and Parmesan
Want more recipes featuring Rao’s Pasta Sauce?
Check out Recipes with Rao’s Pasta Sauce and Pizza Sauce to see more great ideas using Rao’s, which is the lowest-carb purchased pasta sauce I’ve found.
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!
Alice Springs Chicken Casserole
My brother-in-law Kelly’s version of Alice Springs Chicken from Outback inspired my low-carb version of Alice Springs Chicken Casserole. And the whole family will love this, and no one will guess it's low in carbs!
Ingredients
- 4 very large boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 tsp. olive oil, divided
- 1/4 tsp. dried sage
- 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp. onion powder
- 1 pound brown mushrooms, washed and thickly sliced
- 6 oz. lean ham, diced into cubes
- 1 fifteen-ounce jar Rao's Alfredo Sauce (see notes)
- 1/4 cup sour cream (not needed if you make your own sauce)
- 1/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese (not needed if you make your own sauce)
- 1/2 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F/190C. Spray casserole dish with nonstick spray or olive oil. (I used a dish that was 9" x 12" but it could have been a bit smaller.)
- Trim four large chicken breasts and rub with the dried herbs.
- Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and barely brown the chicken, just 3-4 minutes per side. (It will cook more in the casserole dish.)
- Remove chicken to cutting board and let it cool. When it's cool enough to handle, cut chicken lengthwise into thick strips and and layer in the bottom of casserole dish.
- While the chicken cooks, wash mushrooms if needed, and thickly slice. Add one more teaspoon oil to the pan and cook until the mushrooms are lightly browned. Layer the mushrooms over the chicken in the casserole dish.
- Cut ham into cubes, add the last teaspoon of olive oil, and saute the ham in the same frying pan until it's slightly browned. Layer browned ham over the mushrooms.
- Mix sour cream and grated Parmesan with the Alfredo Sauce.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken, mushrooms, and ham.
- Sprinkle with grated Mozzarella and Monterey Jack Cheese, or any white cheese you prefer.
- Bake about 20 minutes covered, or until the cheese is mostly melted.
- Uncover and bake about 20 minutes more, or until the top is nicely browned.
- Serve Alice Springs Chicken Casserole hot.
Notes
If you can't find Rao's Pasta Sauce (affiliate link), check labels to find the lowest-carb Alfredo sauce you can find. If you want to make your own low-carb sauce you could try Creamy Low-Carb Alfredo Sauce or Creamy Cauliflower Sauce for this recipe.
Recipe inspired by a version of Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken created by my brother-in-law Kelly.
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 493Total Fat 36gSaturated Fat 19gUnsaturated Fat 13gCholesterol 154mgSodium 970mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 1gSugar 3gProtein 36g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This casserole inspirec by Alice Springs Chicken from Outback is a good choice for low-carb and Keto diet plans. Check the carb count on the Alfredo Sauce if you make your own sauce or don’t use the sauce I recommend. Even with Rao’s Alfredo sauce, reduced-fat cheese, and lean ham, this is probably an occasional treat for the original South Beach Diet, due to the amount of fat.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
I posted the version of Alice Springs Chicken inspired by my brother-in-laws recipe in 2006, probably without a photo! The recipe was updated with better photos in 2020 after I discovered Rao’s Alfredo Sauce. It was last updated with more information in 2026.
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48 Comments on “Alice Springs Chicken Casserole”
This recipe was sooo delicious! I used chicken thighs instead of breast since I needed more fat for keto purposes. I think because of that it made it more of a wet casserole and didn’t fully form which was totally fine for me. Thank you!
So glad you loved it and were able to adapt to your way of eating!
I’m going to make this. I love raos. I’ll add spinach and switch ham for bacon.
I hope you enjoy. Your changes sound good to me.
YUM!!! My “Carby” husband loved this! He went back for seconds and even enjoyed leftovers which is something he doesn’t normally do well. 😃
When I asked if this was a keeper for another time he gave me a resounding Yes! 😃😃
So happy to hear that! The recipe has been a hit with a few of the men in my extended family as well.
Is this freezable?
I would love to make this ahead of time & freeze it
I have frozen the leftovers, but I haven’t ever made the casserole ahead, frozen it, and baked it later so I am not sure how well that would work. Love to hear how it works if you try it!
Thank you for all your great recipes. So many different recipes to make with every day food. I’m definitely trying this tomorrow. All my favorite things.
Glad you are enjoying the recipes!
So good, so tasty. Comfort food. There was a lot of liquid at the bottom of the casserole dish, though but I will definitely make again. Could use the liquid over fettuccine or rice. I think it came from the mushrooms. Didn’t use breasts, used thighs, came out moist and juicy. I also didn’t brown them, I baked them for 15 minutes, sliced them and then followed the rest of the cooking instructions. I also used Rao’s Alfredo sauce. Thanks for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed. I think browning the chicken will evaporate some of the liquid that chicken releases, but it sounds like that didn’t bother you.
Can’t wait to try this. Can you give me the pounds of the chicken rather than 4 very large breasts. I don’t like breasts. They’re dry and the least tasty part of the chicken. I love thighs but thighs tend to be smaller. So if you can kind of estimate what the weight should be for this dish, I can get an idea of how many thighs I need. Thanks.
I don’t weigh the chicken breasts, so I can only guess the weight. I buy the chicken breasts that come in a two-pack from Costco and they vary in size, but I’d guess that most of them are 6-8 oz. Hope that helps and you enjoy the recipe.
Delicious 😋
I added Sautéd Spinach before the mushrooms, cuz i love Spinach.
Thank you, this was amazing
Oh I love the sound of that, thanks for sharing your variation. So glad you enjoyed it.
This was sooooo good. I used Classico Alfredo sauce and a mix of mozzarella, Parmesan, Colby, and jack cheeses. So yummy!
So glad you enjoyed it Sherry!
Because of the high temperature bake, I wouldn’t use olive oil or cooking spray. Olive oil needs to cook on very low temperature if at all and best just to finish soups and sauces with. I’d use real, grass fed butter and maybe some organic avocado oil so the butter won’t burn.
I can assure you that the olive oil we used worked perfectly in this recipe. Of course you are welcome to modify the ingredients in any way you prefer!
I’ve made this multiple times and olive oil works just fine. 🙂
Outback is my absolute FAVORITE restaurant and every time I go, Alice Springs Chicken is what I order. I was thrilled to find this recipe! However, one of my favorite parts at Outback is their delicious honey mustard sauce which is served with it. I'm wondering if I could sub the Alfredo for a homemade "honey" mustard sauce????
I'm sure you could, maybe google it and see if you find a recipe with that kind of sauce.
For a variety of reasons I don't try to calculate that, but if you look after the recipe where it says Nutritional Information I have two suggestions of how you can get it.
Hi Kalyn! I love your recipes. �� I am trying this out for my extended family and want to make sure there will be enough–how many cups of cooked chicken in your chicken breasts? Thanks in advance!
Amy I can only guess, but I'd say one chicken breast is just over a cup of diced chicken.
It's in the oven right now! And it smells fantastic!! 😀 I can't wait! Thank you for the great recipe and easy to follow instructions!
My pleasure; hope you enjoy!
Susan, thanks for sharing those tips, and I still have not made the cauliflower sauce; need to do it!
I made the casserole twice with the cauliflower sauce. The first time I made it with the addition of the sour cream and it was somewhat watery and the second time without and it was not watery at all. I did add diced asparagus for some color and taste. Both times the casserole was heavenly. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Vivzilla, feel free to name it whatever you'd like, no worries!
Christine, I'm thinking I must make that cauliflower sauce ASAP!
I tried your suggestion of using the creamy cauliflower sauce and it was delicious!!! It was so creamy, you would not have known the sauce was made from cauliflower!
I have this in the oven right now and think its gonna be a great addition to my freezer stash of meals even if the outback steakhouse menu names makes me shake my head a little.
DLAOKC, I think that soup might be great as a sauce.
Anna, so glad you like it!
A great casserole that made nice work lunches. Thank you!
Kalyn, I made a batch of your creamy cauliflower-mushroom soup earlier in the week. How do you think it might sub for the alfredo sauce? I know the color would be a little darker, but I'm thinking "yum!"
I would cook first and then freeze, either in individual-serving portions or in a casserole dish, ready to be reheated. For best results, thaw before reheating and then either micorwave or bake.
It might work fine to freeze before cooking, but I've never done casseroles that way.
if you were to freeze this, would you cook it first or freeze it and cook it after thawing?
Thanks Lydia. I can't say I am a big fan of steakhouse chains, but Outback is really quite good, high quality and consistently delicious.
Well, I've never eaten at an Outback, but I can't imagine they make this dish taste any better than it looks in your photos. Yum!
Valerie, so glad you like it. And yes, my photography has definitely improved!
I've seen this on the menu at Outback but have never tried it. Your version looks delicious! It's incredible how far your photography skills have come. Love that you included the old photo! It's fun to look back.
This sounds delish! I think I'm going to try it with a "healthy" Alfredo sauce recipe I have (roasted garlic, chicken stock, fat free half and half, and Parmesan – tastes just as good as the real thing!) so that I can eat it more often! Thanks for the wonderful recipes!
Nancy, so glad it’s working for you now, and thanks for appreciating me.
I made this tonight, and it was delicious! Loved it, loved it, loved it.
MM and Mona, I had some for lunch today and it was delicious!
holy moly too much eye candy. both of those dishes look incredible.
i’m huuuuuungry now!
That looks absolutely delicious!