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Malibu chicken has been a staple dish on the menu of the Sizzler restaurant chain for decades. And for good reason. The beloved dinner stars crispy breaded chicken, ham, Swiss cheese, and a homemade honey mustard sauce. We created our own take on the restaurant favorite, and it’s quickly become our most-saved copycat recipe of 2025. Here’s why we love it, and our Test Kitchen tips for making the dish at home.

Tips for Making Malibu Chicken

We’ve maintained the essence of this delicious, classic dish while allowing for tweaks to suit your individual taste. Here are some simple suggestions to customize it:

• You can use an air fryer instead of baking the chicken. This specific method yields crispy results in less time.
• You can prepare the breaded chicken a day in advance, then refrigerate. When ready, you can bake and assemble as directed.
• Enhance the breading by using fresh or dried herbs, your favorite seasoning blend, or crushed nuts. A pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes adds heat to the dish.
• Swap deli ham for smoked turkey, prosciutto, or crispy bacon if you prefer.
• Swiss cheese is classic. However, Gruyère or cheddar offer delicious alternatives.
• You can easily adjust the honey mustard sauce to your sweetness preference by varying the amount of honey.

What Our Editor’s Love About Copycat Malibu Chicken

Here are just a few things our editors and Test Kitchen pros had to say about our copycat Malibu chicken recipe.

• “I can’t get enough of the combination of crispy breading and moist chicken. But hands down, the best part of this dish is the creamy honey mustard sauce.”
• “This is a winner. To keep it from being too salty, I don’t add any extra to the breading on the chicken.”
• “The cheesiness is my favorite part of this copycat recipe.”
• “Very good.”

Any restaurant names or trademarks in the names of our recipes are included solely for reference and do not indicate any authorization or approval by their owners. All recipes were independently created and have not been reviewed or approved by any other parties.

• <span>Recipes & Cooking</span>
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• <span>Baked Chicken</span>