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Malibu Chicken

February 4, 2021 by Great Grub, Delicious Treats

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For an extremely popular, but new-to-some, take on fried chicken at home, I have one of my favorite ways to prepare this American staple. Fried chicken hasn’t seen a lot of new developments over the years, so when somebody does do something unusual to the crispy, juicy entrée it tends to get noticed. One of the most popular twists on fried chicken comes from maybe the most unassuming of places. You can make your own Malibu Chicken using my recipe below. But first, some tips and a brief explanation of the dish.

Two pieces of breaded and fried chicken breasts, on a white plate with blue trim, with melted cheese and ham on top with extra slices of ham and Swiss cheese and dipping sauce in the background.

What on Earth is Malibu Chicken?

First of all, let me confirm what it is not. It is not coconut batter fried chicken with Malibu rum. Hold that thought, though. Because that sounds good. Malibu Chicken is a popular dish served up at the family steak house The Sizzler, which is mostly found on the west coast with a few outliers across the country. The restaurant chain popularized the dish which is similar to a Chicken Cordon Bleu.

The name Malibu chicken refers to a famous southern California beach city which is known for its 21-mile coastline and Mediterranean climate. The name Malibu is derived from the Chumash Humaliwo, which means “the surf sounds loudly.” You would think, then that a dish named after Malibu would be somehow ocean-related, especially considering the Mediterranean connection. But no. Not unless we’re talking about the chicken of the sea, which is to say chicken of the land, or in other words, just chicken.

As for the dish itself, it is a buttermilk batter-fried chicken prepared with melted swiss cheese and ham on top. It’s popular because it’s delicious and the best thing about it is, it’s easy to make at home. So, even if you don’t have a Sizzler in your town, you can enjoy this winning flavor combination that has loyal fans returning to their favorite family restaurant year-round.

A piece of breaded, fried chicken with melted Swiss cheese and ham on top placed on a white plate with a baking sheet in the background with another piece of chicken, also with two white bowls with dipping sauce inside.

How to Cook Malibu Chicken

Malibu chicken is a fried chicken dish that you cook in a cast iron. If you aren’t familiar with cast irons, they require minimal care, but there are a few maintenance and cleaning tidbits you need to bear in mind. For starters, make sure the whole pan is clean.

If you haven’t yet seasoned the pan, coat it all over in grapeseed oil, or another oil with a high smoke point. Dab up excess oil with a paper towel and place the skillet in an oven set to 500 degrees for one hour. Let the skillet cool completely before use.

Using a Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet

Another word of warning about cooking the Malibu chicken. Make sure the skillet is good and hot. A seasoned skillet should have a naturally nonstick surface, but if you move the chicken too much right away, it’s liable to stick. Instead, leave it there for a few minutes and let it get a good sear before turning the chicken over. It’s this cooking on both sides that makes pounding the chicken important.

A close up view of a piece of breaded, fried Malibu Chicken with melted Swiss cheese and ham on top, all placed on a white plate with blue trim with a small white bowl with a dipping sauce in the background.

How to Pound Chicken Breast

When you pan-fry a chicken breast, you have to deal with the rounded shape. It’s thick in the middle and thin on the sides. It’s hard to cook the whole breast evenly. That’s why pounding the chicken is so important. It evens out the surface so that it cooks evenly on all sides. It also makes the chicken thinner, which results in a faster cook time.

When you properly pound the chicken before you bread it in buttermilk batter, you ensure that the chicken will consistently come out the same every time.

Pounding a chicken breast can be an awkward task. You don’t want to get the juices anywhere and slapping the breast with a mallet is not the best way to avoid the spread of salmonella. That’s why it’s important to shield the chicken by placing it inside a plastic bag before pounding it flat.

Keep it Clean

One final pro tip is to make sure you keep a separate wet hand and dry hand for the battering process. Use one hand always for dry materials and the other hand only for wet ones. That way you can keep your workstation as clean as possible and avoid messy application of the breading.

How thick Should Malibu Chicken Ham Be

Malibu Chicken traditionally comes with two slices of swiss cheese and a slice of ham in between. The amount of ham you use is up to your discretion. However, I must advise you that the version of Malibu Chicken made popular by the Sizzler restaurant chain uses only a thin slice of ham between the slices of Swiss. For the best results buy ham at your deli counter and have it sliced to your desired thickness. The thickness of the Swiss cheese should overtake the ham by at least a 2:1 ratio.

A piece of Malibu Chicken on a white plate with a white bowl of dipping sauce in the background.

Malibu VS Cordon Bleu

Malibu chicken is very similar to an even better-known dish called chicken cordon bleu. Chicken Cordon Bleu also uses sliced ham and swiss cheese. The most notable difference is that the chicken is wrapped around the ham and Swiss cheese before being battered, then fried or pan baked. Chicken cordon bleu is a specific variation on the original cordon bleu dish which is made with veal.

Malibu Chicken achieves more or less the same effect, but it’s an easier cooking method. This recipe requires you first fry up the chicken, then add layers on top of the chicken. First, add a slice of Swiss cheese. Then add a slice of ham. Lastly, add one more slice of Swiss. Then put the whole thing in the oven to finish it off and melt the cheese.

Making Malibu Chicken Sauce

The next biggest thing about getting the Malibu chicken recipe right is nailing the sauce. The most important part of it is that it’s a sauce made up of mayonnaise and mustard. Mixing the two is a good quick and easy version, but you can use both Dijon and yellow mustard to get the sauce closer to the mark.

A bite size piece of Malibu Chicken on a fork being dipped into a mayonnaise/mustard dipping sauce.

Malibu Chicken Ingredients

  • Chicken breast
  • Ham, sliced
  • Swiss cheese, sliced
  • Buttermilk
  • Breadcrumbs
  • All purpose flour
  • Pepper
  • Garlic salt
  • Slap Ya Mama
  • Vegetable oil
  • Butter
  • Mayonnaise
  • Mustard

(Actual measurements in the recipe card below).

In process shots of Malibu Chicken being fried, then sliced Swiss and ham placed on top, and then a picture of the chicken with the melted cheese and ham on top and the last picture shows a piece of chicken on a fork above the large size chicken on a white plate below.

How to Make Malibu Chicken

  • Pound each piece of chicken until thin.
  • Using 3 separate bowls or shallow dishes, add flour mixture to one bowl.
  • Add buttermilk and egg mixture to the second bowl.
  • Add bread crumbs and seasonings into the third bowl.
  • Pat dry each piece of chicken and dip into flour mixture then into egg mixture, and lastly into bread crumb mixture.
  • Heat oil and butter in a cast iron skillet or in a frying pan over medium heat.
  • Place coated chicken (3 at a time) to skillet.
  • Fry for approximately 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
  • Remove and place on plate lined with paper towels.
  • Continue cooking the remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
  • Place fried chicken on a baking sheet.
  • Top each piece of chicken with a slice of swiss cheese.
  • Next, top with a slice of ham and then followed by another slice of swiss cheese.
  • Bake at 350° until cheese has melted, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Carefully remove from oven.
  • In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and mustard dipping sauce together and enjoy!
A double picture of Malibu Chicken: two pieces of breaded fried chicken with on a white plate with blue trim and a single piece of chicken with ham and Swiss cheese melted on top on a white plate

Try This Delicious Recipe Today

Our family loves this recipe and we hope you and your family will as well.

A 3 picture collage with one photo of two pieces of Malibu chicken topped with Swiss cheese and ham with sliced ham and Swiss on a plate in the background. The other two photos show one piece of Malibu chicken on white plate with dipping sauce in the background and one on a baking sheet.

More Delicious Chicken Recipes You’ll Enjoy

  • Chicken Cordon Bleu Bites
  • Cheesy Chicken Quesadillas
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup
  • Honey Barbecue Chicken Wings

Malibu Chicken

Great Grub, Delicious Treats
A delicious copycat Sizzler Malibu Chicken recipe that has been a family favorite for so many years.
4.72 from 105 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 1 hr
Course Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine American
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 968 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
  • 6 slices ham
  • 12 slices Swiss cheese
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 large egg
  • 1-2 cups fine breadcrumbs
  • 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama® seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard, (can use half yellow, half Dijon)

Instructions
 

  • Pound each piece of chicken until thin (can place in a large baggie before pounding to keep the workstation clean).
  • Heat oil and butter in a cast iron skillet, or in a frying pan, over medium heat.

For The Chicken

  • Using 3 separate bowls, or shallow containers, add flour to one bowl,
  • Buttermilk and egg mixture to the second bowl.
  • Bread crumbs and seasonings to the third bowl.
  • Pat dry each piece of chicken and dip into flour, then into buttermilk mixture and lastly, into the breadcrumb mixture.
  • Add chicken (3 at a time) into hot skillet.
  • Fry for approximately 4-5 minutes per side until golden brown.
  • Remove and place on plate lined with paper towels.
  • Repeat process and continue cooking the remaining 3 pieces of chicken.
  • Place cooked chicken on a baking sheet.
  • Top each piece of chicken with a slice of Swiss
  • Next, top with a slice of ham and then followed by another slice of Swiss cheese.
  • Bake at 350° until cheese has melted, approximately 5 minutes.
  • Carefully remove from oven.
  • In a small bowl, mix mayonnaise and mustard together.

Notes

Nutritional values are approximate.
 
Please note that these values can change with different brands and any modifications made to the recipe. For the most accurate information, use a nutritional calculator with the exact brands and measurements.

Nutrition

Calories: 968kcalCarbohydrates: 32gProtein: 70gFat: 60gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 21gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 243mgSodium: 1434mgPotassium: 1088mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 753IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 411mgIron: 3mg
Keyword Chicken, Malibu chicken
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here are a few picsHere are a few pics that are perfect to save to your favorite Pinterest boards on Pinterest. Also, you can follow us on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Remember to “like” or “follow” us on all social media.

A breaded chicken breast that is fried and topped with Swiss cheese and ham on a white plate with blue trim.
Malibu Chicken on a white plate with sliced ham and cheese in the background on a white plate with a dipping sauce in a white bowl.
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Comfort Foods, Main Meals Tagged With: Chicken Cordon Bleu, Chicken Recipes, copycat recipe, Deep Fried, Dinner, Dinner Ideas, Dinner Recipes, Fried chicken, the sizzler

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Comments

  1. Daz

    February 5, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    So it’s pretty much Chicken cordon bleu

  2. Janet

    February 4, 2021 at 3:59 pm

    Sounded good even to the grouch(my husband) thought it was a good recipe, but the proof is in the tasting.

    • Great Grub, Delicious Treats

      February 4, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      Hi Janet, I hope you and your hubby enjoys this recipe. :)

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Welcome to Great Grub, Delicious Treats! Hello, my name is Terri and I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm a self taught cook/foodie at heart, mom to three kids, photographer and have a love for amazing food. I left my full time job of being a hospice admissions RN, which was super tough and extremely sad, and at times, very rewarding to be there for the patients and families to blog full time which I absolutely love. I hope you enjoy, and check out, all of the delicious recipes on my site while you're here! And don't forget to sign up to receive every new recipe right to your email. Thanks again for stopping by! :)

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Welcome to Great Grub, Delicious Treats! Hello, my name is Terri and I'm so glad you stopped by. I'm a self taught cook/foodie at heart, mom to three kids, photographer and have a love for amazing food. I left my full time job of being a hospice admissions RN, which was super tough and extremely sad, and at times, very rewarding to be there for the patients and families to blog full time which I absolutely love. I hope you enjoy, and check out, all of the delicious recipes on my site while you're here! And don't forget to sign up to receive every new recipe right to your email. Thanks again for stopping by! :) Read More…

Two slices of breakfast pizza on a white plate.
6 tomatillos 4 jalapenos, stems removed 3 serranos, stems removed 2 cloves garlic, roasted ¼ onion ¼ cup water 2 teaspoons salt 2 avocado, diced ⅓ cup cilantro In a medium saucepan, add oil and heat over medium heat. Add garlic cloves and roast until soft. Remove and add to blender or Vitamix. In the same saucepan, add tomatillos, jalapenos, serranos and onion. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over medium high heat until soft and the color has changed to a pale green. Remove tomatillos and continue boiling the peppers until pale green, if needed. Drain water, reserving ¼ cup. Add the cooked ingredients, salt and ½ cup water. Blend until combined and smooth. Lastly, add avocados and cilantro and blend until smooth. Serve with your favorite chips or top tacos, burritos, beef, chicken or your favorite Mexican recipes.

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