There’s a certain kind of nostalgia attached to Malibu chicken that goes beyond the food itself. For anyone who grew up eating at Sizzler, that combination of crispy breaded chicken, folded deli ham, and bubbling Swiss cheese with a creamy mustard sauce on the side is the kind of dinner that sits in the memory long after the restaurant itself has faded. This recipe brings that exact meal home, and it comes together in about 45 minutes with equipment you already have.
The concept is simpler than chicken cordon bleu but no less satisfying. Rather than stuffing and rolling the chicken, you bread and bake the breast first until golden and crispy, then fold ham on top and melt Swiss cheese over the whole thing in the final few minutes. The creamy honey mustard dipping sauce served alongside does the work that the stuffed version does from the inside, tying the salty ham and nutty cheese together in every bite.
This Malibu chicken recipe is a proper dinner that works for a weeknight when you want something beyond the usual rotation and for occasions when you want something that feels a little more special without requiring a complicated evening in the kitchen.
Why You’ll Love This Sizzler-Style Malibu Chicken
Baking instead of pan-frying produces a consistent, golden crust across the entire surface of the chicken without the mess or oil splatter of stovetop frying. A light spray of cooking spray over the breadcrumb coating before it goes into the oven handles the browning.
The Panko and Parmesan breading combination adds both crunch and flavor to the exterior that a plain breadcrumb coating doesn’t have. The Parmesan browns and crisps into the Panko during baking, creating a coating with more texture and a slightly nutty, savory depth.
The creamy mustard dipping sauce is genuinely worth making from scratch here. The combination of yellow mustard for sharpness, Dijon for complexity, honey for sweetness, and mayonnaise for creaminess is what makes the whole plate cohesive. It doubles as a condiment for the sides and is good enough to keep in the refrigerator for other uses through the week.
The whole recipe holds up well for meal prep and reheats with its crunch intact in an air fryer, which makes it a practical option beyond just the night it’s made.
Ingredients for Malibu Chicken Recipe
The ingredient list is organized into three working groups, and each component is doing something specific.
For the chicken and breading:
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded to an even 1/2-inch thickness
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
For the toppings:
- 4 to 8 slices deli ham, thinly sliced
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
For the Malibu dipping sauce:
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey
Pounding the chicken breasts to an even 1/2-inch thickness is the step that most directly affects the finished dish. Uneven breasts cook unevenly, which means the thinner sections dry out before the thicker center reaches temperature. A meat mallet or the flat bottom of a heavy skillet both work. Place the breast between two sheets of plastic wrap or in a zip-lock bag before pounding to keep the mess contained.
For the Panko, Japanese-style breadcrumbs produce a noticeably crunchier, more open-textured crust than standard Italian breadcrumbs. I always go with Panko for breaded chicken when the texture of the exterior is central to the dish. Italian breadcrumbs work if that’s what you have, but the coating will be slightly denser and less crispy.
On the ham, thin deli slices fold more cleanly and melt into the cheese layer more naturally than thick-cut slices. A good quality Black Forest ham or honey ham both work well here. The sweetness in honey ham plays nicely against the Dijon in the dipping sauce.
For the cheese, a deli-sliced Swiss melts more evenly and completely than pre-packaged individual slices, which sometimes have a plastic coating that affects melting. If you have access to a deli counter, ask for thin slices of Swiss or Gruyère, which brings a slightly nuttier, more complex flavor to the topping.
How to Make Sizzler-Style Malibu Chicken
The breading station setup and the two-stage baking process are the two things to get right here. Everything else follows naturally.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it. Set a wire rack over the baking sheet if you have one since elevating the chicken allows heat to circulate under the breaded coating, which produces a crispier bottom crust than direct contact with the pan.
- Set up three shallow bowls in sequence. Bowl one holds the flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Bowl two holds the beaten eggs whisked with one tablespoon of water. Bowl three holds the Panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, and garlic powder combined and mixed evenly.
- Bread each chicken breast one at a time. Dredge through the seasoned flour and shake off the excess. Dip fully into the egg wash, letting the excess drip back into the bowl. Press firmly into the breadcrumb mixture on both sides, using your fingers to pack the coating against the surface. In my experience, pressing rather than just dipping is what creates a coating that stays intact through the bake rather than sliding off.
- Place the breaded chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray, which helps the Panko brown evenly in the dry oven heat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the coating is uniformly golden and the internal temperature reads 160°F at the thickest point. The chicken will carry over to 165°F during the topping stage.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Fold one or two slices of ham and lay them across the top of each chicken breast. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese, covering the ham and reaching to the edges of the breast.
- Return the pan to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and beginning to bubble at the edges. Watch it during this window since the difference between perfectly melted and overcooked is a short one at 400°F.
- While the cheese melts, whisk together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl until completely smooth. Taste and adjust: more honey for sweetness, more Dijon for sharpness, more mayonnaise if you want a creamier, milder sauce.
- Serve the chicken immediately with the dipping sauce alongside. The coating stays crispiest in the first few minutes off the pan, so don’t let it sit before bringing it to the table.
What to Serve with Malibu Chicken
The classic Sizzler context for this dish puts it alongside simple steakhouse sides, and those pairings hold up for good reason.
Steamed Broccoli: The clean, slightly bitter flavor of steamed broccoli is a natural counterpart to the rich cheese and creamy mustard sauce. It also keeps the plate light enough that the meal doesn’t tip into heaviness. A squeeze of lemon over the broccoli adds brightness.
Rice Pilaf: A simple rice pilaf with toasted orzo, butter, and chicken broth is the most classically Sizzler-appropriate side for this chicken. The mild flavor of the rice doesn’t compete with the ham and cheese topping and provides something to soak up any extra dipping sauce.
Baked Potato: A fully loaded baked potato alongside Malibu chicken is the steakhouse combination that makes this dinner feel like a proper occasion. Keep the toppings simple so they don’t overwhelm the main event.
Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Creamy mashed potatoes work particularly well with the dipping sauce since the honey mustard doubles as an excellent condiment for the potatoes alongside the chicken.
Simple Green Salad: A lightly dressed green salad with a lemon vinaigrette adds freshness and acidity that cuts through the richness of the cheese and mayonnaise-based sauce, making the overall meal feel more balanced.
Pro Tips & Variations
Pound to an even thickness. This single prep step has more impact on the finished dish than almost anything else. Even thickness means every part of the chicken reaches 165°F at the same time, which eliminates both undercooked centers and dry, overcooked edges.
Use a wire rack for a crispier bottom. Elevating the breaded chicken on a rack set over the baking sheet allows oven heat to reach the underside of the coating during baking. The bottom crust that comes off a wire rack is noticeably crisper than one baked directly on a sheet pan.
The Sizzler shape. If you want the classic uniform round patty look from the original restaurant, use a round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter on the raw pounded chicken breasts before breading. This creates evenly sized, uniformly shaped portions that look exactly like the original and hold the topping more neatly.
Try Gruyère in place of Swiss. Gruyère melts more smoothly than standard Swiss and has a nuttier, slightly more complex flavor that works beautifully against the honey mustard sauce. It’s the upgrade worth making when you want the dish to feel a step above the weeknight version.
Keto variation. Crushed pork rinds in place of Panko and almond flour in place of all-purpose flour produces a low-carb breaded coating that crisps up well in the oven. Use powdered sugar in place of honey in the dipping sauce to keep it keto-friendly as well.
Make extra sauce. The Malibu dipping sauce keeps in the refrigerator for up to a week and works as a spread for sandwiches, a dip for vegetables, or a condiment for grilled chicken throughout the week. It takes about two minutes to make, so doubling the batch while you’re already mixing it is worth doing.
Storage & Reheating Tips
Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the dipping sauce in a separate small container. The ham and cheese topping stays intact during refrigeration, though the cheese firms back up until it’s reheated.
For reheating, the air fryer is the best option for maintaining the crispy coating. Place the chicken in a single layer and reheat at 350°F for 5 to 8 minutes until the coating is crisped back up and the cheese has melted again. The oven at 375°F for 12 to 15 minutes on a wire rack also works well. The microwave is the fastest option but softens the breading significantly.
The breaded chicken without the ham and cheese topping freezes well for up to 2 months. Freeze after baking and cooling completely, then reheat directly from frozen in the oven at 375°F for about 20 minutes before adding the ham, cheese, and final melt.
Common Questions
My breading keeps sliding off during baking. What’s going wrong? Two things cause this most often. The first is skipping or rushing the flour step. The flour creates a dry surface for the egg wash to adhere to, which is what makes the breadcrumb layer stick. Without it, the egg slides off the smooth chicken surface and the breadcrumbs go with it. The second is not pressing the breadcrumbs firmly enough during the coating step. Press with intent rather than just rolling the chicken through the bowl.
Can I pan-fry instead of bake for a crispier result? Yes. Heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the breaded chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side until golden, then transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and finish in a 375°F oven until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Add the ham and cheese as directed and return to the oven for the final melt.
Can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts? Boneless, skinless chicken thighs work well here and stay slightly more moist than breasts during baking. Pound them to an even thickness as you would breasts and increase the bake time by about 5 minutes, checking the internal temperature at 165°F before adding the toppings.
Sizzler-style Malibu chicken is the kind of retro dinner that delivers on its reputation every single time. The Panko crust, the folded ham, the bubbling Swiss, and that creamy mustard sauce served on the side combine into something that tastes exactly like what the memory promises. It’s worth having in the regular rotation, not just for the nostalgia, but because it’s genuinely a great weeknight dinner.
Sizzler-Style Malibu Chicken
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set a wire rack over the baking sheet if available.
- Set up three shallow bowls: Bowl 1 with flour seasoned with salt and pepper. Bowl 2 with beaten eggs and water. Bowl 3 with Panko breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, and garlic powder combined.
- Bread each chicken breast: dredge in seasoned flour and shake off excess, dip fully in the egg wash, then press firmly into the breadcrumb mixture on both sides until evenly coated.
- Place breaded chicken on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the coating is golden and the internal temperature reads 160°F.
- Remove the pan from the oven. Fold one or two slices of ham over each chicken breast. Top each with a slice of Swiss cheese.
- Return to the oven for 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is completely melted and beginning to bubble at the edges.
- While the cheese melts, whisk together the mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Dijon mustard, and honey in a small bowl until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately with the creamy Malibu dipping sauce alongside.
