Houlihan's Copycat Chicken

Published on 11 / 12 / 2024

I got creative by chef-ing up my own recipe this week! Back at home in Johnson County, we have this restaurant called Houlihan's and I was craving it. There used to be a menu item called the "Stuffed Chicken Breasts" that contained an amazing creamy filling and perfectly brown crust. The sides were green beans or asparagus with mashed potatoes. They took off this item for reasons I am not quite sure, so I took it into my hands to make it myself.

I ended up finding an ancient website that states Houlihan's uses cream cheese and Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning in their chicken and coats it in a particular panko crust. They were right! I pre-tasted the filling and it was perfect.

I had to get creative with the stuffing aspect, though. I have never stuffed a chicken, so this was a new experience for me. I ended up beating the breasts flat with a hammer (I should probably invest in a meat tenderizer). They weren't flat enough, so I ended up slicing them in half and going at them again with the hammer. This did the trick!

Next, I put the filling in a piping bag, piped a good amount onto one end of the breast, and began to roll the breast in cling wrap. I cooked the wrapped breasts on a sheet, tucking the end of the roll under the breast.

In the end, they turned out great!

If I did make this again, I would try a new method of stuffing. I think I could take the breast and slice it along the top, lift the flap, and pipe the filling in.

Here is the recipe for you to try!!!

Thank you for reading! If you have any recipe recommendations, please leave me a comment and I'll look into them.