Monterey Chicken

This recipe combines juicy chicken, crispy bacon, tangy barbecue sauce, and melted cheese for a simple, flavorful weeknight dinner.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 673kcal

Author: Katie

Ingredients

6 slices of bacon
2 boneless (skinless chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally, about 1 pound)
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup barbecue sauce
1 cup shredded colby jack cheese
2 roma tomatoes (cored and diced)
¼ cup diced green onions

Instructions

Cook bacon. In an oven-safe 12-inch skillet, cook bacon on medium heat, turning until completely cooked, browned, and crispy, about 8-10 minutes. Set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve the bacon fat in a small bowl and clean the pan.
Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat pan. Measure the bacon fat and add oil for a total of 2 tablespoons. Place in the pan and preheat the pan to medium-high heat to warm the oil.
Season chicken. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Sprinkle the seasoning over both sides of each chicken breast.
Cook the chicken. Carefully place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4-5 minutes. While the chicken cooks, crumble the bacon and place it in a small bowl. Turn chicken and brush each chicken breast with about one tablespoon of barbecue sauce. Cook chicken for an additional 4-5 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Turn the chicken and brush with barbecue sauce again, about 1 tablespoon of sauce per chicken breast.
Top with cheese. Carefully spread the shredded cheese over each chicken breast, about ¼ cup per piece of chicken.
Bake. Transfer the pan to the oven to melt the cheese, for about 6-8 minutes.
Top with remaining toppings. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Transfer chicken to a serving platter and top with crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, and green onions, or if serving from the pan, top with the crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, and green onions in the pan. Serve immediately.

Notes

I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Original Barbecue Sauce, but any prepared or packaged barbecue sauce will do.

This dish is an easy weeknight dinner and full of flavor. It’s a family favorite we have made many times. We increase the ingredient amount for our family of 6, or you can easily double it to have leftovers. With leftovers, we have eaten it as prepared and on occasion, chopped up the chicken and put it in a wrap with lettuce and more sauce or dressing.

We also prepare this recipe by grilling the chicken and finishing it in the oven. Follow the instructions in the recipe, and when it comes time to cook the chicken, instead of cooking it on medium heat in the oven, cook the chicken on a preheated gas grill over medium heat for 3-4 minutes per side, until the chicken has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit when checked with a meat thermometer. I then place the chicken on a foil-lined cookie sheet, sprinkle it with cheese, and melt the cheese in the oven at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes. You can top the chicken with bacon, cheese, and green onions in the cookie sheet or on a serving platter.

This recipe is a Chili’s Restaurant copycat restaurant recipe. While it is no longer on their menu, their chicken was topped with barbecue sauce, cheese, bacon, and tomatoes.

4 small chicken breasts could be used in place of 2 chicken breasts sliced in half horizontally. I have a hard time finding small chicken breasts at our grocery store and always with this recipe use larger chicken breasts cut in half horizontally. If you use 4 small chicken breasts, you may want to pound them so they cook more evenly.

If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, you can transfer the chicken to a foil-lined baking sheet to melt the cheese in the oven after cooking the chicken in the skillet.

Nutrition