This delicious one-pan Monterey chicken recipe is perfect for a quick, easy weeknight dinner. With tender chicken, tangy BBQ sauce, savory bacon, and melty cheese, this recipe will become a family favorite!
Are you looking for a simple and tasty dinner idea? This Monterey Chicken is a Chili’s copycat recipe that will be your new go-to. With just a few ingredients, it’s easy to make and bursting with flavors. Try it tonight! I love to serve this with Olive Garden Copycat Salad or Mexican coleslaw.
Let’s Spill The Tea
- Cuisine style: Tex-Mex, a fusion of American and Mexican cuisine
- Taste: slightly spicy, cheesy, sweet, and smoky
- Effort and skill: effortless, and anyone can master this
- Pros: So easy my dog could make this (just kidding folks)
- Cons: more time to watch gory shows (not such a good thing)
What you’ll need
- Olive oil: extra virgin
- Chicken: cutlets or boneless, skinless breasts cut in half lengthwise
- Salt
- Black Pepper: freshly ground is always best
- Barbecue sauce: your favorite brand
- Cheese: Monterey Jack and cheddar
- Bacon: crispy, cooked, and crumbled
- Tomatoes: the fresher, the better
- Green onions: also known as scallions
How to Make Monterey Chicken
Brown the chicken cutlets in an ovenproof skillet. Coat them with your favorite BBQ sauce. Top with cheddar and Monterey Jack Cheese and melt it in the oven. Then, top with crispy bacon, tomatoes, and green onions. Simple enough, right?
What To Serve With Monterey Chicken
I am a soup nut, so I like to serve a little soup such as minestrone or broccoli cheddar soup. Cabbage salad and corn salad are great side dishes with it. For a cool, refreshing beverage, try blueberry lemonade or an Arnold Palmer drink.
Frequently Asked Questions
I like a spicy barbecue sauce with this recipe to complement the other ingredients in this Tex-Mex recipe.
Yes, it works great with fish filets like cod and tilapia.
Let’s Recap
- So flavorful you will wonder why you did not make this sooner.
- Quick and easy for busy families.
- Much cheaper than eating at Chili’s. You can just about make four servings of this for one in the restaurant.
Monterey Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 thin boneless skinless chicken breasts or 2 thick ones cut in half lengthwise
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce use your favorite brand
- 1 cup Monterey Jack and cheddar blend
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1/2 cup finely diced tomatoes
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the chicken and cook each side for about 4 minutes or until golden brown.
- Spread the barbecue sauce over the browned chicken breasts. Divide the cheese evenly over the barbecue sauce. Place the skillet in the oven and cook for 5 minutes or until the cheese melts and the chicken cooks through.
- Top with the bacon, tomatoes, and green onions. For best results serve promptly.
JoAnn Casey Manzke
I made this today for dinner and my husband is in love, the only change I made was to use rotel tomatoes as not a fan of raw ones over hot food. It is fantastic, thank you for the recipe..
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, JoAnn!
Cyndi Aldrich
I also put slices of avocado on top of mine.
So good!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks for the tip, Cyndi!
Doug
I’m a novice cook but I tried your Monterey Chicken. Mine wasn’t as pretty as yours but I liked it. Maybe I got the chicken a little overdone but I’ve had worse, in a restaurant.
Beth Pierce
Practice makes perfect! So glad that you liked it, Doug!