Monterey chicken is one of those chicken recipes the family looks forward to all week long. Those sheet pan chicken recipes have nothing on this. Tender succulent chicken breast is shamelessly smothered in tangy barbecue sauce, crispy bacon, and shredded cheese for starters.
If you’re like me, you like to stock up on chicken when it’s on sale and prep ahead. Meals like balsamic chicken and chicken Francaise are good for this. Although I have been known to make a mean chicken lazone or chicken florentine when the mood strikes. But this recipe is the way to go on a busy weeknight when you need a scrumptious satisfying meal.
Let’s make this chicken!
What I Love About This Recipe
- It’s a wonderful mix of tangy and sweetness
- Quick and easy one-skillet meal!
- It’s made with bacon.
Monterey Chicken Ingredients
- Bacon:
- Chicken: This recipe works best with boneless chicken breasts. You’ll also want to use your favorite barbecue sauce. I like to grab one with honey or brown sugar in it because they tend to stick to the chicken well.
- Salt + Pepper
- BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite commercial sauce or change things up and use my Carolina gold bbq sauce.
- Cheese: We use 2 types of cheese. Feel free to experiment with your favorite varieties.
- Tomatoes: I like to use Roma tomatoes because they tend to have fewer seeds. Grape tomatoes sliced in half.
- Green Onions: These add great finishing flavor and pretty coloring.
How To Make Monterey Chicken Recipe
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Cook bacon in an oven-safe 12-inch skillet until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
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Cook the chicken until the chicken is nicely browned and there is no longer any pink.
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Drizzle chicken with BBQ sauce,
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then sprinkle cheese;
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Sprinkle bacon. Place skillet in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted.
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Remove from oven and top chicken with green onions, and tomatoes and serve immediately.
***See Full Instructions Below
Serving Recommendations
This Monterey Chicken recipe pairs really well with cornbread like my jalapeno bacon cornbread, Southern cornbread,or sweet Bisquick cornbread and a crisp green salad like southwest salad. The flavors just dance around in your mouth and it’s a well-balanced meal everyone will love.
Recipe Notes
I like to make my Monterey chicken in an oven-safe skillet to cut down on dishes. An iron skillet works great for this because it can go from stovetop to oven and then straight to the table.
You can also be sure there are no hot or cold spots in your skillet. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, then simply transfer chicken to a casserole dish after browning and build your recipe.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge. Just drop what’s left into an airtight container and slide it into the fridge. Easy peasy!
- Can You Freeze This? Yes. Simply store it in an airtight freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Just slow thaw it in the fridge overnight and you’re good to go.
- Make-Ahead Tips: If you’re a prep-aholic, like me, you can have this Monterey chicken recipe ready to go. Your first option is to prepare the recipe up until the part where you put it in the oven and slide it into the fridge instead. Then cook it the next day.
- Or you can go the freezer route, but this meal can be on the table in just over half an hour with virtually no prep.
More Easy Chicken Breast Dinner Recipes
- Greek Chicken
- Grilled Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Chicken Milanese
- Blackened Chicken
- Parmesan Crusted Chicken
- Lemon Pepper Chicken
- Italian Chicken
- Creamy Tuscan Garlic Chicken
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Monterey Chicken
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chopped bacon,
- 4 chicken breast halves boneless, skinless
- salt, to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 1 cup Monterey cheese, shredded
- 1 cup cheddar, shredded
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup green onions, sliced
Instructions
- Cook bacon (8 ounces) in an oven-safe 12-inch skillet until crispy. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings from the skillet.
- Cook the chicken (4) on medium-high heat, about 5 minutes per side, depending on thickness, or until the chicken is nicely browned and there is no longer any pink.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
- Drizzle chicken with BBQ sauce (1 cup), then sprinkle cheese (1 cup) and bacon. Place skillet in the preheated oven, until cheese is melted.
- Remove from oven and top chicken with green onions (1/2 cup), and tomatoes (1 cup) and serve immediately.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- I like to make my Monterey chicken in an oven-safe skillet to cut down on dishes. An iron skillet works great for this because it can go from stovetop to oven and then straight to the table.
- You can also be sure there are no hot or cold spots in your skillet. If you don’t have an oven-safe skillet, then simply transfer chicken to a casserole dish after browning and build your recipe.
Nutrition
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What a flavorful meal!
m-m-m really good i would make it again was not sure at first about bacon and BBQ sauce but it all goes together well looked and smelled good tasted even better
Oh my goodness, this was so delicious! Even my picky husband loved this; he even took some to lunch the next day!!
Thank-You!! <3
Thanks, Heidi! 😀 So happy to hear that you and your hubby liked it!