Easy Monterey Chicken
This simple, flavorful Monterey Chicken recipe is delicious any day of the week with minimal effort! Tender chicken breasts, tangy BBQ sauce, crispy beef bacon, smothered in lots of gooey mozzarella cheese, and topped off with Pico de Gallo make this a certified hit!
A few other winner, winner chicken dinner recipes you may enjoy: Curry Chicken Risotto, Creamy Chicken Marsala, One-Pan Lime Chicken with Cilantro Rice, Classic Chicken Cacciatore, Caprese Chicken with Walnut Pesto, and One-Pan Creamy Tuscan Chicken.
Look no further than this dinner idea when wanting something quick and easy. Popularized by the recipe served at Chili’s, it strikes the perfect balance between savory and sweet.
The perfect low-carb option, this recipe layers flavors of tender chicken breast, sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, beef bacon, melted cheese, and diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos.
Ingredients needed to make Monterey Chicken:
Be sure to check out the full recipe and ingredient list below
- Boneless chicken breast is the base of the dish. Using organic chicken breast, sliced in half, ensures the chicken cooks evenly and stays moist. You can also use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken and ensure even cooking. You’ll season the chicken with ground cumin, onion powder, cilantro flakes, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper.
- You’ll need olive oil to cook with, to prevent sticking, and to help seasonings stick to the chicken.
- Grab your favorite barbecue sauce, but if you need a recommendation, my go-to is Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce.
- You can use pico de gallo (a pre-combined mix of chopped tomatoes, onions, chiles, and cilantro, seasoned with lime juice and salt) or opt for diced tomatoes.
- For your cheese, you’ll need mozzarella, but feel free to use whatever cheese you enjoy most. Cheddar cheese, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack are also great choices.
- Beef bacon is the guest star of this recipe. And for those with dietary restrictions, beef bacon is a nice alternative.
How to make Monterey Chicken:
Cook the beef bacon in a cast iron skillet (paid link) over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until it reaches your desired crispiness. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
Cut the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Season the chicken evenly with ground cumin, salt, onion powder, cilantro flakes, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Lightly coat the chicken with olive oil, then rub the ingredients into the chicken.
Cook the chicken in a cast iron skillet (paid link) over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side.
After flipping the chicken, spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the chicken.
Top each chicken breast with 1 to 2 slices of bacon. Sprinkle ¼ cup of cheese over each chicken breast. Cover the skillet to melt the cheese, then remove the cover. To serve, crumble the remaining bacon. Sprinkle the bacon and Pico de Gallo over the chicken and serve.
Tips & Tricks
- Pound your chicken flat to ensure the chicken cooks evenly in the skillet. The thinner you pound your chicken, the less cooking time is required. A meat tenderizer works well for everything from pounding chicken to crushing crackers.
- You can use any cheese you like in this recipe. In addition to Mozzarella, Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack cheese are all great options.
- You can substitutd a chunky salsa or diced tomatoes, onions, and jalapenos for the Pico de Gallo.
- You can store any leftover Monterey Chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Monterey Chicken
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 – 6 1x
Description
Simple, flavorful Monterey Chicken made with tender chicken breasts, tangy BBQ sauce, crispy beef bacon, smothered in lots of gooey mozzarella, and topped with Pico de Gallo.
Ingredients
- 6–9 slices beef bacon, separated
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cilantro flakes
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 tbsp olive oil, separated
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/4 cup pico de gallo or diced tomatoes
Get Recipe Ingredients
Instructions
- Cook the beef bacon in a cast iron skillet (paid link) on medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until it reaches your desired crispiness. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
- Cut the chicken breast in half, lengthwise. Season the chicken evenly with ground cumin, onion powder, cilantro flakes, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper. Lightly coat the chicken with 1 tbsp olive oil, then rub the ingredients into the chicken.
- Preheat the skillet and add the remaining olive oil. Cook the chicken over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. After flipping the chicken, spread the BBQ sauce evenly over the chicken. Top each chicken breast with 1 to 2 slices of bacon. Sprinkle ¼ cup of cheese over each chicken breast. Cover the skillet to melt the cheese, then remove the cover.
- Crumble the remaining bacon. Sprinkle the bacon and Pico de Gallo over the chicken and serve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Low Carb
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 1.6g
- Sodium: 566mg
- Fat: 10.2g
- Carbohydrates: 2.7g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 20.6g
- Cholesterol: 101mg