Monterey Chicken Skillet Recipe

This Monterey Chicken Skillet Recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  Juicy chicken, tangy BBQ sauce, crispy bacon and lots of gooey cheese make this 30-minute dish a winner!

This recipe originally appear on The Slow Roasted Italian.

Monterey Chicken Skillet Recipe

If you’re looking for a one pan dinner that doesn’t disappoint this recipe is it!  Have you tried Monterey Chicken Skillet before? Wowza! The flavors of this easy recipe blend together to create a perfectly satisfying combo.  My family just loves it! And in case you missed it – it includes bacon! Something my entire family agrees makes everything better!  We gobble this Loaded Tater Tot Nacho up in minutes! 

The dish comes together pretty quickly, so it can definitely be made during the week when things get busy.  I love the fact it’s all made in the same pan.  Cutting down on dishwashing is always a plus in my kitchen!

How to Make Monterey  Chicken

There are some shortcuts to making this easy chicken dinner you need to know.  By taking a minute while the bacon cooks and pounding your chicken, you get it to cook evenly, but also cut down on overall cooking time, which is awesome!

You do that by placing your chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pounding the chicken with a kitchen mallet.

Once the bacon is fried and your chicken is cooked, you spread your favorite BBQ sauce over the cooked chicken (Sweet Baby Ray’s is a good one or this low sugar one is also great) and top with your crispy bacon. 

Then, comes the glorious cheese shattered over the top of your chicken. Now it’s time to place it under the broiler so the cheese gets soft and gooey! Garnish with your tomatoes and green onions and it’s done!  Serve this Monterey Chicken with a side salad and this is one delicious meal!

Tips for Making Smothered Chicken with Bacon and Cheese

• To make this recipe in 20 minutes, make sure you pound your chicken and cut your tomatoes and green onions while the bacon cooks. 
• The thinner you pound your chicken, the less cooking time required.
• You can use your choice of cheese in this recipe.  In addition to Monterey (another personal fav) or a cheddar Monterey blend, Pepper Jack would also work. 
• If you plan ahead, you can use leftover bacon from breakfast and skip frying the bacon when it’s time to cook dinner. 

What You’ll Need to Make Monterey Chicken

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• Cast Iron Frying Pan – a cast iron skillet works well since it’s made to go from stovetop to oven. Love, love, love this pan!
• Spatula – a kitchen staple that gets tons of use!
• Kitchen Mallet – this kitchen utensil works well for everything from pounding chicken to crushing crackers. 

4.75 from 4 votes

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Monterey Chicken Recipe

This Monterey Chicken Skillet Recipe is a quick and easy weeknight dinner.  Juicy chicken, tangy BBQ sauce, crispy bacon and lots of gooey cheese make this 30-minute dish a winner!

Course dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword Monterey Chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4

Calories 368 kcal

Author Erin @ Suburban Simplicity

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 slices of bacon
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 4 tbsp barbecue sauce use your favorite!
• 4 oz Colby Jack cheese grated
• 1 to mato diced
• 2 green onions sliced
• salt and pepper optional

Instructions

1. In a large oven-safe skillet, fry bacon until crispy.
2. While bacon is frying, pound chicken breasts to desired thickness. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Dice tomatoes and slice green onions, set aside.
3. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
4. Turn heat to medium-high and brown chicken on both sides (2 to 3 minutes per side) in bacon grease.
5. Pour chicken broth over the chicken breasts and cover skillet with a lid. Cook until chicken is done, approximately 4 to 5 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken.
6. Turn heat off and spread barbecue sauce on top of each chicken breast.
7. Top with slice of bacon broken in half.
8. Divide cheese evenly among the chicken breasts.
9. Place under oven broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Watch carefully and take out when cheese is fully melted.
10. Top chicken with tomato and green onions and serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator.

★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition Facts

Monterey Chicken Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 368 Calories from Fat 189

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 21g 32%

Saturated Fat 9g 45%

Cholesterol 114mg 38%

Sodium 644mg 27%

Potassium 569mg 16%

Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%

Sugars 6g

Protein 34g 68%

Vitamin A 8.3%

Vitamin C 3%

Calcium 21%

Iron 5.1%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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