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.
Monterey Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 slices of bacon
- ¼ cup chicken stock
- 4 tablespoon barbecue sauce (use your favorite!)
- 4 oz Colby Jack cheese (grated)
- 1 to mato (diced)
- 2 green onions (sliced)
- salt and pepper (optional)
Instructions
- In a large oven-safe skillet, fry bacon until crispy.
- 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.
- Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Turn heat to medium-high and brown chicken on both sides (2 to 3 minutes per side) in bacon grease.
- 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.
- Turn heat off and spread barbecue sauce on top of each chicken breast.
- Top with slice of bacon broken in half.
- Divide cheese evenly among the chicken breasts.
- Place under oven broiler for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Watch carefully and take out when cheese is fully melted.
- Top chicken with tomato and green onions and serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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Julie @ Running in a Skirt says
How delicious is this??!! I love all the flavors you packed into this dish. Can't wait to try it.
Erin says
It's a classic and total comfort food. Every one loves it!
Mike says
My gosh that looks so beautiful and tasty, Erin! 🙂
Erin says
It is a tasty one, Mike! And an easy recipe too!
Ariasmith says
This Monterrey chicken recipe looks and sound fabulous! I Love your photography as well, Thanks for sharing!!!
Erin says
Our family just loves this recipe! Great flavors. Hope I hope you do too! Thanks for noticing my photography 🙂
Alix @A Hedgehog in the Kitchen says
Hi Erin! This looks AMAZING! I am particularly excited about the gooey cheese part! 🙂 I can't wait to try it. Thanks for the recipe!
Erin says
Oh, the gooey cheese! Can't go wrong with that 🙂 Enjoy the recipe, Alix! Hope all is well.