I get a small thrill when a spot-on restaurant copycat recipe hits my home kitchen. We go through more chicken recipes than I can count, yet somehow, I still want more. When we eat out, chicken is my go-to, especially at places like Chili’s. Monterey Chicken is a solid pick, layered with barbecue sauce, bacon, and plenty of cheese. I first tasted something similar at Tony Roma’s, and that sent me straight into figuring out how to make it myself. No matter which version started it, this chicken dish always brings everyone back for seconds.
Monterey Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts, halved (6 pieces total)
- ¼ cup or so of your favorite BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup bacon bits (I use 6 slices of microwave bacon chopped up)
- ½ cup fresh diced tomatoes (you can use canned but fresh is so much better!)
- ½ can chopped green chilies (127ml can) You can use more if you like it hot!
- 1 cup shredded monterey jack cheese, or cheddar
- ¼ cup sliced green onion
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees
- Grill or pan fry chicken breasts until cooked through (grilling is so much better, yum!)
- Arrange cooked chicken breasts on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil
- Top with ingredients in this order: BBQ sauce, bacon bits, diced tomatoes, chilies, shredded cheese and green onion
- Bake in oven for 5m until cheese is all melty and bubbly
- Serve with rice and await the praise from your family
