Monterey Chicken is an easy grilled BBQ chicken topped with bacon and melted cheese. This recipe is a fun Chili’s copycat and perfect for any weeknight meal.
Who is ready for a ultra delicious grilling recipe! I love grilling season, it is one of my favorite times of the year, because we grill out a lot and we literally never get sick of it.
I also love copycat recipes and this Monterey Chicken Recipe is one for the books. It is so delicious and so easy that you will want to make this over and over again.
Every time we go out to Chili’s (which is about every 3-4 months, we have one a couple miles from our house so it’s pretty convenient.) My husband gets the Monterey Chicken and it’s always great.
We love the combination of bacon, cheese, and BBQ sauce. I’ve made Monterey Chicken at home a couple times in the oven but taking it out on the grill is where it’s at!
Some of my other favorite grilling recipes that we have include Mustard Grilled Chicken Sandwiches, Easy Grilled Asparagus and Herb Marinated Grilled Pork Chops.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- With minimal ingredients it whips up in no time.
- It can easily be doubled to serve a larger family.
- This only takes 15 minutes to cook up!
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
Thick-cut bacon
Chicken breasts
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Pepper
Mozzarella cheese
Monterey/Cheddar blend cheese
BBQ sauce
HOW TO MAKE MONTEREY CHICKEN:
- Place the bacon into a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat and cook until crispy, drain on a paper towel-lined plate, set aside. Season chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Place on a plate until ready to grill.
- Place chicken on the grill over medium heat. Let cook until almost done. When the chicken has an internal temperature of 150°F, baste with BBQ sauce on both sides and continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. (Don’t baste the chicken as soon as it hits the grill or else the sugars in the BBQ sauce will burn.)
- When chicken is cooked through, place half of the bacon on top of each piece. Mix the cheeses together and spread evenly over each piece.
- Place the top of the grill down and let the cheese melt, this will only take a couple of minutes. Serve immediately.
CAN I PUT THE BBQ SAUCE ON AS SOON AS I START GRILLING?
Don’t baste the chicken as soon as it hits the grill or else the sugars in the BBQ sauce will burn. And we don’t want that!
HOW TO STORE MONTEREY CHICKEN:
This Monterey Chicken Recipe can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger family.
- We completely recommend a using a good meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is properly cooked.
- You can use any cheese you want, but Monterey Cheddar blend and Mozzarella are the usuals.
- You can use any BBQ sauce you like, test out different flavors to see what you like best or make your own Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- We like to chop our bacon and cook it in a skillet before hand but you could also leave it whole and place it on the chicken itself.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
If you’ve tried this MONTEREY CHICKEN let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Monterey Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon medium-diced
- 2 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Monterey/Cheddar blend cheese or just cheddar is good!
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Place the bacon into a medium-sized skillet over medium-low heat and cook until crispy, drain on a paper towel-lined plate, set aside. Season chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Place on a plate until ready to grill.
- Place chicken on the grill over medium heat. Let cook until almost done. When the chicken has an internal temperature of 150°F, baste with BBQ sauce on both sides and continue cooking until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. (Don't baste the chicken as soon as it hits the grill or else the sugars in the BBQ sauce will burn.)
- When chicken is cooked through, place half of the bacon on top of each piece. Mix the cheeses together and spread evenly over each piece.
- Place the top of the grill down and let the cheese melt, this will only take a couple of minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
- You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger family.
- We completely recommend a using a good meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is properly cooked.
- You can use any cheese you want, but Monterey Cheddar blend and Mozzarella are the usuals.
- You can use any BBQ sauce you like, test out different flavors to see what you like best or make your own Homemade BBQ Sauce.
- We like to chop our bacon and cook it in a skillet before hand but you could also leave it whole and place it on the chicken itself.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
Virginia says
That chicken sounds delicious! I think my family will love it. Thanks for the recipe. Pinning.
Julie says
Oh good grief, that looks amazing! I am just waiting for our dinner to finish cooking it looks so boring compares to this!
Rachel @ Craft, Art & Mess says
This is great, my 3 favourite things, chicken, bacon and cheese. Thanks for sharing on Wonderful Wednesday Blog Hop.
Jennifer Johnson says
One of my husbands favorites! I can’t wait to make this I am so glad it is grilling season!
Hammersmith Carpet Cleaners says
Ohhhhh, this looks so good! Can’t wait to try that chicken! Thank you for sharing!
Carpet Cleaning Battersea says
Oh, my gosh! This looks really yummy! Pinned and thanks for the instructions! Great job!
Janine Huldie says
My husband and I love Chili’s too and have ordered this in the past and enjoyed it. So, I am going to try your copycat hopefully very soon for us. Thanks for sharing at the Pin It Hop once again today 🙂
the cape on the corner says
oh good lord, YUM!
Becky says
Goodness gracious, this looks so good. You had me at bacon! lol
Jamie @ Love Bakes Good Cakes says
This is one of our favorite summer grilling recipes!! Pinned!
Sara @ Mamas Therapy says
I used to get this all the time at Chilis! Will need my husband to fire up the grill later to try! Thanks for sharing.
Joyce says
Looks delicious!!! Stopping by from Let’s get real link up party!
Adelina Priddis says
Ooo I love Chili’s Monterey Chicken! Thank you for sharing on Foodie Friday. I needed an excuse to go grill again.
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile says
Dana,
I absolutely LOVE your pictures. Everyone I just sigh! This chicken looks and sounds great.
Hugs,
Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile
Marti says
This looks mouthwatering!! Thank you for sharing it with us. Pinning to the party board. Have a great weekend! 🙂
Joy @ Yesterfood says
Dana, thank you so much fro sharing this gorgeous chicken with us at Treasure Box Tuesday!! I am sharing on Facebook this morning! ♥
Emily says
that chicken looks amazing! thank you so much for linking up to Create Link Inspire! I just wanted to let you know that I’m featuring your recipe today in a Chicken Recipes post. I’ve shared it all over my social media and tagged you where I could. I would really appreciate any reshares! Have a great weekend! Emily@nap-timecreations
Alena@TheHomemadeCreative says
Wow, YUM!!! Definitely pinning this one. Now I just need a grill!!
SITS Girls ♥
Gina says
I think we would be dangerous in the kitchen together. This is totally something I would make – YUM! Think of all the amazing things we could come up with together. 🙂
maria @ close to home says
what a yummy grilling recipe. Thanks for linking up and I have pinned this to our #fridayfrenzy board. http://www.stayingclosetohome.com/craft-recipe-party-fridayfrenzy-514.html