Monterey Chicken

Monterey chicken, an easy grilled bbq chicken topped with BACON and melty cheese. This recipe is a fun copycat recipe and perfect for any weeknight meal.

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Woo hoo! It’s time for another grilling recipe! I’m super pumped to share today’s recipe because it’s a copycat, I got to grill; that means easy cleanup AND it came out way better than I imagined it would.

So, yea you’re really in for a treat today!

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.) Jeremy gets the Monterey Chicken and it’s always great.

I love the combination of bacon, cheese, and bbq sauce. I’ve made chicken Monterey at home a couple times in the oven but taking it out on the grill is where it’s at!

Take me to the recipe for Monterey Chicken already!

Thank you so much for your eagerness to view my recipe.

If you would rather not hear my super helpful tips and tricks, FAQ, and my overall awesomeness and get straight to this delicious Monterey Chicken – you can very easily scroll all the way to the bottom of this post for the full printable FREE recipe! Bon appetit.

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!

It’s insane how easy this is to whip up as well! I love a good copy cat recipe, especially when it comes to this Monterey Chicken Recipe!

One trick I have for making a successful dinner while grilling out is to take your sides out to the grill with you!

I was boiling away some potatoes for some garlic mash potatoes  while cooking the chicken. That way you don’t have to keep running back inside to check the stove, easy!

I also always get my grill station ready before heading outside. This way I won’t forget anything and have to run back inside. Try using a tray like this one here! 

Can I put the bbq sauce on the 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!

At what temperature is chicken cooked and safe to eat?

Chicken is fully cooked at 165°F. Check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer like this one!

Tips and Tricks:

• You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger family.
• We completely recommend a using a good meat thermometer like the one linked above 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.
• 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.

Monterey chicken Chili’s copycat recipe – you can’t go wrong with this crowd-pleasing meal!

You can also make this into a Monterey chicken sandwich. We do this so often either on buns or toasted bread!

How to make Monterey Chicken:

1. Dice and cook bacon it in a skillet over medium-low heat until crispy. Set aside.
2. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and the dried spices.
3. Heat grill and grease grates, place chicken on grill over medium heat. Let cook until almost done.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Let the cheese melt.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Yummm, doesn’t that sound super easy?! It made for a very satisfying meal, served with the mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts!

I will be making this Monterey Chicken Recipe, again and again, this summer on the grill! Do you have a favorite grilling recipe?

Tools used to make Monterey Chicken:

• Meat Thermometer
• Grilling Tray
• Grilling Tongs

If you like this recipe you might also like:

• Baked Parmesan Chicken Tenders
• Southern Fried Chicken
• BBQ Chicken Nachos

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!
 

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4.88 from 8 votes

Monterey Chicken

Monterey chicken, an easy grilled bbq chicken topped with BACON and melty cheese.
This recipe is enough for two portions. So, just double or triple the ingredients as required!

Prep Time15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, chocken monterey, copycat recipes, grill, monterey chicken, monterey chicken chili's

Servings: 2 servings

Calories: 675kcal

Ingredients

• 2 chicken breasts boneless skinless
• 1/4 Cup mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 Cup Monterey/Cheddar blend cheese or just cheddar is good!
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce

Instructions

• Before we start grilling, cut bacon in medium dice and cook it in a skillet over medium-low heat until crispy. Set aside. Season chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and the dried spices.
• Heat grill over high heat for at least 5 minutes. Grease grates, place chicken on 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 top of the grill down and let the cheese melt, this will only take a couple minutes. Serve. 

Notes

1. You can easily double this recipe to serve a larger family.
2. We completely recommend a using a good meat thermometer like the one linked above to make sure your chicken is properly cooked.
3. You can use any cheese you want, but Monterey Cheddar blend and Mozzarella are the usuals.
4. You can use any BBQ sauce you like, test out different flavors to see what you like best.
5. 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

Calories: 675kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 61g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 200mg | Sodium: 1476mg | Potassium: 1110mg | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 485IU | Vitamin C: 3.1mg | Calcium: 219mg | Iron: 1.6mg

Nutriton Disclaimer

Tried this recipe?Follow me @danadevolk or tag #danadevolk!

Don’t forget to go see Parrish’s recipe for Grilled Everything Chicken!

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Dana DeVolk

Dana is a professional Chef turned blogger, recipe developer, food photographer, cookbook author, brand ambassador, local tv personality, and more! Her passion is writing about food and posting recipes while offering tips and tricks of the trade. She lives in Florida with her Hubby and fur babies. Interested in working with Dana? Email her at [email protected]

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