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Monterey Chicken is the smoky, cheesy, bacon topped grilled chicken that tastes just like the Chili’s favorite, and I started making it at home one summer evening when the grill was hot and we were craving restaurant food without the drive. Juicy BBQ basted chicken gets piled with crispy bacon and melty cheese, and if you love copycat dinners you have to try our copycat Chili’s chicken enchilada soup too.
Waiting to baste with BBQ sauce until the chicken is almost done is the secret to a sticky, caramelized glaze that never burns.
Monterey Chicken Quick Look
- 🕐 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🍴 Cook Time: 15 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽 Serving: 2 servings
- ⚡ Calories: 520kcal
- 🌶 Flavor Profile: Smoky, savory BBQ chicken with bacon and melty cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our grilled rib eye steaks
Quick Answer
Cook bacon until crispy and season boneless chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Grill the chicken over medium heat, and once it hits 150 degrees, baste both sides with BBQ sauce and grill to 165 degrees. Top each piece with the crispy bacon and a mix of shredded mozzarella and cheddar, close the grill lid to melt the cheese, and serve.
Jump to:
- Monterey Chicken Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Monterey Chicken
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Monterey Chicken FAQs
- Other Recommended Copycat Chicken Recipes
- Copycat Chili’s Monterey Chicken Recipe
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Late basting prevents burning. Adding BBQ sauce near the end lets the sugars caramelize without scorching.
- Seasoning first builds flavor. A simple spice rub seasons the chicken all the way through before the sauce goes on.
- Cooking bacon separately keeps it crisp. Crisping the bacon ahead means it stays crunchy on top of the saucy chicken.
- A cheese blend melts best. Mozzarella brings the stretch and cheddar brings the flavor.
- Closing the lid melts the cheese fast. Trapped heat melts the cheese in minutes without overcooking the chicken.
- A thermometer guarantees juicy chicken. Pulling it at 165 degrees keeps the breasts moist and safe.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It tastes just like Chili’s. All the smoky, cheesy, bacon goodness without leaving home.
- Ready in 30 minutes. A fast, satisfying weeknight dinner, like our sweet and sour chicken.
- Simple ingredients. Chicken, bacon, BBQ sauce, and cheese are all you need.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless and skinless grill up fast; pound to even thickness for the juiciest result.
- Thick Cut Bacon: Cooked crispy and piled on top for smoky crunch.
- BBQ Sauce: Brushed on at the end for that signature sticky, sweet glaze.
- Mozzarella and Cheddar: A melty, flavorful cheese blend over the top.
- Garlic and Onion Powder: The simple savory seasoning, just like the rub on our copycat chipotle chicken marinade.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use chicken thighs. Boneless thighs stay extra juicy if you prefer dark meat.
- Switch the cheese. Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend melt beautifully.
- Add heat. Use a spicy BBQ sauce or add sliced jalapenos.
- Make it indoors. A grill pan, skillet, or the broiler all work.
- Serve it loaded. Add diced tomato and green onion on top, like our marry me chicken for date night.
How to Make Monterey Chicken
- Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium low heat until crispy, then drain. Season the chicken breasts with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place the chicken on the grill over medium heat and cook until almost done.
- When the chicken reaches 150 degrees, baste both sides with BBQ sauce and continue grilling to 165 degrees.
- Top each piece of chicken with half of the crispy bacon.
- Add the shredded mozzarella and cheddar on top of the bacon.
- Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt, just a couple of minutes, then serve immediately.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Pound the chicken even. Uniform thickness means it cooks evenly and stays juicy.
- Do not baste too early. Wait until 150 degrees so the BBQ sauce does not burn.
- Crisp the bacon first. It stays crunchy on top of the saucy chicken.
- Use a meat thermometer. Pull the chicken at 165 degrees for perfect doneness.
- Close the lid to melt. Trapped heat melts the cheese in a couple of minutes.
- Let it rest briefly. A short rest keeps the juices in when you cut into it.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
Monterey Chicken is hearty and satisfying, and I love serving it the way Chili’s does, with a side of seasoned fries or loaded mashed potatoes and some steamed veggies or a crisp salad.
For a full copycat restaurant night, start with our Chili’s chicken enchilada soup and round out the table with a batch of sweet and sour chicken for variety. A pile of grilled vegetables alongside our grilled rib eye steaks makes it a true backyard feast.
However you serve it, keep extra BBQ sauce on the table, because everyone loves a little more drizzled on top.
Monterey Chicken FAQs
It is best to wait. Basting too early causes the sugars in the BBQ sauce to burn before the chicken is cooked. Wait until the chicken reaches about 150 degrees, then baste and finish cooking to 165 degrees.
Monterey Chicken is a popular Chili’s copycat dish of grilled chicken breasts brushed with BBQ sauce and topped with crispy bacon and melted cheese. It is savory, smoky, cheesy, and easy to make at home.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are traditional and grill up quickly. For extra juicy results, pound them to an even thickness, or use boneless thighs if you prefer dark meat.
Yes. Use a grill pan or cast iron skillet on the stove, or bake the seasoned chicken at 400 degrees, then baste with BBQ sauce and add the bacon and cheese under the broiler until melted.
A blend of shredded mozzarella and sharp cheddar gives the best melt and flavor. Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend also work well and melt beautifully over the warm chicken.
Store cooled chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in the oven or air fryer so the chicken stays juicy and the cheese re melts without drying out.
Other Recommended Copycat Chicken Recipes
If you make this Monterey Chicken, I would love to hear how it turned out! Leave a star rating and a comment below, and tag us in your photos. Happy grilling!
Fire up the grill with our copycat chipotle chicken marinade for your next cookout.
If you love this bacon and cheese smothered chicken, try our Alice Springs chicken, another restaurant copycat favorite.
Serve this loaded chicken with warm slices of our copycat Cheesecake Factory brown bread to soak up every bit of sauce.
Copycat Chili’s Monterey Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon medium-diced
- 2 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
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.2 chicken breasts boneless skinless, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 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.)1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- When the chicken is cooked through, place half of the bacon on top of each piece.
- Top with the cheese.1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 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 Cheddar 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 beforehand, but you could also leave it whole and place it on the chicken itself.
Nutrition
Love This Recipe?
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This is what I order EVERY time I go to Chili’s!
Pinned!
Thanks for sharing on Your Whim’s Wednesday
This looks so good! Yum!! I have a copycat recipes cook book that I purchased on QVC years ago, this has inspired me to get it out and see what all I can make. Pinning!
Ugh, that sounds amazing! So glad it came out good, I love the additions. 🙂
Made this tonight. Awesome. I brined the chicken first and sprinkled fresh avocado and tomato with the bacon over the top. It was a surefire hit. Thank you. Will become part of our summer grilling rotation.
You can definitely bake it easily! Just put on the bbq sauce about 5 minutes before the chicken is cooked through, still yummy!
I want to make this tonight! It looks so yummy. What if I don’t have a grill though? Any alternatives to cooking it?
Thank you! I have a similar recipe only I call it Western Chicken. It always makes my mouth water! Love it. Thanks for posting and that tomato and corn salad looks yum!!
Super yum! A definite must try!! Thanks for making me drool 🙂
This looks fantastic! I’ll keep this in mind for the next time we grill chicken! 🙂
Oh man, that would be so much fun! Although we would probably gain 20ish pounds… lol!
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
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. 🙂
Wow, YUM!!! Definitely pinning this one. Now I just need a grill!!
SITS Girls ♥
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
Dana, thank you so much fro sharing this gorgeous chicken with us at Treasure Box Tuesday!! I am sharing on Facebook this morning! ♥