Chili's Monterey Chicken Recipe

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Make Chili's Monterey Chicken recipe with BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, and Monterey cheese at home. This mouthwatering dish is easy to recreate.

When you feel like eating out but don’t feel like going out, this hand-off cooking recipe has your back! Just layer the ingredients and bake everything in the oven, just like the customers at our meal assembly stores did.

It's a restaurant-quality dish that your whole family will love. When I announce that we're having Monterey Chicken for dinner, I get hugs and smiles, at least until it's time to do the dishes.

It's a nice feeling. And everyone needs a few of these hero recipes in their life.

By the way, Alice Springs Chicken is another copycat dish with the same result. The easy preparation and unique flavor combinations make them feel like cousins.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Directions
• Expert Tips and Variations
• What to Serve with Monterey Chicken
• Storage, Reheating, Make-Ahead
• More Fantastic Chicken Recipes
• 📋 Recipe

Ingredients

Below are the ingredients you'll need to make Copycat Chili's Monterey Chicken:

• Chicken Breasts - We used boneless skinless chicken breasts. Pound chicken breast thin to shorten the cooking time. You can also butterfly the chicken or use chicken cutlets.
• BBQ Sauce smothers the chicken and keeps it moist and juicy while it bakes. Use your favorite barbecue sauce. If you're watching your carbs, use a sugar-free one. But even if you don't, this recipe's carb count is pretty low.
• Cooked Bacon is layered on the chicken while it cooks. Use whole slices or crumble them. I find smaller pieces are more manageable when cutting the finished chicken dish. Turkey bacon can be used instead.
• Monterey Jack Cheese - Gooey, melted cheese is another signature ingredient in this dish. You'll often find Monterey Jack cheese blended with Colby Jack or cheddar cheese. These blends will work too, and so will slices of cheese.
• Tomato - Chili's adds a small amount of cold chopped tomatoes on top of the cooked chicken. We used easy-to-dice plum tomatoes. Any type will work.
• Green Onions that have been thinly sliced finish this colorful dish.
• Salt and Pepper to taste. Since it's covered with barbecue sauce, you don't need much.

Please refer to the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and detailed instructions.

Directions

Here's how to make baked Chicken Monterey:

1. Place chicken in a baking dish or on a pan coated with non-stick cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spread barbeque sauce over the top of each piece of chicken.
3. Top chicken breast with cooked bacon and Monterey cheese.
4. Bake until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
5. Remove and sprinkle diced tomatoes and sliced green onion over the top.

Expert Tips and Variations

Below are some additional tips and tricks to make your Chicken Monterey the best!

• Use a meat thermometer to know exactly when the chicken is done!
• Customize this dish by adding more or less of any ingredient, which adjusts the calorie count, carbohydrates, and other nutritional estimates.
• Make this recipe with cooked chicken! It doesn't matter whether it was grilled, cooked in an air fryer, or baked. Layer the ingredients as you normally would and heat long enough to warm the chicken and melt the cheese.
• Chicken, seasoned with salt and pepper, can be seared in a skillet first by adding a tablespoon of oil to a large skillet and cooking the chicken for about 1 minute on each side. I don't find this extra step necessary, but you certainly can.
• Use thin-sliced chicken and make Monterey Chicken on the stovetop. The process used to make Skillet Bruschetta Chicken works like a charm.

Storage, Reheating, Make-Ahead

Monterey Chicken was a popular dish at our Meal Assembly Stores! When you have everything out, make extras to freeze.

• Storage. Store leftovers in a sealed container in the refrigerator for about 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Reheat. Cover and warm in the oven on low heat (325°F) or in the microwave at 50% power.
• Make-Ahead. Assemble the dinner up to the point of cooking. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months. When you're ready to enjoy it, defrost the dish in the refrigerator overnight and cook it as you usually would.

More Fantastic Chicken Recipes

📋 Recipe

 This recipe was originally published on June 17, 2015 and has been updated to improve the reader experience.