This Baked Monterey Chicken Recipe is so flavorful, with a combination of juicy baked chicken breasts, fresh tomatoes, Monterey Jack cheese, and a smoky bacon flavor from the first bite.
Got extra chicken breasts in the fridge? Try this Marry Me Chicken Recipe, this Creamy Garlic Chicken Breast or one of these Easy Crockpot Chicken Breast Recipes!
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Baked Monterey Chicken has always been a favorite of mine when we go to a Chili’s restaurant.
With its sweet, tangy, smoky, and fresh flavors (and loads of melted cheese) what’s not to love?!
This Chili’s Copycat recipe is the perfect dish for busy weeknights to feed the whole family with minimal fuss!
It’s an easy recipe that can be served with almost any side dish, so you can make it a lighter meal or something more hearty and comforting.
We love to serve this Monterey Chicken with Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes and Roasted Carrots!
It’s also a great option when you’re meal-prepping to make freezer meals!
For more great recipe ideas using juicy chicken breasts, check out my Baked Tuscan Chicken Breasts, Pan Fried Chicken Breasts, my Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts, or this Chicken Enchilada Casserole.
Ingredients Needed:
- Chicken: use boneless skinless chicken breasts for the best results. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs!
- Seasoning: a combination of dried parsley, kosher salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper, and onion powder is all you need to make this dish super flavorful!
- Barbecue Sauce: use my Homemade BBQ Sauce, or your favorite barbecue sauce.
- Cheese: Monterey Jack cheese is most fitting, but any will do! I often use cheddar or mozzarella as well.
- Tomatoes: fresh Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine will give you the best flavor.
- Bacon: use smoked bacon to get a great smoky flavor with this dish, you’ll need it cooked until crispy and chopped.
- Green Onions: for a fresh and tangy garnish.
How to Make Baked Monterey Chicken
This recipe is quick and easy to make! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Flatten chicken: Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound thick end with a rolling pin to flatten slightly.
- Season chicken: Combine seasonings and sprinkle the mix evenly over the chicken in the dish.
- Bake and add BBQ: Part bake the chicken, then remove it from the oven and add BBQ sauce and cheese.
- Bake and serve: Bake until done, top with tomatoes, crispy bacon, and green onions then serve.
Baked Monterey Chicken FAQs
Store any leftover Monterey chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating it by adding a splash of water or broth, covering the dish with aluminum foil and baking it in the oven at 250 degrees F until warmed through.
You can easily prep this recipe ahead of time and freeze it. I recommend freezing it after it is baked, then thawing completely in the refrigerator before reheating it according to the instructions above. Keep in mind that the tomatoes will soften considerably if frozen, so you can freeze it without the garnishes if you prefer.
How do I know if my chicken is done?
The best way to check if meat has cooked is with an internal meat thermometer — the internal temperature should reach 165 degrees F.
Another way of gauging the doneness is by looking at the juices coming from the chicken. When they run clear, this can indicate the chicken is fully cooked.
Baked Monterey Chicken Variations
- Seasoning: Feel free to swap the homemade seasoning with your favorite all-purpose chicken seasoning.
- Cheese: Any kind of cheese you enjoy or have on hand will work great in here! I used cheddar, but I have also used Mozzarella and Monterey Jack.
- Toppings: All of the toppings are optional but they are what makes this a Chili’s copycat.
- Bacon: You can use any kind of bacon, or even turkey bacon for this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken dish goes great with basically any side dish!
Try some of my BBQ Side Dishes for Summer for a great BBQ table spread, or some vegetable side dishes like Air Fryer Green Beans, Roasted Potatoes and Carrots and my Garlic Mashed Potatoes for a comforting meal.
We love having bread on our dinner table, too! Try my Homemade Crescent Rolls or a slice of my No Knead Artisan Bread.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes to Try
Baked Monterey Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Chicken Seasoning
- 4 chicken breasts boneless & skinless, about 1.5-2 lb
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
Monterey Chicken
- ¼ cup barbecue sauce
- 1½ cups shredded cheese Monterey Jack is fitting but any will do!
- ½ cup diced fresh tomatoes
- 2 slices bacon chopped and cooked until crispy
- 2 green onions sliced
Instructions
Seasoned Chicken
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and lightly grease a 9×13″ casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Cover chicken breasts with plastic wrap and pound the thick end with a rolling pin or meat mallet to flatten slightly. This will ensure the chicken cooks more evenly.
- Combine seasoning: parsley, salt, garlic powder, paprika, pepper, and onion powder. Sprinkle evenly over chicken breasts and place in the prepared dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
Monterey Chicken
- Remove chicken from the oven (it won’t be done — that’s okay). Brush with barbecue sauce and top with cheese.
- Return to the oven and cook for 8-10 minutes to let the cheese melt and until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer.
- Top with tomatoes, crispy bacon, and green onions before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerating: you can refrigerate any leftovers for up to 4 days. I recommend reheating, covering, in the oven at 250 degrees F until warmed through.
- Freezing: you can easily prep this recipe ahead and freeze it. I recommend freezing it after it is baked, then thawing completely in the refrigerator before reheating it according to the instructions above. Keep in mind that the tomatoes will soften considerably if frozen.
Nutrition Information
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Julie says
A simple recipe with big flavors! I served it over mashed potatoes sprinkled with additional chopped bacon and green onions. My picky children liked it, and I was excited to have the leftovers for lunch the next day. My only critique is the description mentions bell peppers, but they’re omitted from the recipe.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Julie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review! We will fix that error! Thank you!
Donna says
It’s just ok. I make lots of your recipes. This dish caught my eye.
I had a few issues.
The first being you put in the oven for 15 min the take it out to place the cheese and back in oven for 10 minutes does not get the chicken done. I knew this would not be enough time. I left the first oven time in for 40 min. That was enough time to get it done without being over. I then pulled it out and put the bbq sauce and cheese on. That didn’t take 10 min to melt, more like a couple minutes.
The taste- I seasoned it as directed to the T.
When you put the BBQ sauce and cheese on it to me that killed the spices.
Conclusion- next time I will skip the season but salt and pepper
The sauce, I used your recipe for that just overpowered whatever the seasons was to do.
It was not as tasty as we thought it would be.
This will not make me not use your recipes.
Thanks so much
The Recipe Rebel says
Sorry to hear that you had trouble with the recipe, Donna. The amounts, flavorings and timing have worked well for myself so I wished it would of been a hit for you too! I know it can be so disappointing to try a new recipe and it not turn out for you.