Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Monterey Chicken
Barbecue sauce, melted cheese and crisp bacon make this chicken feel properly generous. Fresh tomato and green onion across the top give each bite a bright contrast. It's a cheerful plate with all the good toppings kept close to the chicken underneath.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken · Pork
- Cuisine
- American
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Cook chicken before topping
Finish the chicken in the skillet before pouring barbecue sauce and cheese over it.
2. Use an oven-safe pan
The same pan goes from the stovetop to the oven for melting the cheese.
3. Keep fresh toppings for serving
Add bacon, diced tomato and green onion after the cheese has melted.
Get to know the ingredients
Shredded cheese
The listed example is a blend of Monterey Jack and cheddar.
Cooked bacon
Have the bacon cooked and crumbled before adding it as a final topping.
Diced tomatoes
Save the tomatoes for scattering over the finished chicken rather than baking them with the cheese.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 6 steps completeMake room for Monterey Chicken
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Top after the oven
Scatter bacon, tomato and green onion over the melted cheese, then serve.
A little more help as you go
Season both sides
Salt and pepper go on both sides of the chicken before its skillet cook.
Thickness changes cooking time
The directions note that thicker chicken may need a different skillet cooking time.
A few questions you might have
Does the chicken cook from raw under the cheese?
Cook it in the skillet first; the short oven stage melts the topping.
When do I add the barbecue sauce?
Pour it over the cooked chicken before sprinkling on the cheese.
Can I use the same pan in the oven?
The directions specify an oven-safe pan for moving between stovetop and oven.
Should the tomatoes bake too?
They are a finishing topping, added after the cheese melts.
What cheese combination is listed?
The ingredient entry gives Monterey Jack and cheddar as its example blend.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinneratthezoo.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
