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This Cowboy Chicken is Marinated Grilled Chicken topped with BBQ Sauce, Crispy Bacon, and Cheddar Cheese. Top with Fresh Cilantro and Red Onion. This is the best Monterey Chicken recipe!
Father’s Day is coming up this Sunday and I wanted to create a recipe that they will love! This is not your ordinary chicken recipe. I named this Cowboy Chicken! This has smoky BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, and cheddar cheese to give it so much flavor. My family asks for this Cheesy Bacon Chicken all of the time!
This is a variation of the famous Monterey Chicken. I saw the Monterey Chicken recipe in a cookbook and started experimenting with it and making changes until it was perfected.
The chicken is marinated in honey mustard and then grilled until it is cooked through and perfectly golden on the outside. I also recipe tested this in a skillet and it works brilliantly as well. I will list both cooking methods below.
Cowboy Chicken Ingredients:
- Thin Sliced Chicken Breasts
- Crispy Bacon
- Cheddar Cheese
- BBQ Sauce
- Salt and Pepper
- Honey Mustard Chicken Marinade
- Red Onion
- Cilantro
- Pickled Jalapeno
How to make Monterey Chicken Recipe:
- Season and Marinate your Chicken! This is such an important step. We are adding a lot of toppings to the chicken but we want the chicken to be seasoned as well. Marinate the chicken breast in extra-virgin olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Reserve some of the marinade (before adding it to the chicken) to baste on the chicken as you are finishing up cooking it. You can also marinate the chicken with my FAMOUS CHICKEN MARINADE RECIPE.
- Use Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts for the most evenly cooked chicken. It is so much easier to cook chicken when it is the same thickness. If you can’t find thin sliced chicken breasts in the store, you can use a mallet or rolling pin to carefully pound the chicken. You can also butterfly the chicken by cutting it in half horizontally. Place the chicken in a bag with the marinade and place it in the refrigerator to marinate for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, cook the bacon until nice and crispy. You can cook the bacon in a skillet or in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Cut into bite-size pieces.
- Fire up the grill! I prefer grilling the chicken breast but you can also cook this in a saucepan. Cook the chicken on medium heat until the center of the chicken breast registers 160 degrees. This is how you get perfectly juicy chicken!
- Once you flip the chicken, baste the chicken with the remaining marinade you set aside. Sprinkle with cheese and let it melt.
- Remove the chicken from the grill and drizzle with BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, fresh cilantro, and pickled jalapenos.
What to serve with Monterey BBQ Bacon Chicken:
- Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes
- Smashed Potatoes with Sour Cream Cheddar Dip
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes with Bacon
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Cowboy BBQ Bacon Cheddar Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade:
- 4 Thinly Sliced Chicken Breasts
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1/4 cup Oil
- 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
- 1/4 cup Honey
Toppings:
- 4 to 6 slices Crispy Bacon
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce (plus more for dipping)
- 1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese (or 4 slices)
- 1/4 cup Chopped Red Onion
- Chopped Cilantro
- Pickled Jalapenos
Instructions
Chicken Marinade:
- In a bowl, stir together oil, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup of marinade before adding the chicken to baste on the chicken as it is finishing cooking.
- Use Thin-Sliced Chicken Breasts for the most evenly cooked chicken. It is so much easier to cook chicken when it is the same thickness. If you can't find thin-sliced chicken breasts in the store, you can use a mallet or rolling pin to carefully pound the chicken. You can also butterfly the chicken by cutting it in half horizontally. Place the marinade and chicken in a resealable bag and place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- While the chicken is marinating, cook the bacon until nice and crispy. You can cook the bacon in a skillet or in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Cut into bite-size pieces.
- Fire up the grill! I prefer grilling the chicken breast but you can also cook this in a saucepan. Cook the chicken on medium heat until the center of the chicken breast registers 160 degrees. Cook the chicken on both sides for about 6-9 minutes per side. Once you flip the chicken, baste the chicken with the remaining marinade you set aside.
- Sprinkle with cheese and let it melt. Remove the chicken from the grill and drizzle with BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, fresh cilantro, and pickled jalapenos.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The best dinner recipe!
This is the best dinner with mashed potatoes. My family loves it.
Thank you so much! So glad to hear your family loved it. Thank you for trusting my recipes!
The most flavorful chicken recipe! Served with mashed potatoes and there were no leftovers!
I love to hear when there are no leftovers to be found! Thank you so much for trying it out. 🙂
I can’t wait to make this recipe. This looks so delicious. I already have my menu for Fathers Day, which includes several of your ideas Melissa, so I can’t make this for Fathers Day. But there is always next week. I can’t wait to try it.
Thank you… Happy Fathers Day to your sweetheart Melissa, have a wonderful day…
You are the best, Donna! Thank you!