4-Ingredient Monterey Chicken Bake

4-Ingredient Monterey Chicken Bake–an easy oven-baked chicken dinner topped with barbecue sauce, crispy bacon and melty Monterey Jack cheese. Make an extra pan for leftovers or to freeze!

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4-Ingredient Monterey Chicken Bake

Only four main ingredients are needed for today’s recipe! Even so, there is a lot of flavor from the smoky barbecue sauce, salty bacon and melty cheese. There’s hardly any prep making this a perfect choice for a busy weeknight. I love making two pans and having the chicken as leftovers or lunches in the coming days. Greg had the leftovers for lunch the next day. Enjoy!

Ingredients/Substitution Ideas

• Boneless skinless chicken breasts–Chicken thighs can also work, but they may need a little extra cooking time.
• Barbecue sauce–Use your favorite brand and flavor.
• Bacon crumbles–You can cook and crumble your own bacon or use packaged real bacon pieces for a shortcut. I always buy the big bag from Costco…they come in handy for recipes like this one.
• Monterey Jack cheese–Pepper Jack is a great substitute if you want a little heat.
• Salt and pepper
• Diced tomatoes and green onions–Optional, but they add freshness and color.

Steps

Pound* the chicken breasts thin and even, or slice them in half horizontally to make them half as thick.

Lay the chicken in a 9×13 inch pan. Sprinkle them lightly with salt and pepper.

Spoon the barbecue sauce over the top. Sprinkle the bacon crumbles and monterey jack cheese over the top. 

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes. Test the middle of the chicken for doneness* (it should be 165° F). 

Top with diced tomato and green onion, if desired and serve. 

Notes/Tips

• Get the chicken an even thickness. Pound thicker chicken breasts to an even thickness (I use a mallet*) or slice them horizontally into thinner cutlets. They’ll cook more evenly.
• Chicken breast can go from juicy to dry pretty quickly. Check the thickest part and remove the chicken from the oven once it reaches 165°F.
• Choose a barbecue sauce you love. Since there are so few ingredients, the barbecue sauce makes a big difference in the overall flavor. I used sweet baby rays…which is quite sweet. Next time I might use a low sugar version.
• Tomatoes and green onions add a nice fresh contrast to the rich cheese, bacon and barbecue sauce.
• This recipe can be gluten free if you use gluten free barbecue sauce.
• Serve with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, rice, roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, green beans, broccoli or a green salad.
• Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently so the chicken doesn’t dry out. You can freeze the cooked chicken for up to about 3 months. I would freeze it without the fresh tomato and green onion toppings and add those after reheating.
• Other recipes you can make with Monterey jack cheese are Instant Pot Monterey Spaghetti and Hot Cowgirl Casserole.

Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for. 

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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.