Mouthwatering Monterey Chicken {Keto / Low Carb} (2024)

ThisKeto Monterey Chicken Recipeis a simple low-carb chicken recipe that has great flavor and taste. This simple cheesy chicken recipe is a simple and delicious family dinner made by smothering chicken with Monterey Jack Cheese, bacon, and sugar-free bbq sauce.

HOW TO MAKE THIS MONTEREY CHICKEN RECIPE KETO-FRIENDLY

Overall, this Monterey Chicken dish is low carb as it is except for the bbq sauce. The good news about this Monterey Chicken recipe is that you can easily adjust it to fit within the guidelines of your low-carb lifestyle or keto diet simply by replacing the bbq sauce with a sugar-free version.

If you’re a huge fan of simple chicken recipes, make certain to try out myKeto Chicken Stir Fry with Vegetables or all my keto chicken recipes.

Ingredients to make Keto Monterey Chicken:

• Chicken breasts– Thinly cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts are what you need. They cook faster and more consistently.
• Bacon– Gives this dish an added dimension of crunch and incredible flavor
• Sugar-Free BBQ Sauce– Sugar-free is the key to keeping it low carb, and my homemade BBQ sauce recipe makes certain it’s compliant as well.
• Monterey Jack & Cheddar Cheeses– Can you ever have too much cheese? The combination of these two kinds of cheese gives this simple Monterey chicken dish a lot of flavors.
• Garlic Powder– Adds in a nice garlic flavor. Don’t confuse it with garlic salt.
• Butter– Adds a healthier fat version to the dish.

Steps to make Keto Monterey Chicken:

Step 1:In a hot oven-safe skillet, add olive oil and butter.Season chicken generously, then sear chicken on each side.

Step 2:Reduce heat, then simmer with the lid on and reduce the heat to low until the chicken is cooked all the way through.

Step 3:SpoonBBQ sauceon top of each chicken breast.

Step 4:Divide the cooked bacon evenly and place it on top of each chicken breast.

Tip: The bacon works best in this recipe if it is nice and crispy.

Step 7:Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of the bacon.Finish off the chicken with Monterey Jack Cheese and sprinkle parsley on top.

Step 9:Turn the oven to broil and place the skillet in the oven on the top rack. Broil for 2 to 3 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Make sure to watch closely as the broiler can burn the chicken quickly.

Tip: Make sure your skillet is oven-safe; if not, you can transfer it to a casserole dish.

WHAT IS CHICKEN MONTEREY?

If you’re familiar with Chili’s restaurant, you might know that this chicken dish used to be one of the best sellers on their menu. Monterey chicken is basically chicken breasts smothered in cheese with added BBQ sauce and bacon. It’s an easy recipe that packs a ton of flavors and tastes.

This Keto Monterey Chicken recipe is a good Chili’s copycat recipe with a few alterations to make it low carb. I would not suggest making this recipe in a slow cooker or Instant Pot.

If you are looking for a more simple version of this recipe, check out Keto BBQ Chicken Casserole recipe and use a rotisserie chicken to make it a super quick meal.

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO THINLY SLICE CHICKEN?

Using thinly sliced chicken is a great way to get the chicken to cook evenly and without issues. For this to work best, you can easily buy smaller chicken breasts and ones that are not thick.

If you want to thin out your chicken, you can try one of two methods.

Option 1:Use a meat mallet to pound the chicken to make it thinner. Simply put your chicken breast into a Ziploc bag and pound it out into a flatter piece of meat. (This is only necessary if you have a thick chicken breast.)

If you don’t have a meat mallet, you can try option 2.

Option 2: Take your chicken breast and slice it in half. This will make that thicker chicken breast a lot thinner and easier to slice and cook if you prefer further instructions, check out how to butterfly chicken breasts.

Option 3: Buy thin-cut chicken breasts at the grocery store or ask your butcher to thin slice chicken breast.

AT WHAT TEMPERATURE IS CHICKEN COOKED PROPERLY?

Making certain that your chicken is cooked all the way through in this Monterey Chicken recipe is important. I highly suggest using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to be certain that it’s safe to eat.

For chicken to be considered cooked and safe to eat per the USDA, the chicken meat should have an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees.

WHAT KIND OF SKILLET DO I USE TO COOK THIS KETO MONTEREY SKILLET?

I have found thatcast iron skilletworks best with recipes like this since they heat evenly and can go straight from the stovetop to the oven. I have cast iron skillets that used to be my grandmother’s. Cast iron lasts forever, and they are very affordable. However, they aren’t necessary to prepare this recipe. Any kind of oven save skillet will work just fine.

WHERE DO I FIND LOW-CARB BBQ SAUCE?

My favoritesugar-free, low-carb BBQ sauceis a family recipe that I tweaked to make it keto-friendly. It is simple to prepare without a lot of added ingredients that aren’t necessary. You can find my recipehere. If you are looking for convenience, several brands make a sugar-free variety that can be ordered from Amazon, or you may find it in your local stores. The only brand of store-bought sugar-free BBQ sauce I have tried is byG. Hughes. They offer several different varieties, but I prefer hickory. I might be a little partial, but my homemade BBQ sauce makes this recipe taste more authentic and flavorful.

Variations to this Recipe:

• Use a sugar-free honey mustard or dijon mustard instead of bbq sauce
• add grape tomatoes to the pan and saute with the chicken
• make it a one-pan low-carb chicken meal by adding broccoli for the last few minutes and allow it to steam

WHAT TO SERVE WITH MONTEREY CHICKEN

Any type of keto side dish would go well with this chicken, bacon, and cheese dish. Here are some of my favorites to make:

• Grilled Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
• Southern Green Beans {Keto Friendly/Low Carb}
• Easy Air Fryer Broccoli
• Keto Air Fryer Roasted Green Beans
• Creamy Keto Cauliflower Mash

MORE KETO-FRIENDLY RECIPES

I know you are going to absolutely love my keto Monterey chicken recipe. To plan the rest of your menu, make sure to take advantage of all the great options in myKeto/Low Carb recipe index.

You’ll find more recipes onmyFacebook pageand many other ketos and low-carb recipe ideas onPinterest. Below are just a few of our favorites to check out!

More Keto Chicken Recipes:

• Easy Keto Fried Chicken Recipe
• Crock Pot Mississippi Chicken
• Keto Jalapeno Popper Chicken