Skillet Monterey Chicken

With shredded chicken, smokey BBQ sauce, crispy bacon and Monterey jack cheese, this Skillet Monterey Chicken makes for a delicious and simple one-pan meal that everyone will love. 

chicken skillet dish with text

This dish comes together so quickly, I first want to highlight just how convenient this recipe is for weeknight meals.

As well, it’s perfect for those days when you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. I know we all LOVE chicken recipes that are both easy and tasty.

This recipe happily joins my one skillet dinners, because cutting down on dishwashing is always welcome in our home.

This is why I also suggest our other one-pan dinner ideas. They are so very handy on more days than you’d imagine!


More Skillet Dinner Recipes:


Yet this easy recipe in particular? Well, sometimes you’d think of a skillet pasta dish as ordinary and rather plain.

Yet, this Monterey Chicken is so loaded with amazing and flavourful ingredients, there won’t be one dull bite.

It’s actually a copycat version of a very popular chili’s restaurant dish.

This simple dish has a cook time of under an hour, so it’s an easy weeknight dinner.

monterey chicken dish in a skillet

I’ve gotten into the habit of adding in a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken into my weekly shopping.

There are so many great dishes that can be made on the fly using shredded cooked chicken and leftover chicken.

Baked Chicken Spaghetti and the amazing Chicken Stuffing Bake are perfect examples of a dinner recipe with shredded chicken.

The Chicken Stuffing Bake proves that it’s simple to have a taste of the holidays all year long, so that is definitely one you’ll want to bookmark when you need new recipes to try.

monterey chicken skillet recipe in a pan

This chicken monterey recipe is very versatile too, because we all have differing tastes.

You could cook boneless skinless chicken breasts ahead of time, instead of using rotisserie.

As well, if the spice of ROTEL tomatoes (chopped tomatoes with green chiles) aren’t your thing, you can also use ordinary diced tomatoes instead.

When I first made this for my kids, I thought the ROTEL spice might be too much for them. Yet they love it, so consider me impressed.

It’s worth the trip to the grocery store for this ingredient.

So, if you want a recipe that you can be proud of when it comes to flavour, you’ll want to make this chili’s copycat recipe as is, it’s one that the whole family enjoyed.

I won’t be surprised when you add this easy dinner into your regular rotation, because we did long ago. Yes, it’s that good!

monterey chicken with pasta in a white bowl on the table

How to Make Skillet Monterey Chicken

You’ll need the following simple ingredients to make this chili’s monterey chicken recipe. the full instructions are below in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • chicken, shredded pre-cooked
  • can ROTEL diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • Rotini pasta
  • chicken broth 
  • Barbecue sauce 
  • shredded Monterey Jack cheese (you can also use cheddar cheeses)
  • cooked bacon
  • green onions

To Make: Place the pasta, chicken, and ROTEL tomatoes (not drained) into a large skillet over medium heat that has been sprayed with non stick cooking spray. 

Add the chicken broth and stir to combine.

Cover the skillet with a lid and cook on high until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. 

When the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid absorbed, drizzle the BBQ sauce over top of the skillet.

Scatter the shredded cheese on top and place the lid back on the skillet.

Turn to low heat and allow the skillet to sit for about five minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

Once the cheese melts, top chicken with the crumbled thick cut bacon and green onions, and enjoy!

Storage

Leftovers: Store leftover monterey chicken in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

What To Serve with Monterey Chicken

Since this Skillet Monterey Chicken is a bbq chicken dinner, you have so many options for sides.

I’m always a fan of a side green salad with chicken, yet this is also a meal in itself so you might not need one.

Just in case, here are our suggestions on favorite sides to serve with Monterey Chicken:

monterey chicken with pasta in a white bowl on the table

Skillet Dessert Recipes

If you are a fan of convenient one-pan skillet recipes like we are, then you’ll definitely want to stock up on some skillet dessert recipes as well.

We think the best ones would be Kentucky Apple Skillet Cake and Salted Caramel Skillet Brownies!

monterey chicken skillet recipe with text

More Chicken Recipes

monterey chicken dish in a skillet

Skillet Monterey Chicken

Yield: 1
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

With shredded chicken, smokey BBQ sauce, crispy bacon and Monterey jack cheese, this SKILLET MONTEREY CHICKEN makes for a delicious and simple one-pan meal that everyone will love.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chicken, shredded pre-cooked
  • 1 284ml can ROTEL diced tomatoes with green chiles
  • 250 grams Rotini pasta, dry 
  • 2 cups chicken broth 
  • 1/3 cup BBQ sauce 
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese 
  • 3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
  • 2 green onions, diced

Instructions

    1. Place the pasta, chicken, and ROTEL tomatoes (not drained) into a large skillet. 

    2. Add the chicken broth and stir to combine.

    3. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook on high until it comes to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring about every 5 minutes. 

    4. When the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid absorbed, drizzle the BBQ sauce over top of the skillet. Scatter the shredded cheese on top and place the lid back on the skillet.

    5. Turn to low heat and allow the skillet to sit for about five minutes to allow the cheese to melt.

    6. Top with the crumbled bacon and green onions, and enjoy!

Notes

- for a less spicy dish, use a can of regular diced tomatoes instead of ROTEL

- If you don't have precooked chicken or bacon at the ready, allow for extra time to cook these beforehand.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 375Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 1414mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 7gProtein: 26g

Did you make this recipe?

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Created by Tammi Roy

Tammi Roy is the founder of My Organized Chaos, a Canadian food and lifestyle blog. She lives in Alberta, Canada and is the mom of three beautiful teenage girls. Tammi’s passions are her family, creating and sharing delicious recipes, travelling and photography. Learn more about Tammi.

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