Serves 4
105 min
Grilled Chicken with Bacon, Monterey Jack, and Pico de Gallo
Recipe GLPRf237dfb44afbb8
Tender grilled chicken breasts marinated in honey and Dijon mustard, topped with crispy bacon, melted Monterey Jack cheese, and grilled onion rings, finished with fresh pico de gallo. This restaurant-quality dish combines sweet, savory, and fresh flavors in one impressive main course.
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Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1½ pounds)
½ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup honey
Salt to taste
Black pepper to taste
4 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 red onion, sliced into rings
3 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
1 whole Juice from 1 lime
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard and honey until fully combined. Reserve ¼ cup of the mixture in a small bowl for basting. Pour the remaining honey-mustard marinade into a one-gallon food-grade plastic bag. Using a meat mallet, pound each chicken breast to an even thickness of approximately ½ inch. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Place the flattened chicken breasts into the bag with the marinade, seal, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 4 hours for deeper flavor).
While the chicken marinates, prepare the pico de gallo. In a medium bowl, combine the chopped roma tomatoes, minced red onion, minced garlic, minced jalapeno, and fresh cilantro. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the fresh lime juice until well combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the bacon pieces in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until crispy and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Reserve the bacon grease in the skillet for later use. Once the bacon has cooled slightly, place it in a medium bowl with the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and mix until evenly distributed. Set aside.
Preheat your grill to high heat. Lightly oil the grill grates and allow them to heat for 2-3 minutes. If your grill has multiple burners, set half to high heat and the other half to low heat. Insert toothpicks horizontally through the red onion rings to hold them together while grilling.
Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the onion rings with the reserved bacon grease. Place them on the cooler (low heat) side of the grill and allow them to begin cooking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, allowing excess liquid to drip off. Place the chicken breasts on the hot side of the grill and cook for approximately 5 minutes until charred and marked on the bottom.
Flip the chicken breasts and immediately brush generously with the reserved honey-mustard sauce. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes, then flip again, brush with more sauce, and repeat this turning and basting process until the reserved sauce is used up and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F (measured with a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast without touching bone). This should take approximately 10-12 minutes total.
Move the grilled chicken breasts to the cooler side of the grill. Remove the toothpicks from the onion rings, separate the rings, and arrange them over each chicken breast. Top each breast with an equal portion of the bacon and cheese mixture.
Cover the grill and continue cooking until the cheese is completely melted and beginning to brown slightly, about 2-3 minutes. Do not allow the chicken to cook further; it should already be at the safe internal temperature.
Transfer the topped chicken breasts to a serving platter and top each with a generous spoonful of the prepared pico de gallo. Serve immediately while the cheese is still warm and melted.
