Monterey Chicken Breasts are cooked sous vide and finished on a charcoal grill. This results in some of the juiciest, most flavorful chicken breasts you'll ever have. Pair that with the BBQ sauce, crispy bacon, melted Monterey Jack cheese, and freshly made Pico de Gallo; this is just as beautiful as it tastes.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
To achieve a perfectly textured, juicy chicken breast for these Monterey Chicken Breasts, starting with a Sous Vide cook is the key. Finishing them off on a charcoal grill gives them the color and iconic grilled flavor that we've all come to love. You've got a fantastic dinner paired with the sweet and spicy BBQ sauce, smokey bacon, Monterey Cheese, and fresh Pico de Gallo.
Ingredients
Chicken Breasts: I prefer organic chicken, but that's not necessary. Just be sure that you get boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
Seasoning: I season mine with blackened seasoning before vacuum-sealing the chicken breasts.
Butter: If you ask me, butter makes everything better. Once I have the chicken breasts in the vacuum seal bags, I place two butter pats on each chicken piece.
BBQ Sauce: I wanted a thick BBQ sauce for this Monterey Chicken Recipe. The thicker, the better because it helps the cheese stick to the chicken when melted. I recommend using Rufus Teague BBQ sauce. There are many different flavors, but I went with Touch O' Heat.
Bacon: I highly recommend thick-cut smoked bacon, such as Wright bacon. It's so flavorful and smokey. Plus, it cooks perfectly on a griddle, cast iron skillet, or in the oven.
Cheese: The obvious choice here is Monterey Jack Cheese. However, Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or Cheddar Jack will all work perfectly. Each of these cheeses is a mix of Monterey, leaving plenty of options for different flavor profiles. I prefer Pepper Jack as it adds another level of subtle spiciness.
Topping: You'll find many Monterey Chicken recipes that top their chicken with diced tomatoes. I recommend making a Fresh Pico de Gallo for the topping. This adds extra color, texture, and flavor that kick the dish up.
See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sous Vide the Chicken breasts. One of the biggest questions around this process is what the perfect sous vide chicken breast temp should be. I recommend setting your sous vide circulator to 145°f for two and a half hours. This will keep the juices in the chicken, spend less time on the grill, and produce the juiciest chicken breast you'll ever have!
To prepare the chicken for the sous vide, season all sides with Cajun Blackened Seasoning.
Step 2: Next, place the chicken in Vacuum Seal Bags and top each chicken breast with two pats of butter.
Now Vacuum Seal the bags, and once the water has reached 145°f, place them in the water to cook for two to two and a half hours.
Step 3: While the chicken is cooking, prepare the bacon and Pico de Gallo.
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to 400°f.
Step 4: Once the chicken is done cooking in the sous vide bath, remove it from its bags and brush the top side with BBQ Sauce.
Place the chicken breasts top down on the hot grill and brush the other side with BBQ Sauce.
Step 5: The grilling portion of this process mainly adds a smokey flavor and color and melts the cheese beautifully.
Flip the chicken over when you have grate marks, and the BBQ sauce turns sticky with a deep burgundy color. This takes about 4 minutes on each side if you're using a charcoal grill with the fire licking the Monterey chicken breasts.
Step 6: Top the breasts with one slice of bacon each, then a slice or two of cheese (depending on the size), close the lid, and let the cheese melt over the top.
Once the cheese has melted and is sticking, remove it from the grill, top it with fresh Pico de Gallo, and serve hot.
Expert Tips
- Using the butter during the sous vide process is essential to getting the perfect texture from this chicken. Don't skip that ingredient.
- Be sure to cook your bacon beforehand so it's ready to go.
- Don't overcook the chicken on the grill. The grilling portion of this recipe is to add color to the chicken, seal on the BBQ sauce, and melt the cheese. None of this should take long at all, especially at 400°f.
Recipe FAQs
One serving of Monterey Chicken has approximately 30g of Carbohydrates.
By cooking chicken breasts sous vide before searing them on the grill or in a skillet, you retain almost all of the juices, leaving you with a very juicy and tender chicken breast.
The best way to cook chicken breast is to sous vide the poultry and finish them off in a skillet or on the grill.
For a very tender and juicy chicken breast, I recommend cooking sous vide at 145°f for two and a half hours.
Depending on the thickness of the chicken breast, you should plan to sous vide tour chicken breasts for anywhere from 1-4 hours. The minimum is one hour for food safety purposes.
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📖 Recipe
Sous Vide Grilled Monterey Chicken Breasts
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Blackened Seasoning
- 8 Pats Salted Butter
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- 4 Slices Thick Cut Bacon
- 4-8 Slices Monterey Jack Cheese
- Pico de Gallo for topping
Instructions
- Set the Sous Vide Circulator to 145°f for two and a half hours.
- Season the chicken breast with Cajun Blackened Seasoning
- Place Chicken Breasts in Vacuum Seal bags, top each breast with two pats of butter, and vacuum seal the bags.
- Once the water has come to temperature, place the chicken in the Sous Vide bath.
- Preheat the grill to 400°f.
- Remove the chicken from its bags and brush the top side with BBQ Sauce.
- Place the chicken breasts top down on the hot grill grate.
- As soon as you see grill marks and the bbq sauce begins turning sticky and dark burgundy, flip the chicken over. About 4 minutes on each side is all this should take.
- Top each chicken breast with one whole slice of bacon and 1-2 slices of Monterey Jack Cheese. Close the grill lid and let the cheese melt.
- Remove the Monterey Chicken from the grill and serve topped with Pico de Gallo.
Video
Notes
- Using the butter during the sous vide process is essential to getting the perfect texture from this chicken. Don't skip that ingredient.
- Be sure to cook your bacon ahead of time so it's ready to go.
- Don't overcook the chicken on the grill. The grilling portion of this recipe is to add color to the chicken, seal on the BBQ sauce, and melt the cheese. None of this should take long at all, especially at 400°f.
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