Lunch / Dinner
Monterey Chicken with Pico de Gallo
Familiar flavors of the Southwest breathe new life into grilled chicken breasts. With crispy bacon bits, spicy pepper Jack, and a fresh pico, there’s no denying that Tex-Mex is what’s for dinner.
A quick marinade of Dijon, brown sugar, and Worcestershire guarantees flavor from step one. Then, cooking on a grill pan brushed with bacon drippings infuses extra-smoky flavor. All that’s needed is a bright salad packed with south-of-the-border ingredients for the ultimate dinner for two.
Ingredients
FOR THE CHICKEN, WHISK:
COOK:
FOR THE PICO DE GALLO, COMBINE:
Instructions
For the chicken, whisk together Dijon, brown sugar, Worcestershire, and oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper. Add chicken, toss to coat, then cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.
Cook bacon until crisp, then transfer to a bowl to cool; reserve drippings. Add cheese to bacon.
For the pico de gallo, combine tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in 1 Tbsp. reserved drippings and lime juice; season with salt and pepper.
Heat a grill pan or grill over medium; brush pan with remaining drippings. Remove chicken from marinade, letting excess drip off; discard marinade. Cook chicken, covered, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 165°, 5 minutes per side. Top chicken with bacon-cheese mixture, cover, and cook until cheese is melted, 1 minute more.
Serve chicken with pico de gallo.
So it doesn’t melt, cool the bacon completely before adding the pepper Jack cheese.
Combine 1 Tbsp. bacon drippings with lime juice to add smoky-salty-citrus flavor to the pico de gallo.
Nutritional Facts
Nutritional Facts
Per serving
Calories: 576
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 33g 50%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 174mg 57%
Sodium 953mg 39%
Carbs 15g 5%
Fiber 2g 8%
Protein 53g
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.