Monterey Chicken
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen on May 16, 2025
Prep:
10 minutes
Marinate:
30 minutes
Cook:
30 minutes
Total:
1 hour, 30 minutes
Ingredients
Serves/makes 4
Instructions
1.
Whisk mustard, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper together in a bowl. Reserve ¼ cup honey-mustard mixture for basting chicken. Transfer the remaining honey-mustard mixture to a 1-gallon zipper-lock bag.
2.
Working with 1 breast at a time, starting on the thick side, cut the chicken in half horizontally, stopping ½ inch from the edge so halves remain attached. Open up the breast like a book, creating a single flat piece. Place the chicken in the bag with the honey-mustard mixture, toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
3.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 5 to 7 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel–lined plate. Reserve bacon fat. Once cool, toss bacon with pepper Jack cheese.
4.
FOR A CHARCOAL GRILL: Open the bottom vent completely. Light a large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour two-thirds evenly over half of the grill, then pour the remaining coals over the other half of the grill. Set the cooking grate in place, cover, and open the lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes. FOR A GAS GRILL: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Leave the primary burner on high and turn other burners to medium. (Adjust the primary burner as needed to maintain grill temperature of 350 to 400 degrees.)
5.
Clean and oil the cooking grate. Push a toothpick horizontally through each onion slice to keep rings intact while grilling. Brush onion slices lightly with reserved bacon fat and place on the cooler side of the grill. Place chicken on the hotter side of the grill, cover, and cook until lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Flip onion slices and chicken. Brush chicken with the reserved honey-mustard mixture, cover, and cook until lightly charred on the second side, about 5 minutes.
6.
Remove onion slices from the grill and move chicken to the cooler side of the grill. Quickly remove toothpicks and separate onion rings. Divide onion rings evenly among chicken breasts. Divide bacon–pepper Jack mixture evenly over onion rings. Cover and cook until pepper Jack is melted and chicken registers 160 degrees, about 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter, tent loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Serve with lime wedges (and pico de gallo, if desired).
