Chicken Monterey

                                            Chicken Monterey

There are lots of variations of this recipe out there, with 3 thing in common: Chicken, bacon, and Monterey-Jack cheese. The sauces range anywhere from, a cheese sauce to Catalina dressing, to BBQ sauce.
I like the BBQ sauce version the most, so much so, that I make my own version of sauce, that I think really compliments the other ingredients.

I once topped this with Salsa cruda and Guacamole, instead of the diced tomatoes and scallions, wow, loved it. You can cook the chicken on an outdoor grill, or pan grill it in a little oil, then melt the cheese in the broiler or oven.
This also makes a really good sandwich. I think this would be great, wrapped in a flour tortilla, topped with guacamole and salsa. LOL, I just made my own stomach growl, I guess it's the latter version next time.

Ingredients:
4-8 chicken breasts- pounded flat between 2 pieces of plastic
6-8 slices of bacon- chopped
8oz. shredded monterey-jack or cheddar-jack cheese
diced roma tomatoes
scallions

For the sauce:
2 chipotles in adobo sauce
1Tbl. minced garlic
3Tbl. ketchup
2Tbl. orange marmalade
1Tbl. mixed citrus vinegar or white vinegar

Preparation:
Add all the sauce ingredients to a blender.
Pulse a few times, then process about 2 minute.
Pour it into a bowl and set aside.
Fry the bacon, until crisp, drain on a paper towel.
Grill the chicken, until cooked through.
Preheat the oven to 375*
Put the chicken in a baking pan.
Brush on a layer of sauce, top with bacon, and cover with cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted.
Serve topped with the tomatoes and scallions.

                            Blend the sauce ingredients for 2 minutes.

I had planned to grill the chicken outdoors, but with the heat index at 110* today, I quickly changed my mind. Besides, many restaurants, serve their chicken -pan grilled. Add about 1 Tbl. of oil to a griddle or skillet. Add the chicken when the pan is very hot. You want to sear the chicken until it browns.Flip it over and cook the other side. It's ok if you don't get both sides brown like the photo, as long as it's cooked through, but still moist. It does stick to the pan near the end, just loosen it with a metal spatula.