Monterey chicken

What to say about the Monterey chicken, except that it is delicious? Really nothing else can be said, because there are so many versions of this recipe that it has become impossible to understand what the original is and especially if there was ever an original. The fact is that in many menus of American restaurants (especially Californian), this mysterious Monterey chicken appears. The only thing that is certain is that it is a chicken dish and that it contains Monterey Jack cheese, a cheese initially produced by the Mexican Franciscan friars of Monterey, California, during the 1800s. 

A tender and juicy boneless chicken breast delicately seasoned with fresh marinade sauce, grilled to perfection, and topped with sautéed onions, tomatoes and Monterey Jack cheese. You're friends and family will love how tender and delicious this dish is and you'll love how easy it is to make! 

Ingredients

2 pieces of chicken breast of about 180-200 g each

70 g yellow mustard

30 g honey

6-7 slices of bacon

80 g Monterey Jack cheese

1 large tomato, diced

1 chopped green chili pepper

1 clove of garlic, peeled

1 tablespoon chopped coriander or fresh parsley

1 lime

1 small red onion

olive oil to taste

salt to taste

pepper to taste

Preparation

First mix in a bowl 70 g of mustard, 30 g of honey, the juice of half a lime, a pinch of salt and a ground pepper, then add the pieces of chicken and mix everything with your hands, so as to season them well. Let the meat rest for 30 minutes, covering it with plastic wrap.

Meanwhile, cut the slices of bacon into strips and brown them in a non-stick pan placed on high heat, without oil or other seasonings, until it is golden brown, but not yet completely crispy. Once cooked, drain it from excess fat and put it to dry on sheets of kitchen paper.

Once cooled, mix the bacon with the grated provolone and keep this mix aside. In a separate bowl prepare the vegetable mix: mix the diced tomato together with the chopped green pepper, the peeled garlic clove, cut in half and deprived of the inner sprout, half chopped red onion (the other half will serve you in rounds), the juice of half a lime, a tablespoon of coriander or chopped fresh parsley, a generous pinch of salt, ground pepper and two tablespoons of olive oil. Keep this mix aside and let it rest until it's time to use it. After 30 minutes of rest of the meat, brown it for 3-4 minutes in a non-stick pan placed on high heat, without draining it too much from the sauce (keep aside a little' marinade, if it remains) and turning it often. At this stage the meat will only have to brown well externally, because then it will finish cooking in the oven. Once browned, take it out of the pan and place it in a low-sided baking pan lined with baking paper, brush it with more mustard marinade (if there is any left) and cover each slice with a little mix of Monterey Jack cheese and bacon, red onion slices and transfer to a preheated oven in static mode at 200 °C, leaving the chicken to cook for about 20-25 minutes or until it is well cooked internally. Once cooked, take it out of the oven, put it on the plates and season it with the vegetable mix and serve it immediately, perhaps with good fries. Enjoy your meal!