Chicken Monterrey

My coworker, Cindy Kennedy, has been raving about this dish for over a month.  Tonight, I finally understand everything she was talking about.  This dish at first seems intimidating, but as long as you follow the instructions, it's a piece of cake.  Like the Chicken Bryan or any other recipe that has multiple steps (sometimes more than one thing going on at a time), one should always read through the steps several times before starting the dish.  One thing you don't want to do is get ahead of yourself.  Ruining this delicious meal could be very easy if you got carried away.

I paired this dish with saffron infused yellow rice.  I'm sure there are lots of sides that would go wonderfully with this, but the saffron rice just worked so perfectly.  My advice would be to explore the Hispanic (or other) section of your grocery store and just go for what inspires you. Take a chance.  The worst that could happen would be that it doesn't turn out well.  I do that enough without taking chances...why not be bold?

Chicken Monterrey

¼ cup flour

1 envelope taco seasoning

6 chicken breasts

¼ cup butter

½ cup tortilla chips, crushed

2 Tbs. onion, chopped

1 Tbs. cooking oil

2 Tbs. flour

¼ tsp. salt

1 13oz can evaporated milk (do not use low-fat)

¼ to 2 tsp Tabasco

1 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Combine flour and taco mix in plastic bag and coat chicken. Melt butter in 13x9 pan. Place chicken in melted butter turning to coat. Roll in chips and return to baking pan. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook onion in oil until tender. Blend in flour and salt. Add milk and Tabasco. Stir until mixture thickens and bubbles. Add cheese and lemon juice. Heat until cheese melts but do not let boil (may thin with regular milk if needed). To serve, line a platter with lettuce. Top with chicken and spoon cheese over chicken. Garnish with additional tortilla chips.

I wouldn't start the cheese sauce immediately after you put the chicken in the oven.  If you do it will be ready way before your chicken and you will be stuck stirring.  This dish is a must-try!! If you like a little kick to your meal, then you'll love this! Enjoy!!