Of all the ways to transform a boring piece of chicken breast, Monterey style is a surefire move towards flavor wow!

I mean…chicken, bbq sauce, bacon, cheese, diced tomato, and your favorite aromatics. Quintessential ‘Layers of Flavor.”

The original Cobb Salad was born one late night in the kitchen of Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant. Back in in 1937, owner Robert Cobb had a late-night hankering for a satisfying meal. He began pulling readily available ingredients into a bowl. This kitchen sink salad was promptly added to the menu and became a runaway hit!

EAT COBB:  Eggs, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon, Blue Cheese.

There are so many wonderful adaptations to the original Cobb Salad version. Here’s how I build a Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad!

Clearly we’ve transformed boring chicken breasts with all these wonderful toppings.

Now let’s transform the salad! This is your chance to add your favorite ingredients. The Cobb Salad is a great way to use up leftovers.

At the same time the Cobb Salad was gaining in popularity, so was the table-side preparation. This type of dining experience was catching on quickly. It’s what we fondly refer to as dinner and a show. Today, as we find ourselves eating in vs. dining out, any opportunity to serve a meal family-style is welcomed in this house.

Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad is a family favorite that even your most challenging eaters will enjoy!!

Love the Monterey flavors check out Monterey Loaded Nachos Fries and the Monterey Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad

Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad is a family favorite that even your most challenging eaters will enjoy!!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Monterey Chicken

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 pounds
• 6 Tablespoons hickory bbq sauce or favorite
• 6 slices bacon cooked crispy
• 3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1 Roma tomato diced
• 1 scallion thinly sliced
• 1 jalepeno finely diced

For the Salad

• 8-10 cups lettuce chopped
• 3 hardboiled eggs quartered
• 2 avocado diced
• 2-3 Roma tomatoes diced
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 2 corn on the cobb roasted, kernels removed from cobb
• 6 strips bacon cooked crisp, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

For the Chili Ranch Dressing

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup mayonaise
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chives (or parsley) minced
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• pinch black pepper

Instructions

For the Monterey Chicken

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grill chicken breasts until almost done (about 155 degrees).
• Top each grilled chicken breasts with a schmear of bbq sauce, two slices of crispy bacon and a handful of shredded cheese. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken registers 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced tomato, jalapeno and scallion. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

For the Chili Ranch Dressing

• Combine all ingredients. Chill until ready to serve.

For the Salad

• Place all salad ingredients on large platter. Top with sliced Monterey Chicken and drizzle with Chili Ranch Dressing.

The post Monterey Chicken Cobb Salad appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

That bucket of perfectly Crispy Baked Potato Wedges deserved an equally perfect dunking sauce. 

But which one should I make?

Classic Fry Sauce

The “Classic” ketchup & mayo based sauce is what I grew up on.  Likely born out of a modestly stocked refrigerator and a creative mother, Classic Fry Sauce, made all things better. 

We put that stuff on everything.  Yes we dipped our fries in it, but it also doubled as a sandwich spread, salad dressing (no wedge was served without it), veggie dip, burger topping, grilled cheese dunking dip, you name it.   

As an adult I still love Classic Fry Sauce, but now we give it a little grown up love with the addition of Frank’s RedHot Sauce.

Hickory Red BBQ Fry Sauce

Now in our house, when we’re craving Fry Sauce, we most often turn to a BBQ Sauce & Mayo combination. 

For our second of three sauces I give your our Hickory Red BBQ Fry Sauce. 

This sauce is sweet & smoky and always served on our favorite BBQ Turkey Burgers.  The crispy pub fries sure were happy to be introduced as well.

White BBQ Sauce

It wasn’t until a few years ago, that I discovered White BBQ Sauce, and it continues to be such a treat. 

A few more ingredients than the previous two Fry Sauces, but worth the extra few minutes it takes to come together. 

This sauce is amazing on Pulled Pork. 

Wait, this sauce is amazing on everything.  It delivers complexity with the same level of creamy comfort sitting to it’s left and right.

This tray of saucy goodness was the perfect Game Day treat. 

I don’t think I’ve told you but I was introduced to Fantasy Football this year (the free kind) and we are hooked.  I built our virtual team from players across the NFL.  It’s made Sunday’s so much fun now that we have players in almost every match up. 

At the close of Week #6 I’m pleased to say I’m 5-1-0. 

Not too shabby for a rookie.

Don’t forget to follow us @LemonyThyme on Instagram and Facebook! And check out our latest TikTok videos and Pinterest boards too!

All my best,
xo Libby

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Homemade Fry Sauce {Three Ways}

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the Classic…

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1-2 Tbl. Franks RedHot Sauce or to taste

For the Red BBQ…

• 1/2 cup Hickory BBQ Sauce we like KC Masterpiece
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

For the White BBQ…

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup cream
• 1 1/2 tsp. prepared horseradish
• 1 garlic clove minced
• 1/2 tsp. creole mustard
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. sugar

Instructions

• For each fry sauce, combine ingredients, then refrigerate until ready to use.

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It’s football season, officially Autumn Thyme and we’ve dipped into the low 60’s here in the sunny south.  I for one am ready for fall.  Bring on apples, pumpkins, soups, stews, chili, comfort food and game day recipes, preferably in the form of hot dips.  Hot dips like BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip.

I made a Hot Pizza Dip a few months back that was crazy good.  It was a traditional pepperoni pizza turned dip recipe.  What’s not to love.  Yet, that’s not my favorite pizza combination.  I’m a BBQ Chicken Pizza girl, served with a drizzle or dipping of Ranch Dressing.  Why not turn my favorite pizza into a hot dip?  Rhetorical. It happened.  And it was good.  Think Buffalo Chicken Dip concept except replace buffalo flavor with BBQ flavor.  Heavenly.

I picked up a rotisserie chicken on my way home from work, making this dip a cinch to put together.  The other key ingredient I love on our BBQ Chicken Pizza is grilled red onion.  It brings a nice sweet crunch which went perfectly in this dip as well.

Chopped cooked chicken, grilled red onion, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, mixed well then scooped into your favorite 1 1/2 quart baking dish.

Sprinkle with a bit more mozzarella and diced red onion and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until mixture is hot and bubbly.  Drizzle with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing then sprinkle with scallion and cilantro to serve.

I bought a tube of refrigerated pizza dough, cut it into strips and baked it.  It made delicious ‘pizza crust’ bread sticks, perfect for dunking into BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 rotisserie chicken or about 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup diced grilled red onion
• 2 8- ounce blocks cream cheese softened
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce plus more for drizzle
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing plus more for drizzle
• scallion and cilantro for garnish
• 1 tube refrigerated pizza dough

Instructions

For pizza dip…

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• Combine cooked chicken, grilled red onion, cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Mix well and pour into a 1 1/2 quart baking dish.
• Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 25-30 minutes until hot and bubbly.
• Drizzle with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing. Garnish with scallion and cilantro to serve.

For ‘pizza crust’ bread sticks…

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Roll out pizza dough and cut into 12 strips. Place strips on cooking spray coated baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes until golden brown.

The post BBQ Chicken Pizza Dip appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I know for many families Friday is Pizza Night.  At our house we’ve been toasting the end of the work week with a cold beverage and a tray of Nachos.  Last Friday we made a big pan of roasted corn & poblano nachos with sausage and queso fresco.  They were amazing.  Tonight it’s Monterey Loaded Nacho Fries, inspired by our crazy good Monterey Chicken recipe.

In place of tortilla chips, we made oven baked potato chips.  We then layered them with bbq sauce, crumbled bacon, scallion, tomatoes, jalapeno, Monterey & cheddar cheese.  They were the perfect Friday night treat.

You might also enjoy some of our other Nacho Creations.  Here’s to the weekend!!

~ Jalapeno Pulled Pork Loaded Nachos ~

~ Fresh Veggie Nachos ~

~ Beef, Bean & Cheese Nachos {with Jalapenos} ~

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Monterey Loaded Nacho Fries

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2 -4

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 lb. small new potatoes sliced thin
• sea salt
• 1/4 cup BBQ sauce
• 4 strips of bacon cooked crispy
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 med. tomato diced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1 cup Monterey jack cheese shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese shredded

Instructions

For potato chips…

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Place potato slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Spray with olive oil and bake for 15-20 minutes or until lightly browned. Depending on thickness some may brown more quickly. Remove them as they get done and sprinkle with sea salt.

To assemble nachos…

• Layer half of potato chips with half of each remaining ingredient and repeat. Bake for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.

The post Monterey Loaded Nacho Fries appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I should have named this my “Chicken or the Egg Pizza” because I couldn’t tell you which came first, our desire to make Pizza or to make Homemade BBQ Sauce and Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing.  Both of which found their way onto this BBQ Chicken Pizza.

We recently made a batch of Buttermilk Ranch Dressing and I confessed that my favorite way to enjoy ranch dressing was drizzled on top of BBQ Pizza.  There’s something about the cool ranch flavor and the tangy BBQ sauce together that makes me happy happy.  Once the confession had been made I couldn’t get the thought of that pizza out of my mind.

Which led to me requesting a jar of Homemade BBQ Sauce.  I love this stuff.  It’s a little sweet with just a bit of heat.  Perfect for BBQ Chicken Pizza.  All I needed now was the pizza dough, and we just happened to have a really easy bread machine pizza dough recipe on the blog.

We topped our pizza dough with BBQ sauce, grilled chicken breast and red onion slices, shredded cheeses and served it with a drizzle of homemade ranch dressing.  It had been years since I’ve had BBQ Chicken Pizza and it was just as good as I remember.

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BBQ Chicken Pizza

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 Bread Machine Pizza Dough recipe or favorite dough
• 2 chicken breasts grilled & cut into cubes
• 1 red onion thick sliced and grilled
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup B’s Homemade BBQ Sauce or favorite
• Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Instructions

• Prepare pizza dough according to recipe instructions. Link in post.
• Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Once dough is ready for the oven, transfer to pizza stones or pans and proceed with toppings. BBQ sauce, grilled chicken, grilled onions, and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 12 – 18 minutes, depending on thickness of crust.

Notes

This recipe makes two 12-inch pizzas with fairly thick crusts

The post BBQ Chicken Pizza appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Why not turn this favorite chicken recipe into a grilled cheese?  If I can put Spaghetti & Meatballs into a grilled cheese, Monterey Chicken seemed like a natural.  Grilled chicken breast with smoky hickory bbq sauce, crispy bacon, lots of cheese, sliced tomato and diced jalapeno & scallion….sounds amazing right?

Pile that high on some crusty bread, pan grill it in butter, and call me one happy camper.  Actually, split this with a friend…and make that two happy campers.

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Monterey Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 2 4-ounce boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 strips bacon
• 2-3 Tbl. hickory bbq sauce or favorite
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack/cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 Roma tomato sliced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1 scallion thinly sliced
• 4 slices sourdough bread
• butter for grilling

Instructions

• Cook bacon slices in a skillet until crispy. Remove to drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 1 tsp. bacon drippings.
• Pound chicken breasts to an even thickness. Pan grill until golden brown on each side and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side or until chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant read thermometer. Remove from pan.
• Butter bread slices and add to skillet. Top each slice with shredded cheese and grill until golden brown on the bottom and the cheese has melted. Place chicken breasts on two slices of bread.
• Top each grilled chicken breasts with a schmear of bbq sauce, two slices of crispy bacon, sliced tomato, diced jalapeno & scallion and a second cheesy bread slice.

The post Monterey Chicken Grilled Cheese Sandwich appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

I remember sitting outside at a patio table, sipping on a margarita, and soaking in the first glimpse of summer.  It was twenty years ago and the name of the restaurant escapes me now but the Monterey Chicken does not.

Perfectly grilled chicken breasts topped with smoky hickory bbq sauce, crispy bacon, and Monterey jack cheese baked until golden and bubbly.  Finished with a handful of diced tomato, jalapeno & scallion.  It’s been years since I’ve recreated Monterey Chicken but the first taste of summer sun brought it right back into my sweet spot.

Monterey Chicken is a great week night meal that the entire family will love.  While the chicken is grilling, slice and dice your toppings.  Then finish in the oven.  You’ll have a colorful and oh so flavorful dish on the table in about 30 minutes.

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Monterey Chicken

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 strips bacon
• 2-3 Tbl. hickory bbq sauce or favorite
• 2 ounces Monterey Jack/cheddar cheese shredded
• 1 to mato diced
• 1 jalapeno fine diced
• 1 scallion thinly sliced

Instructions

• Grill chicken breasts until almost done (about 155 degrees).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Top each grilled chicken breasts with a schmear of bbq sauce, two slices of crispy bacon and a handful of shredded cheese. Place in oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly and chicken registers 165 degrees.
• Remove from oven and sprinkle with diced tomato, jalapeno and scallion. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

The post Monterey Chicken appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Brunswick Stew.

It began yesterday morning when we pulled a hunk of Boston Butt Pork Roast from the freezer and put it straight into the crock pot.  Without a plan.  As we bounced ideas around for something ‘different’ we could do with pulled pork…it came to me.  Let’s make Brunswick Stew. 

We pulled two boneless skinless chicken breasts from the freezer and added them to the crock pot with the pork, this would give us our meat base for the stew.  We also opened a bag of dried lima beans and got them soaking.

It was pulled pork roast for dinner on Saturday night, reserving enough for Brunswick Stew the following day.  On Sunday morning we got busy shredding pork and chicken (love cooking together), dicing up onion, new potatoes, jalapeno and garlic.

This might be a good time to discuss the heritage of Brunswick Stew.  Actualy when you live in Georgia and your family has a home on St. Simons Island, there’s no question where Brunswick Stew got it’s name.  Brunswick, Georgia of course.

This iron pot stands at the Brunswick/St. Simons visitors center as a reminder to those who question.

Recipe notes:  Classically Brunswick Stew is made with smoked meats.  Depending on which part of the south you’re from can change the ingredients list slightly.  For us, we were sticking to ingredients already in our fridge/pantry.  Next time I’ll opt for frozen lima beans (dried limas take forever and then some to cook).

When choosing your vinegar based BBQ Sauce, check the ingredients list, vinegar needs to be No. 1 or No. 2.  We love this HOT Georgia Soul sauce.  It delivers a little lot of heat, so no need for extra hot sauce.  I also substituted some leftover marinara sauce and the end of a bottle of chili sauce in lieu of the can of tomato sauce.  Some Brunswick Stew recipes call for okra, we added new potatoes to bulk it up a bit.  Gradually add your chicken stock over the time your stew simmers until you achieve the desired thickness.

When you get done, your Brunswick Stew should be thick with a wonderfully tangy tomato flavor.  This recipe is a great way to Share the Love with family and friends AND you’ll have enough leftover for a freezer tub as well.

The post Brunswick Stew {Eat Out of the Fridge/Pantry} appeared first on Lemony Thyme.

Pulled Pork Baked Potato {with a side of slaw}.

I choose to view leftovers as an opportunity.  You know those small containers of last night’s dinner that tend to hang around for a day or five until they become unrecognizable (at least to those of us without a science degree).  Don’t let that happen to you.  Start looking at them as Potato Toppers.  I promise you when we made Slow Braised Boston Butt Pork Roast, baked potatoes were the last thing from my mind.

However, two days later when we had eaten all the Pork Butt we could, I remembered something I had seen on Jim ‘n Nick’s menu (a local BBQ hot spot).  They call it the Loaded BAR-B-Q Baker.  It was with that in mind that I built our Pulled Pork Baked Potato with a side of slaw.  Now that’s the way to turn a baked potato into a meal.  Take a Perfectly Baked Potato, top it with heavenly pulled pork, savory coleslaw and a drizzle of your favorite BBQ sauce….such as our Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce.

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Pulled Pork Baked Potato {with a side of slaw}

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour

Servings 1

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

• 1 Perfectly Baked Potato
• 1/2 cup pulled pork see recipe link in post
• 2 Tbl. favorite BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 cup prepared coleslaw

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Scrub potato under running water. Pierce several times with a fork. Bake for one hour or until soft.
• Slice down the center; fluff potato with a fork. Top with pulled pork, a side of slaw, and a drizzle of bbq sauce.

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Our ‘unofficial kick-off to summer’ was this past weekend and included Honey BBQ Pork Back Ribs.  Tender, finger-licking good, awe-mazing Honey BBQ Pork Back Ribs.  One of our favorite ‘grilling’ cookbooks is Championship Barbecue Sauces by Chef Paul Kirk.  We adapted his Kansas City Style Ribs recipe.

Before doing anything else, remove the silverskin from the underneath side of each rack of ribs.  This is no small task but so worth the effort.  Using a small pairing knife, start at one end of the rack, gently loosen the silverskin until you have enough to hold on to.  Grip the skin (using a paper towel will improve your grip), then slowly begin to pull it off, using the knife to loosen when necessary.  The idea is to pull off one continuous piece.  Best of luck.

To begin, assemble a dry spice rub made from a combination of sugar and other seasonings in a glass jar (so you can shake the heck out of it to combine).  Generously coat the ribs with the rub.  We used an oven method for cooking, although grilling over indirect heat or smoking is great as well.  For the oven method, place the ribs on a rack in a roasting pan.  Add 1-inch of water, beef bullion and Worcestershire sauce to the water, then cover with foil and slow roast for about three hours.

While ribs are cooking, prepare the Honey BBQ sauce.  I actually love this part of Chef Kirk’s recipe.  He calls for 1 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce with a 1/2 cup of honey.  What could be easier than that.  You know what you like in a BBQ sauce so go with it.  The honey gives these ribs a nice caramelized sticky finish.

After 3 hours of roasting check the ribs for doneness.  The meat should be very tender and pull away from the bones.  When done, brush the ribs with the BBQ sauce and put them under the broiler to finish.  If you like your ribs wet, you can add additional sauce after cooking.

Honey BBQ Pork Back Ribs with Parmesan Herb Roasted Potatoes and roasted corn on the cob.  Welcome summer thyme.  We’re officially ready.

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Honey BBQ Pork Back Ribs

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author adapted from Chef Paul Kirk

Ingredients

• 2 slabs pork back ribs
• 3 Tbl. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 beef bullion cubes

For the Dry Spice Rub…

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 3 Tbl. seasoned salt
• 2 Tbl. chili powder
• 2 Tbl. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbl. celery seed
• 1 Tbl. onion powder
• 1 Tbl. garlic powder
• 1 Tbl. ground sage
• 1 Tbl. ground thyme
• 1 Tbl. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

For the Honey BBQ Sauce…

• 1 cup your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1/2 cup honey

Instructions

• Using a small pairing knife, remove the silverskin from the underneath side of each rack of ribs. Starting at one end of the rack, gently loosen the silverskin until you have enough to hold on to. Grip the skin (using a paper towel will improve your grip), then slowly begin to pull it off, using the knife to loosen when necessary.
• Combine dry spice rub ingredients in a glass jar, then give a good shake to combine. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season generously with spice rub, using about 4-6 Tbl. per rack.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a rack inside a large roasting pan. Lay ribs meat side up on rack. Add about 1″ of water to the pan, the Worcestershire sauce and bullion cubes then cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Roast for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 275 degrees for 1 hour, then 250 degrees for an additional 30 minutes or until done.
• While ribs are cooking, combine the BBQ sauce and honey in a small sauce pan. Simmer for 5 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Set aside.
• Ribs are done when the meat is very tender and pulls away from the bones. Turn oven to broil and raise oven rack to give about a 2-inch clearance for the ribs. Generously coat the ribs with the Honey BBQ sauce. Place ribs under broiler until the sauce is bubbly and just begins to blacken. Allow to rest 5 minutes before cutting.
• Serve as individual ribs or as portions of 5-6 ribs per person.

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