To say this dish is a blast would be underselling it! Cheesy Chicken Explosion brings its own boom with crunchy, savory chicken breasts slathered in a dynamite mustard and barbeque sauce swirl and mixed with bacon for an extra crackle. But you can’t have a Cheesy Chicken Explosion without the cheese, and the melty half-pound of creamy, buttery Monterey Jack cheese provides that and then some! With all this piled atop tender pasta, the Cheesy Chicken Explosion bursts with flavor, and your tastebuds will be in awe!
Ingredients
- 1 (16-ounce) box penne
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- 6 (4-ounce) chicken breast halves, skinless and boneless
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 pound bacon, sliced
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (18-ounce) bottle honey mustard barbecue sauce
- 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
- 1 (8-ounce) package Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.
Step 3 –Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions.
Step 4 –Drain the pasta and transfer it to a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 5 –In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and the milk.
Step 6 –Season the egg-milk mixture with the salt and the pepper.
Step 7 –Dip the chicken halves in the egg mixture.
Step 8 –Place the chicken halves in the breadcrumbs, turning to coat them.
Step 9 –Heat the olive oil and the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Step 10 –Fry the chicken halves in the olive oil-butter mixture until they are cooked to 165 degrees F, the juices run clear, and they are well-browned on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side.
Step 11 –Transfer the chicken halves to paper towels to drain.
Step 12 –Drain the excess oil from the skillet, leaving some just coating the bottom.
Step 13 –In a separate deep skillet, add the bacon.
Step 14 –Cook the bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes.
Step 15 –Transfer the bacon from the pan, crumbling it.
Step 16 –Place the skillet used to cook the chicken over medium heat.
Step 17 –Add the tomato, the onions, and the cooked bacon and cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
Step 18 –Add the honey mustard barbeque sauce and the spicy mustard to the tomato mixture.
Step 19 –Simmer the tomato mixture for at least 5 minutes.
Step 20 –Pour the sauce over the pasta in the dish.
Step 21 –Place the chicken on top of the pasta.
Step 22 –Cover the chicken with the shredded cheese.
Step 23 –Bake until the cheese is melted and the dish is heated through, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 24 –Serve.
