“I need you to go down to the storage room and bring up some elbow grease,” he snickered. So off I went…
That was my introduction to the work world at my very first real job as a “Salad Girl” at Bonanza. I was 14 years old. And it was at Bonanza that I not only learned the true meaning of elbow grease, but also fell in love with Monterey Chicken.
I’m from the ’80’s and if you are too, then you’ll likely remember down home family restaurants like Bonanza and Ponderosa. These restaurants still exist in some U.S. states such as Texas, but sadly, they are no longer in Canada.
Chicken Monterey
I have craved this Monterey chicken for years and since I can’t get it in Canada, I decided to create a copycat version of Bonanza’s Monterey chicken. In the process of creating this recipe, I attempted to get a hold of everyone I remembered that worked with me at the restaurant all those years ago (and I was still friends with on Facebook) to see if I could piece the recipe together. After some Facebook messages and experimentation, this was the delicious result!
Bonanza restaurant
Obviously, I never found the elbow grease in the storage room, but let me tell you, I searched really hard for it, even going back upstairs to ask the supervisor what the container looked like. My hazing was complete; I was officially initiated into the world of work.
And although I put a hell of lot of elbow grease into that job, I still had some of the best times of my young life working at Bonanza. I guess it was the combination of my new found freedom, earning an actual pay cheque and the social connection that made it fun, because it definitely wasn’t the actual work. In fact, it was total grunt work.
I clearly recall, on a relatively slow day at the restaurant, being assigned the task of “scraping the scum off the baseboards.” I was a bit more seasoned by that point and asked the supervisor if he was serious. Unfortunately he was. That particular experience was what first motivated me to consider pursuing post secondary education.
Copycat Chicken Monterey
In my quest to find out how this Monterey chicken was made, I discovered that the chicken arrived from Sysco, already marinated, then the Catalina dressing was brushed on towards the end of the cooking process. Sadly, I can’t replicate it exactly because Sysco doesn’t sell to the public, but this recipe is a close second!
So, if you don’t have a Bonanza or Ponderosa near you and find yourself longing for their Monterey Chicken, then give this copycat recipe a try. And be sure to try my other copycat recipes too:
IHOP Harvest Grain and Nut Pancakes Copycat Recipe
Clancy’s Ceasar Salad Dressing
This recipe is better grilled, but if it’s too cold to grill outside and you don’t have an indoor grill, then a stovetop grill may be a good option for you. But you can also make it in a frying pan (that’s what I did, as I bought my stovetop grill AFTER I made this recipe)! Here’s a few options if you need one:
Monterey Chicken (Bonanza Copycat)
Ingredients
- 6 chicken breasts
Marinade
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice from concerntrate
- 1 tbsp soya sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 16 oz - bottle of Catalina Salad Dressing 475 ml
Instructions
Marinade
- Mix all marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Set aside ¼ of the marinade (and place in separate sealed container in fridge)
- Cover raw chicken with remaining marinade in a sealed container and place in fridge to marinate overnight (8 hours)
- Remove chicken from marinade and dispose of used marinade. *The chicken will have a pinkish/orange color from the marinade.
- Grill (or cook in frying pan on stovetop over medium-high heat) marinaded chicken until thoroughly cooked (about 15-20 minutes), brushing with the marinade you set aside, before removing from the grill.
- Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is part ofThe Country Cook’s Weekend Potluck
I forgot all about Bonanza but I remember it was a good place to take the family. I also forgot about Catalina dressing. This chicken is so simple, but looks delicious. Definitely a must try.
Thanks, Colleen! Happy to jog your memory:)
Is this boneless, skinless breasts?
Yes it is boneless and skinless.
Can you bake it? If so what temp and how long
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried baking it, but I would probably bake it on 350 degrees F for 30 minutes (in the marinade),turning it after 15 minutes. Then turn up to broil (500 degrees F) for 2-5 minutes to crisp it a little, but watch carefully it doesn’t burn.
I’d love to hear how it turns out! Enjoy!
Terri
We used to own one in the 80s and the Monterey Chicken was just marinated in Catalina dressing. I remember making tons of this! Chicken breasts came in raw and we added the dressing to cover for usually 2 days. That’s it!
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for that! I do like my little add-ins, though. Gives it some additional flavor.
I love your story about getting tricked when you first started working at Bonamza.
I worked at a Bonanza for several years and it was a great job. I started as dishwasher/busboy and worked my way up to head cook on the broiler.
My first night as a.dishwasher resulted in me being hazed too.
One cook told me I should ask Susan about her sister, since her sister was a very good dancer and that would get me in good with Susan – she had worked there for many years as head cashier and was the equivalent of an assistant manager – without the title and pay.
Susan came back to the dish washing area shortly after that, so I asked her about her sister the dancer. Susan immediately began crying and shouted “That’s not funny! My sister doesn’t have any legs!”
I had never.felt so bad in all my life. I felt like crying and repeatedly apologized to Susan. After about a minute of me profusely apologizing, other employees came pouring into the dish area laughing. I had been royally hazed. That was the beginning of about 5 years of a wonderful job
The recipe I remember was just normal chicken breasts, brushed with Catalina dressing throughout the grilling process.
I almost always begin cooking any chicken recipe by seasoning it with salt, pepper and garlic when I begin cooking it, no matter whatever other seasonings I use for the recipe.
I love to marinate any meat, chicken or seafood, so I will give your recipe a try. It looks delicious amd I’m sure that marinating the chicken will add even more flavor to an already great recipe. Thanks for bringing back very fond memories for me.
Hi Todd,
Thanks for sharing your Bonanza hazing story! Good to know I wasn’t the only one lol! I hope you enjoy the recipe and it brings back just as many great memories (it was definitely my go-to staff meal!) Terri