RECIPE:  Sweet Garlic Chicken and Brussel Sprouts

Sweet Garlic Chicken and Brussel Sprouts Pictured with Rosemary Brown Rice and Quinoa

I was looking for a simple oven baked chicken recipe that would not taste dry and I found it!  On a whim, I thought, what if I toss my Brussel Sprouts in the same yummy sweet garlic sauce?  What if???  What if my kids actually were standing over the pan post dinner to make sure the leftovers were split evenly?  Brussel Sprouts?  Yep, that happened.

Ingredients:

3 Large or 4 Medium Chicken Breasts sliced in half and then into palm sized or close portions

8 Cloves or 6 TBSP Garlic from the Jar

7-8 TBSP Brown Sugar

4 TBSP Olive Oil

1 1/2 Cup Brussel Sprouts (small) cut in half

1 Cup Shredded Parmesan or Parmesan/white Cheddar Blend Cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Begin by slicing your Brussel Sprouts in half.  I like smaller Brussel Sprouts and you can get more flavor to veggie ratio:)  Add them to a mixing bowl.

Heat your 3 TBSP olive oil over medium and add the garlic.  You will cook this just until if softens and gets slightly browned. While this cooks, slice your chicken crosswise and then into palm sized portions (or close to it).  Place the chicken in a baking dish. I choose one where the chicken all touched but did not overlap so that it would all be immersed in the sauce.  I also (and I am glad I did) decided to line both my pans with foil and then a layer of cooking spray.  Brown sugar can get a  little sticky so it seemed like  a good idea.

When your garlic is ready, remove it from the heat and add the brown sugar.  Start with 7 TBSP (that is what I used) but you may add more if the sauce looks to runny.  Pour 1/2 the mixture over the chicken.

Raw chicken is not the most attractive thing, but here is a picture of my pan, sliced chicken and sauce.

Place the chicken in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.

Next, mix just over half of the sweet garlic sauce you have remaining (reserve a few TBSP) with the Brussel Sprouts to coat them.  Now lay them out on a baking sheet.  I opted to spray the tops with a bit of Olive Oil spray as well.

You should be about 10-12 minutes into your chicken baking, this is a good time to add your Brussel Sprouts to the oven.  Your chicken will cook a total of about 40 minutes and your veggies about 28-30.

When your 30 minute timer goes off for your chicken goes off, remove it from the oven and add your last few tablespoons of sauce to the top and cover the chicken with your cheese.  Shredded parmesan is great, but I found an amazing cheese blend I used at Trader Joe’s. I recommend a similar. If you choose to not add cheese, that is OK too.  Once you have added the extra sauce and optional cheese, place the dish back into the oven for about 8 minutes.

When you have 2 minutes remaining, check your chicken and veggies.  If they look nice and brown, you can remove them.  I personally enjoy a little extra crisp in my veggies so I like to switch the oven to broil low and give the it 1-2 minutes.  This is optional if you feel your cheese is well melted and veggies are browned enough, you can skip it.

Here is what the Brussel Sprouts looked like when I removed them from the oven:

I choose to serve this with a rosemary brown rice and quinoa that we like.  I knew it would have a sweet flavor so I was looking for something a bit savory to go with it.  A mild pasta, rice or similar would go well, too.  I think it would be fun to try the sauce with a red potato, carrots, green beans or many other side dishes if your family does not like the Brussel Sprouts (but I think they will surprise you)!

This one was a winner at our house!  Let me know how it goes if you try it at home!