Creamy Chicken Brussels Skillet
A creamy one-pot meal for 4 that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
One-pot dinners sometimes need time to go in and out of fashion. I feel like they got really popular, then died out, then came back, so while we’re in the “back” phase let’s make a creamy Dijon one-pot dinner with golden chicken tenders, crispy bacon, and crisp tender brussel sprouts. Why doesn’t this exist already is something I asked myself. This is my new favorite dinner to make when I’m feeling like eating something good and good for me.
A one-pot recipe happens all at once, so be sure to get your components prepped. Cut your brussel sprouts and put them in a bowl, tenderize and season your chicken tenders and hold them on a plate, and don’t forget to prep all the sauce ingredients in a bowl. Keep your prep ready and this dinner is a cinch.
We start with the bacon cooking in the pan to render out the bacon fat. Bacon is not only going to be the crispy topping we taste on our first bite, but will be the fat the chicken and brussel sprouts will cook in. A built-in fat component that will flavor the sauce.
Take your time to slowly render the chopped bacon in your pan, so be sure the heat doesn’t get too hot that they cook too fast and burn. Remove the bacon when it’s cooked with a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving as much oil as possible. Time to cook the chicken.
Turn up the heat on the oil and add your chicken. You should hear a sizzle. Cook your chicken on the first side for 2 – 3 minutes or until golden. This is your presentation side. Flip over and let finish cooking for 1 – 2 minutes and remove to a plate. You should have some residual fat to cook the brussel sprouts in now.
The brussel sprouts need to cook quick so that heat should still be cranked up to high. Add your brussel sprouts in and season with salt and pepper immediately. Toss to make sure they are glossy with fat. Flip all the sprouts cut-side down and let cook for 1 – 2 minutes. Scrape from the pan and stir once more. Let the cook for 1 minute then remove to the plate with the chicken.
Finish up your skillet dinner with a sauce. Add all your cooked ingredients back to the pan once your sauce is formed and garnish with crispy bacon. Serve with this presentation before tossing all the chicken and sprouts together.
Creamy Chicken Brussels Skillet
Ingredients
- 8 oz. thick-cut bacon, chopped
- 1 lb. brussel sprouts, halved
- 1 lb. chicken tenders
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pasted
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 2/3 cup cream
- 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Season chicken tenders with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- In a cast iron pan or skillet, cook the chopped bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Strain bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Add the brussel sprouts to the bacon fat pan, season, and toss with the fat and spread them out evenly. Let the brussel sprouts cook for 2 - 3 minutes until one side is caramelized then remove them to a bowl.
- Add olive oil and seasoned chicken tenders to the pan. Cook for 3 - 4 minutes until golden on one side. Flip the chicken and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Add garlic to the pan and cook until golden, then deglaze with white wine until reduced.
- Add the chicken stock, cream, and whole grain mustard until reduce by half until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Add the chicken back to the pan, sprinkle over the sprouts, and add the chopped bacon. Toss everything in the sauce before serving!