Chicken and Bacon? Sign Me Up

I'm always on the lookout for new ways to make chicken (in the family cookbook - chicken by far has the most recipes).  Someone showed me a way to incorporate bacon AND brussel sprouts AND mashed potatoes!  From a list of chicken recipes from BuzzFeed, this recipe is from Vodka&Biscuits and I am grateful.


Roast Chicken Breast & Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4
Prep Time 25 min
Cook Time 35 min
Total Time 50 min


Ingredients 

• 4 chicken breasts 
• 4-8 pieces of bacon 
• 1 lb. brussels sprouts 
• 1 leek 
• 4 garlic cloves 
• 3 lemon slices 
• 1/2 c. chicken broth 
• salt and pepper 
• 3 sprigs of thyme 
• canola oil as needed 
• 2 T. olive oil 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 
2. Prepare the brussels sprouts by cutting off the stem end then cutting each in half. 
3. Prepare the leek by cutting off the stem end, then slicing the leek into rounds using the white and light green parts only. Add to a bowl of water to rid any dirt, then dry and transfer to a baking dish with the brussels sprouts. 
4. Drizzle the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Set aside until needed.
5. Add enough canola oil to coat a saute pan, then heat to medium. 
6. Sprinkle each breast with salt and pepper then transfer to the hot oil. Allow to brown 3-4 minutes on each side. 
7. You can wrap the bacon before or after this step, totally up to you, just allow the chicken to slightly cool if you're doing it after browning. 
8. Transfer the bacon wrapped chicken to the dish with the vegetables. Add the garlic, lemon slices, thyme, and chicken broth. A splash of wine wouldn't hurt either! 
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until your meat thermometer reaches 160. If you want your bacon to be extra crispy, crank up the broiler and allow to cook under the broiler for a few extra minutes. 
10. Serve over creamy mashed potatoes and enjoy! 

Notes
To help get the bacon super crispy you can wrap it around the chicken before browning, you may just need a toothpick to hold it together!

If you want to make this a true one-dish meal, just add the vegetables, wrapped chicken, and remaining ingredients to the pan and throw it in the oven. The baking time will increase about 20 minutes. You don't have to brown the chicken prior!