This roasted chicken with Brussels sprouts and bacon is a super easy go-to weeknight meal for us, and I love to sometimes pair it with wild rice on the side.
This is a super easy one-dish meal that gets gobbled up quickly at my house. My younger daughter is rather picky about what veggies she will eat, but she loves Brussels sprouts – go figure. And don’t forget that you can use the bones to make overnight chicken stock in your slow cooker. So don’t let them end up in the garbage first!
Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
This roasted chicken with Brussels sprouts and bacon is a super easy go-to weeknight meal for us, and I love to sometimes pair it with wild rice on the side.
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 1 pound Brussels sprouts
- 4 chicken breasts split, bone-in
- 2 pieces bacon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- pepper
- 1 spring rosemary stem removed and leaves chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
- Wash the Brussels sprouts, trim off the ends, and slice in half.
- Arrange the chicken breasts on a baking sheet with the meat side facing up. Nestle the Brussels sprouts around the chicken.
- Dice the bacon into 1/2-inch size pieces (I love to use kitchen shears for this job) and sprinkle on top of the Brussels sprouts. Don’t let any pieces hide under the chicken or they won’t get crispy.
- In a small jar, combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and rosemary and shake vigorously until emulsified. Drizzle the oil mixture over the chicken pieces and bake for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Notes
We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Roasted Chicken with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon
Amount Per Serving
Calories 447
Calories from Fat 189
% Daily Value*
Fat 21g32%
Saturated Fat 4g25%
Cholesterol 152mg51%
Sodium 654mg28%
Potassium 1299mg37%
Carbohydrates 11g4%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 53g106%
Vitamin A 925IU19%
Vitamin C 100.6mg122%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 2.6mg14%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Want weekly REAL FOOD meal plans made for you?→ WATCH THE VIDEO
I made this but all the Brussels Sprouts got burned waiting for the chicken to be ready. How can you prevent this? Also the chicken could have a little more flavor because the oil/lemon mix just run down the chicken.
Sorry to hear that, sometimes you really need to watch the Brussels sprouts as they cook and occasionally flip them/move them around halfway. I’ve sometimes cooked them separately and taken them out before the chicken was done. – Nicole
What would you substitute for lemon juice?
Depending on your reason for replacement, you may try white vinegar or white wine. It’ll definitely change the flavor though. – Nicole
Made this again yesterday, only we used just a few sprouts (since hubby is not a fan), a carrot cut in 2″ lengths, a couple of cubed red potatoes, and some red onion. That, too. was delicious.
Just don’t crowd the pan or the veggies will steam and not roast, d’oh.
I just made this recipe for the first time tonight. I used two large boneless chicken breasts, 4 slices of bacon, 2 fresh bags of Brussel sprouts, and added a large apple. I reduced the temperature to 400 degrees and kept them in for 30 minutes; the meat was still tender and juicy. I just sliced it up before serving. I had very thick bacon from our farmer’s market, so not all of the bacon came out crispy. Overall the recipe received rave reviews from my family, especially with my 11- and 13-year-old boys!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was really good! My oldest (10 years old) who thinks the world revolves around mac & cheese, even said it was “maybe better than macaroni and cheese” so that’s a big win in my book! Thanks for all the delicious recipes!
Do you have nutrition facts for all her meals? Thank you!
Hi. We do not provide those details. This post explains why: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.
Not a good recipe. Cook your sprouts separately. Steam them first and pan sear them with a little bacon fat. They will char, be cooked through and still have a little crunch.
If I use chicken breast without the bone, would I need to change the cooking time or temp? Thank you!
Hi. The temp should be fine but boneless will cook quicker. We’ve not tried this recipe that way, however. Just use your thermometer to know when it is done.
Could you please tell me what brand of baking pan you use? I desperately need to replace my pans and I don’t want to end up buying the ones I have and love again b/c they are nonstick. Thanks!!! This recipe was fabulous and easy!!!
Hi there. Lisa has several different brands. She finds many of them here: http://mightynest.com/shop/kitchen/cookware-bakeware.
This was very tasty and pretty simple. I don’t care for white meat so we used thighs and it worked just fine. I lightly sprinkled some season salt before using the oil and lemon mixture and it was tasty and very tender. I had to substitute tarragon for the Rosemary because I didn’t have any. I wish there had been more Brussel sprouts. I partially thawed frozen Brussel sprouts and that worked fine. I’ll cook this again and use a bit more than the one pound of the Brussel sprouts because the family wasn’t satisfied with so few.
Excited to try this recipe soon. I’m not a fan of rosemary at all – could I use basil or is there a next best herb I could use in it’s place?
Hi Jennifer. We’ve not subbed in this one but this is a helpful chart: http://www.herbbee.com/cooking/herb-substitutions-in-recipes/.
Omgosh! Made this the other night- my brussel sprouts had gone bad so I sub’d Broccoli in thier place AND I only had organic boneless things but still- PHENOMENAL! Excellent recipe and will be making again very soon! THANK YOU!!
Help! Do I cook the bacon first? Or leave it raw to cook in oven? Thanks!
Hi MJ. Use raw bacon for this one.
Love this recipe! My family isn’t big on Brussels sprouts, but we inhaled them! They taste like they’ve been baked in a lemony butter sauce without an ounce of butter in the recipe. Thank you!
It looks juicy. Will definitely try that
Bacon is not a processed food?
Hi there. Bacon is an occasional food in the Leake household. It is a processed food but Lisa buys bacon that is uncured and less processed.
Our 4 year old girl and 6 year old boy love love love the chicken (wife and I do too)! We make extra and eat leftovers instead of chicken nuggets. They prefer this chicken.
I made this last night, but used chicken thighs and frozen brussels sprouts (no fresh available in my small town). I liked it, but my daughter gave it a “thumbs down.”
I loved your recipe for granola, so I thought I would try this chicken recipe. My family enjoyed the brussels sprouts but found the chicken very plain and thought it didn’t have any flavor. I think next time I will marinate/season the chicken differently but still incorporate your recipe surrounding it with the burssels sprouts and bacon mixture.
Another great recipe! Made this tonight, but used boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that’s what I had on-hand. My 2 and 4 year olds loved it, as did my husband and I! Win! The sauce was really good, especially when drizzled over the plated meal. This will be a regular in the meal rotation! THANK YOU!
Yes, I’m wondering also about boneless, skinless chicken breasts if we already have them on hand. Thanks!! This sounds delicious!
would it be different temp or time if using boneless chicken breasts? Thanks!
I used boneless, skinless breast and butterflied them. I cooked at the suggested 475 for 30 minutes, and they did overcook (but were still delicious). Next time, I will adjust the temp/time.
Hi. This might be helpful: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/difference-cook-time-between-bonein-boneless-chicken-41580.html.
Hi.. 475 F seems a bit high, especially for chicken breasts. Won’t it dry them out?
Also can I cook at a slightly lower temp, maybe 425F?
Hi. You are welcome to try but Lisa had very good results as is.
I picked up Brussels sprouts yesterday without any idea how I would use them (I know, veering-off the shopping list is a big “no-no”, but they looked so good) Your post is perfectly timed. Now I have dinner covered.
Looks deileus! :)
Do you use bone-in chicken breasts?
Yes, bone-in! Enjoy.
Made this tonight and it was delicious!
I’m so glad!
Are you using boneless chicken breasts?
Nevermind! I see in the picture they are bone-in! can’t wait to try this!
Brussel sprouts are my absolute favorite vegetable so I love the idea of this dish but we don’t like rosemary. I wonder if we could substitute thyme or tarragon?
Absolutely! I would try thyme first :) Enjoy.
This is probably a silly question, but what are split chicken breasts? Can you use regular chicken breasts?
Split chicken breasts are what you normally see in the grocery store. They take the one big whole chicken breast and split it but for all purposes, split chicken breasts are what we are use to seeing.
They are bone-in and will have more flavor :)
Thanks for posting this recipe! Can’t wait to try it. I am always looking for one dish, east, week-night meals like this. Even when I prep beforehand, I find that when I get home hungry at 6pm I need something easy, so thank you for helping me keep real food realistic!
I make a roasted meal like this just about every week. Roasted sausage and brussels spouts is also one of our favorite – love how the sausage “seasons” the veggies while roasting! Will definitely try this recipe – looks great – thanks.
It sounds very good, but olive oil should not be used over the temp of 325! It destroys the oil and causes it to be more harmful than good. FYI!
good point.
Could you use frozen brussel sprouts? Defrost then cut or just keep frozen and whole?
Hi. Defrosted and cut brussel sprouts will work fine.
Yummy!!!! What a wonderful way to make brussel sprouts. Thanks for the new recipe.
can you add a link to pin this to pinterest? I always add your recipes there :)
What changes do you think would be necessary if you’re using chicken thighs? A bit less cook time?
Hi there. We’ve not tried this one with thighs. It likely would need less time and you will have more juices (chicken fat) on the baking sheet. :)