Italian Chicken with Garlic butter Green Beans and Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
This meal right here, especially this chicken, is probably one of my all-time favorite go-to meals when I'm tired, I have to make a mess of food, and I don't want to eat like crap.
Just to show you this dishes lasting power: Ferp chicken came from a friend quite a long time ago, and to this day is still a request from members of my family for get togethers or Sunday dinners thanks to the zesty flavor from the Kraft Italian dressing*.
You can pretty much pair this chicken with anything (I usually go for pasta, big surprise), but for this quick meal prep I stayed on the somewhat healthier side and chose steamer bag Kroger* green beans with my ride or die Kerrygold Garlic and Herb* butter and lemon, and pan roasted brussels sprouts with bacon mixed in. Hope you enjoy this meal as much as I do, and if you decide to change things up and rotate in some new sides, leave me a comment below letting me know how it went!
* I am in no way affiliated with Kroger, Kraft, Kerrygold brands, I just recommend using them as Kroger frozen steamer veggies are pretty much on sale for $1 literally every time I go in, and they get the job done. As for Kerrygold, it is a bit of a splurge if you are on a strict budget, but I cannot get enough of the wonderful flavor it adds to all kinds of dishes that I make, and a little bit goes a long way. Hands down, I will absolutely stock up every time it goes on sale. And lastly, Kraft Italian dressing because it's how I was taught to make this chicken, and I like the flavor, dang it!
Ingredients:
Chicken
- 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half lengthwise to make 6 thin breasts
- 1 bottle of Kraft Italian dressing
- 1 packet of red pepper flakes from last weeks takeout pizza
Sides
- 10 brussels sprouts
- 1 package of frozen Kroger green beans steamers
- Kerrygold garlic and herb butter, 2-3 pats of butter
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 2-3 strips of uncooked bacon
- salt and pepper for sprinkling
- olive oil for greasing your roasting pan
Method:
1. Prep your chicken breasts; slice in half lengthwise if larger (and then you get twice the chicken!).
2. Place your chicken in a half gallon freezer bag or container with enough of the Italian dressing to coat the chicken, 1 - 1/2 cups, and your red pepper flakes. Refrigerate for 2 hour to marinate (or skip entirely because half the time I do that just so I can eat faster).
Before marinating:
2 hours later...
3. Heat a skillet pan on medium - medium high. Once it's hot enough, add your chicken to the pan (do not add any cooking oil, or do, I'm not a cop).
Add a few drops of Kraft Italian dressing onto the tops of the chicken to help give it a nice dark caramel-y color when it cooks out.
4. Cook your chicken for 20 - 25 minutes (depending on how thick your sliced breasts are; two of those guys up there took the full amount of time, while the smaller ones were much faster). Flip halfway through your cooking time, making sure to add additional Kraft Italian dressing on top of the other sides.
**Note: your chicken will look darker in some spots because of the dressing cooking out - YOUR CHICKEN IS NOT BURNT, DON'T FREAK OUT!
5. While your chicken is cooking, prep your brussels sprouts and bacon. I like to cut my sprouts in half and then half those halfs (especially if they're on the bigger side). Slice your bacon into small bite size squares.
6. Preheat your over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a baking sheet pan (or whatever you have handy, I don't judge) line with foil or using directly on the pan, drizzle your olive oil just enough to cover the pan.
Add your sprouts and bacon, a little salt and pepper, and toss to evenly coat everything. Place in your oven and cook for 20 - 25 minutes (depending on the strength of your oven).
7. Grab your handy dandy Kroger steamer green beans and pop it in the microwave as directed on the back of the bag.
** The angle is deceiving, there's a good amount of green beans in that container.
8. Toss your green beans with the best butter ever, lemon juice, salt, and paper.
** Up close photos of the best butter ever:
9. You're done! If you do happen to try my recipe, like it (or hate it, it happens), please tag #sociallystacia. Thank you!