Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, and Bacon

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This Easy Chicken Brussel Sprouts and Bacon recipe is such an easy and delicious family dinner. To save time, you can prepare everything ahead or even use leftover Chicken or Turkey. Only 15 minutes prep time and 25 minutes cook time!

Here we go…it’s Bacon-Time!  Easy Chicken Brussel Sprouts and Bacon-Time to be exact, and it’s a perfect and quick Fall family dinner!  It has a creamy sauce filled with salty bacon, earthy and almost nutty seared brussels sprouts, and hearty healthy chicken.  Serve over rice and it’s a delicious dinner the whole family will love.

This bacon brussels sprouts recipe is also a great way to use rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving!!  Simply shred or cut the turkey and use in place of the chicken and add it to the recipe when you would add back the cooked chicken.

 If you like chicken and brussels sprouts, check out this Spanish Sheet Pan Chicken version too!

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Simple Ingredients

• Chicken breasts, boneless skinless – You can replace the raw chicken with precooked or leftover chicken or leftover turkey to save time. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs. I always have raw chicken breasts in the freezer as they can last up to 12 months if in an airtight container or packaging. Check out all of my tips on Prepping and Storing Chicken for Easier Dinners.
• Bacon – Use your favorite bacon. I used smoked bacon. If you opt for a turkey bacon or other lower fat option, you will need to add oil to make up for the lack of fat when adding the chicken.
• Brussels Sprouts – Brussels sprouts are readily available in the produce department and are great in this recipe cut into halves or quarters all bites same size. You can replace with broccoli florets, cauliflower florets, carrots, or other vegetables of your preference.
• Onion, diced – I used yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, shallots, or even scallions. If you don’t have fresh onion, you can also use a tablespoon of onion flakes or onion powder.
• Unsweetened Coconut milk – I used Goya Coconut Milk in a can. However, you can use any brand of canned Lite or regular Coconut milk. If you buy your coconut milk from the dairy section, be sure to get the Plain Unsweetened variety. You can also substitute with regular cows milk, plain unsweetened almond milk, or heavy cream.
• Chicken Broth or stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock or beef broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base.
• Cornstarch – Cornstarch is the thickener in the sauce and is great because it can be mixed into cold liquid to dissolve and create a slurry. Then add it’s added to hot liquid to thicken it. It’s much easy than making a flour roux and saves lots of time and fuss!
• Uncooked Long grain White rice – You can substitute with any rice that you have on hand, such as serving this over jasmine rice. You can also sub in quinoa, egg noodles, regular noodles, brown rice, or cauliflower rice.

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps

You are busy, so these are the steps you can do a day or two in advance to prepare food ahead!  (See the recipe below for more details)

If a brussels sprout is much larger than the others, you can quarter it so that all pieces are roughly the same size.

If you are doing the prep a day or more ahead, then seal in storage containers and place all prepped ingredients in the fridge.

Cook Your Chicken Brussel Sprouts Bacon Dinner

Make rice according to package instructions. You can also swap the rice with pasta, egg noodles, or quinoa.

For this recipe and other soups and stews I absolutely LOVE My Le Creuset Dutch Oven.  It was my Mom’s and now it’s mine and I feel like she’s with me in the kitchen when I cook with it.  Not to mention, it’s just a gorgeous piece of cookware.  Of course, you can use any other soup pot, large cast iron skillet, or dutch oven.

Preheat a skillet, dutch oven, or large bottom pot on medium heat. Add the chopped bacon in an even layer and cook to render the fat for about 8 minutes. Remove the crispy bacon to a plate, leaving the fat in the pan for the next step.

To the bacon fat, add the chicken in a single layer and brown over medium-high heat (takes about 4-5 minutes). Then turn the chicken to brown the other side and finish cooking through. Another 3-4 minutes. Remove the golden brown chicken to the plate with the bacon.

To the same pan, lower the heat to low and add the onions.  Cook for about 5 minutes to soften, stirring so as not to burn. 

TIME SAVING TIP! Freeze your own diced onions. Dice several onions in advance and freeze them in in a storage bag! The onions will already be soft from being frozen and they cook beautifully. You also always have freshly frozen onion on hand! If you want more time-saving tips, check out this printable cheat sheet with 10 Freezer Hacks to make easy dinners!

Turn the heat back up to medium and add the brussels sprouts with a touch of olive oil if needed at this point.  Add salt and black pepper, then stir.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until the brussels sprouts begin to sear and soften.

Add back the chicken and bacon pieces, then pour in the entire can of coconut milk and stir until any solids melt and all ingredients combine.

Add and stir in bouillon or chicken base.  For deep flavor in quick dinners, I love to use Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base.  It adds wonderful flavor in minutes that tastes like you have been cooking for hours.

For the thickener in the sauce, I use Corn Starch, which is gluten free and doesn’t require the longer time to cook that a flour roux would take.  Make a slurry by mixing the cornstarch into cold water.  Pour the slurry into the pot, stirring to smoothly combine.  Turn the heat up to high until a soft boil, then turn down to medium.  Continue stirring as the sauce thickens.

That’s it!  Serve over rice, pasta, or quinoa and ENJOY!

😍 Carrie

RECIPE FAQS

Can I use leftover roasted Brussels sprouts in this chicken recipe?

Yes, you can definitely use leftover roasted brussels sprouts! Since they are already cooked, you can skip Cooking Step #5.  Instead, the best way is to just add the brussels sprouts to the pot with the chicken and bacon. If you have other roasted vegetables leftover as well, feel free to use those too! For example, leftover roasted sweet potatoes would be delicious!

Can I make this Chicken Brussel Sprouts Bacon in the slow cooker?

If you are looking for slow cooker recipes to save space in the oven on Thanksgiving, then you can definitely move this one to the slow cooker. To do so, follow the same Prep-ahead steps and Cooking steps #1-3 so that you render the bacon fat and use that to sear the chicken. Then in Step 4, simply add everything to the slow cooker and set for 4-6 hours high heat or 8 hours low.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts?

Yes, you can use chicken thighs, but I recommend sticking with skinless boneless chicken thighs for easy prep and cooking. Consider the amount of thighs that you will need as well. Generally, I estimate 16 ounces or 1 pound of chicken for 4 servings. That will likely mean 5-6 boneless skinless thighs, depending on their size. The recipe instructions will be the same for thighs as the breasts.

Can I use rotisserie or leftover chicken or turkey in this Recipe?

To save time, you can use pre-cooked chicken or leftover turkey in this Chicken, Brussels Sprouts, Bacon recipe.  Simply skip Cooking step 3, which is cooking the meat.  Instead of cooking the meat, in the Prep Steps, you will cut the chicken or turkey into cubes or shred it into about 1 inch pieces.  Then in Cooking Step 6, add the chicken or turkey to the pan with the bacon and let it warm through for about 3-5 minutes.  Then follow the normal cooking instructions in the recipe after that.