The review: Brown Sugar Spiced Baked Chicken Breast and Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

I love Brussels sprouts. I also love lima beans. I think people who hate either of these foods have never tried them cooked correctly. That’s not to say I am the master chef because boy, I am not. I totally get it. There are some things that even a master chef could cook (duck, octopus) and I would have to pass. I just don’t like them. But, c’mon. Let’s give the Brussels sprouts a chance.

I will say that I don’t understand why people insist on boiling their Brussels sprouts. Seems to me you run the risk of over cooking and then no one will eat their veggies. There must be some technical chef reason for this. Anyone want to fill me in? While I wait for an answer on that, I am going to skip the boiling when I make Brussels sprouts. I am not, however, going to skip butter. I learned at an early age (thanks, Dad) that butter makes all vegetables better. This is perhaps why I like lima beans. Dad always cooked them in butter. And we can all point to Julia Child if anyone complains about butter.

So I give a hearty thumbs up to Brussels Sprouts with Pecans. Cut those babies up, sauté a little onion and garlic in some butter and olive oil. Add your Brussels sprouts. Give them a nice toasty coating – about 10-12 minutes in the pan - then toss with toasted pecans. Couldn’t be easier. (Most of) the kids will eat them too. 

Let’s talk about the chicken. I will admit that I had low expectations about this one. I chose it only because I thought the kids would eat it and I know we’ve had a few experimental meals around here lately. Winner. I’m not kidding, I think Gus ate his weight in chicken tonight. And believe it or not, I really liked it too. The chicken was flavorful and moist. Baked chicken breast can be hard to pull off without being a little dry or rubbery. In this case, the rub seemed to keep the juices in and almost formed a nice skin on the top of the chicken. You can taste the brown sugar and cumin. Definitely let it sit for a bit with the rub on before baking. The flavors are worth it.

I thought we would have leftover chicken for lunches later in the week. No such luck. The kids went to town on this chicken. I will be making this again. Easy, quick, and tasty.