Master Chef Cookbook

I love the chef reality shows and Master Chef is one of my favorites. When I found the Master Chef Cookbook from first season almost new, online and on the cheap, I hit Amazon’s “one-click-order.” It didn’t disappoint. The recipes are so incredibly delicious-sounding, I couldn’t resist making this one.

Smothered Chicken with Bacon Brussels Sprouts

1 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 lb. Brussels sprouts
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
2 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, chopped
cooked white rice, if you’d like it
kosher salt
pepper
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, needles stripped from stem and chopped
1 shallot, halved lengthwise and sliced
4 bacon slices, cut in 1″ pieces
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, rinsed and patted dry

Some of the ingredients; looks good already

Combine flour, paprika, cayenne, garlic, 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper in a pie plate, mixing together with your fingers. Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper.

Chop onion.

My trusty sous chef played a key role in this dish

Dredge seasoned chicken in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess.

Coat large skillet with oil and place over medium heat. When the oil is hot, lay chicken in pan. Brown for 3 to 5 minutes each side, until the outside is nicely browned. Remove to side platter.

Love the way browned chicken looks

To the drippings in pan add 1 tbsp of oil and the chopped onion, salt and pepper. Cook and stir for 3 minutes, or until onions soften and start to brown.

Pour the chicken broth into the plan and bring to a boil, stirring.

I like to use a splatter screen on the frying pan

Return chicken to the pan, toss in rosemary and gently simmer for 5 minutes or until sauce thickens.

This is a teensy little bowl, so cute

Rosemary can be an in-your-face herb. M. chopped the rosemary very finely, which kept the flavor subtle. Perfection.

Here’s the chicken back in the pan

Prepare the Brussels sprouts

Cut off the brown ends and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mine had neither, but M. trimmed them. Cut them in half lengthwise.  I steamed them a bit first, as I like them very tender; it takes a long time to saute them soft enough for me. A little head start hastened the process.

Coat large skillet with the remaining 1 tbso of oil; place over medium heat. Add bacon and cook, stirring for two minutes to render some of the fat.

Bacon definitely requires a splatter screen

Add shallot, stirring to coat; cook for 5-7 minutes or until bacon is crisp and shalllot is caramelized. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon and shallot to a little side bowl.

To drippings in pan, add sprouts and season with salt and pepper. Spread them out so all are touching the hot pan.
Once they start to brown, toss and cook for 10 more minutes or until tender. Salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Pretty, isn’t it?

You can serve over rice; we didn’t. If you do, place a piece of chicken atop a mound of rice. Ladle the sauce on top to smother. Scatter Brussels sprouts around plate and sprinkle bacon-shallot mixture on top.

This meal was yummy.  It’s a little work-intensive for company; when we have dinner guests they (and I) want to talk. This isn’t the kind of dish that allows multi-tasking. But for us? Perfection.

This week? On a juice fast to recover. 😉

What great recipes have you tried recently?