Chicken & Brussels Sprouts over White Bean & Rosemary Puree

I had thawed some chicken legs, and we'd just had Peking Honey Chicken a couple weeks ago. I needed a new recipe!

I found this one in Food & Wine Quick from Scratch Chicken Cookbook. It takes just 40 minutes, which worked out fine for a week night. And H-Bomb loves Brussels sprouts. This is a nice, well-rounded dish with a side of beans! What more can you ask for?

I did have to add more water to the beans before serving, and I really didn't end up with much in the way of pan juices. I added about 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan, after deglazing I simply stirred the pan juices into the beans since there wasn't really enough to put some juice over each serving. Other than that, I followed the recipe.

Our niece was here for dinner, and she even said, "These Brussels sprouts are way better than my mom's!" Everyone liked the chicken, although Sawed Off refused to taste one Brussels sprout! I may be spoiled by our various Chicken in a Fabulous Sauce recipes; I was really missing more of a "sauce," but it was delicious.


Chicken & Brussels Sprouts over White Bean & Rosemary Puree
Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 40 minutes Serves 4 A drizzle of pan juices ties everything together to make a complete meal that's welcome during the winter. Cannellini, one of our favorite canned beans, make a quick, delicious puree.

3/4 pound Brussels sprouts, cut in half from top to stem
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken thighs (I only had drumsticks thawed, so we used 8 of those instead of thighs)
4 chicken drumsticks
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled, or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
4 cups drained and rinsed white beans, preferably cannellini (2 cans)
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. In a medium bowl, toss the Brussels sprouts with 1 tablespoon of the oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

Put the chicken pieces in a large roasting pan and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Arrange the chicken pieces about 1 inch apart, skin-side up, and roast for 25 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts and continue cooking until the chicken and sprouts are done, about 12 minutes longer. Transfer them to a plate and leave to rest in a warm spot for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil, the garlic and the rosemary over low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes. Raise the heat to moderate and add the beans, 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Cook, mashing beans to a coarse puree, until hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley.

Pour off the fat from the roasting pan. (we had no excess fat) Set the pan over moderate heat and add 1/2 cup of water. Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits. Boil until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 4 minutes. Add any accumulated juices from the chicken and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Spoon the white bean puree onto plates and top with the chicken, Brussels sprouts and then the pan juices.