Mon Petit Cabbage...

So I might have felt a little bit like Pepe la Pew when I came across these beauts.  I had never seen brussel sprouts for sale on their stalk!  It was truly a thing of beauty and a source of inspiration for what could have been a beautiful meal. 
While my roasted chicken and brussel sprouts in a lemon dill cream sauce tasted pretty great, it wasn't so easy on the eyes.  The wonderful thing about cooking is how much you can learn from your own mistakes.  For example, a sauce containing dairy and citrus can look beautiful in your saucepan and poured over top of your finished dish, but should you choose to cook it in a very hot oven for thirty minutes atop your chicken and veggies, it will NOT remain emulsified.  You will have a very clumpy and separated looking mess.  At least it still tasted good!  If you want to try this one, I'm sure it could look almost as beautiful as it could taste should you choose to roast the chicken and sprouts first and pour the sauce on just as it's finishing.  This was a quick meal using individually frozen chicken breasts you can find at Trader Joe's.  No need to thaw.

Preheat your oven to 425 or as directed for the cut and quantity of chicken you're using.  I used four breasts.  Cut sprouts off the stalk and score an "x" into the bottom of each cut sprout.  Why?  Because Julia Child tells you to.  I have no idea why, but I blindly obeyed.  Put all your sprouts (I used maybe a pound?) and your chicken in a roasting pan and into the oven for thirty minutes, turning the breasts over once for even cooking.  While your sprouts and chicken is roasting, find a small saucepan.

For the sauce, finely dice one yellow or white onion and cook until softened in a tablespoon of melted butter and two teaspoons olive oil.  Add 2 Tbsp flour and keep stirring until the flour, onion and butter mixture begins to pick up a golden color.  Deglaze with the juice of a whole lemon, scraping up any browned bits.  Pour in a cup of chicken stock and a can of skim evaporated milk (or some half and half if you really want to go for the gusto) and continue to stir while this reduces and becomes thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.  When it reaches this point, add 3 Tbsp chopped dill and continue to cook and stir for a few more minutes.  When chicken is five minutes away from being done, pour the sauce over the sprouts and chicken.  Serve over brown rice garnished with chopped parsely.  Let me know how it goes.

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