Crispy Chicken Legs & Brussel Sprouts

I found this recipe on Thursday, and had hoped to make it that night, but I was on call at the restaurant and ended up having to work. I had time to make dinner tonight, so, of one of the three options from Thursday night, Tom chose this one.

One-Pan Crispy Chicken Legs & Brussels Sprouts {Gluten-Free & Paleo}

Ingredients

• 2 whole chicken legs (skin on & bone in)
• 1 stalk of Brussels sprouts, stemmed and chopped
• 1 generous tbs of coconut oil
• salt, pepper & granulated garlic
• 1 tbs olive oil, for sprouts
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• Pecorino or Parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
2. Wash, prep, de-stem and halve all of your Brussels sprouts.
3. Toss them in a bowl with your olive oil and a pinch or two of salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Season to your taste.
4. Wash your chicken legs and pat them dry.
5. Liberally season both sides of your legs with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Set aside.
6. Heat up your coconut oil in your cast iron skillet until hot. To test, flick a drop of water into the oil. It should hiss and sizzle.
7. Once your oil is heated up, add your chicken legs to the pan face down.
8. Allow them to sit there and get crispy. This will take several minutes. Don't move them, even if you are tempted. Mine crisped up in 6-8 minutes.
9. Once the first side is crispy, flip your chicken legs over and crisp up the other side.
10. When both sides of the chicken are crisped up, add in your Brussels sprouts to the pan along with your chicken broth and lemon juice. Stir.
11. Place your pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clear.
12. Garnish with some freshly grated Pecornio or Parmesan cheese and serve. If you are eating Paleo this step can be skipped, and it will still be super tasty.
13. Enjoy!

Now, I used what I could get - a pack of three chicken legs, a pack of four chicken thighs, 1 pound of brussel sprouts, 1 tablespoon of reconstituted lemon juice, and olive oil instead of coconut oil - and I thought it turned out pretty well. I over-seasoned the chicken with Paula Deen's House Seasoning, but both Tom and I both agreed that the chicken was delicious. The Brussel sprouts were a different matter. I enjoyed them, but Tom didn't - but at least he tried them.