My Attempt at Chicken Brussel Sprout Casserole
Honestly? Brussels sprouts kinda scared me. They smell strong, like kid’s nightmare veggie. But this recipe said “easy,” so screw it, I grabbed stuff from my fridge.
First, got my baking dish out. A big ol’ rectangle one – casserole means big portions, right? Turned the oven on. Needed 400 degrees F. Just twisted the knobs until I heard it click on. Preheating takes forever, man. Started chopping while waiting.
Took chicken breasts. Boneless, skinless. Thought boneless meant easier. Cut ’em into small chunks, like dice but messier. Didn’t worry about perfection. Threw those chunks into a big bowl. Salt, pepper? Yeah, dumped some in. Didn’t measure. Just shook the bottles over it. Paprika too, for color. Mixed it all up with my hands. Got raw chicken goo on my fingers. Washed hands extra good.
Next: the sprouts. Bought a bag pre-washed to save time. Chopped off the hard ends. The recipe said “halve them.” Tried, some quarters happened. Who cares? Tossed ’em into the bowl with the chicken.
Now the sauce. Scary word, but not really. Needed cream and cheese. Pulled out heavy cream – it’s thick stuff. Poured maybe a cup? Kinda eyeballed it over the chicken and sprouts. Then cheese. Had pre-shredded mozzarella in the fridge. Dumped half the bag on top. Used a wooden spoon to mix everything in the bowl. Looked gloopy and green. Smelled weird raw.
Dumped the whole mess into that baking dish. Didn’t spread it perfect. Some spots piled high. Whatever. Thought “needs crunch.” Recipe said breadcrumbs. Found some Panko in the pantry. Sprinkled that on top. Then grabbed the Parmesan cheese stuff in the green can. Shook a bunch of that over the breadcrumbs.
Oven beeped! Ready. Shoved the dish in, middle rack. Timer set for 25 minutes. Waited. Smelled kinda bad at first. Like sulfur from the sprouts? Freaked out a bit. But slowly, the smell changed. Started smelling cheesy, roasty. Timer went off, but chicken wasn’t cooked? Stabbed a chunk with a knife – juice was pink. Put it back for 10 more minutes. Grumbled.
Finally, timer went off again. Took it out. Looked bubbly! Breadcrumbs golden. Fork stabbed chicken came out clean this time. Forked a sprout too? Soft? Wow! Actually looked kinda appetizing. Whole damn kitchen smelled like roasted cheese and chicken.
Scooped some out. Hot steam burned my thumb. Ate a sprout piece first. WOW! Roasting totally changed it. Still veggie, but sweet? And soft! Chicken chunks were juicy. Sauce soaked everything. Breadcrumbs gave it crunch. Couldn’t believe it came from my oven. Wasn’t beautiful like Instagram, but tasted legit. Even my partner ate sprouts without complaining. Easy? Messy prep, but worth it. Definitely doing this again, maybe try adding bacon bits next time.
