Skillet Dijon Chicken with Shredded Brussels Sprouts and Lentils
Thin chicken cutlets seared and set aside while shredded brussels sprouts frizzle in the same pan, finished with lentils, a mustard pan sauce, lemon, and parsley.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Somebody is going to eat at six and somebody else at eight, and this holds beautifully in the pan for exactly that, with slices of chicken laid back over warm sprouts tasting just as good twenty minutes later. Everything happens in one skillet in about fifteen minutes of actual cooking. The chicken is halved horizontally into thin cutlets, which is the single change that makes chicken breast worth eating on a weeknight: thin means it cooks in six minutes and comes off the heat before it has a chance to go dry and stringy.
The sprouts are the part people remember. Shredded rather than halved, they have an enormous amount of cut surface, so they brown almost immediately in the fat the chicken left behind and taste toasted rather than sulfurous. Mustard and broth go in next and do the work of a pan sauce, scraping up everything stuck to the bottom and turning it glossy, and the lentils go in there to soak. I use cooked lentils from a pouch or a can on purpose. Simmering them from dry would double the time and would not make the plate taste better.
It is a cold-weather dinner that does not feel heavy, which is a narrow target to hit. Mustard, lemon, and thyme are a classic French trio and they keep the whole skillet sharp, while the lentils give it enough body that a plate of it eats like a proper meal on its own. I slice the chicken across the grain and fan it over the top so every serving gets sauce, and I put the extra lemon half on the table for the people who like everything brighter than I do.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally into 4 thin cutlets
- 1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and thinly shredded
- 1 cup cooked brown or green lentils, drained and rinsed
- 2 shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, plus the zest of the lemon
- 1 3/4 tbsp olive oil
- 1/3 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 1/3 tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Shred the sprouts: Trim the stem end from each brussels sprout, halve it, then lay the halves cut side down and slice them thinly into shreds. The slicing disc on a food processor does a pound in under a minute. Separate any clumps with your fingers so the shreds cook evenly, and keep them dry.
- Sear the cutlets: Season the cutlets with half the salt and the black pepper. Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a twelve-inch skillet over medium-high until it shimmers, then lay the cutlets in and leave them for three minutes without moving them. Turn and cook two to three minutes more, until an instant-read thermometer reads 165°F. Move them to a board.
- Frizzle the sprouts: Add the rest of the oil, then the shredded sprouts and the shallot with the remaining salt. Press them flat and leave them for three minutes so the underside darkens, then toss and repeat once, five to six minutes in total. They are ready when a good third of the shreds are deep brown and the rest are tender and bright.
- Build the mustard sauce: Stir the thyme through, then pour in the broth and whisk in the dijon mustard, scraping the bottom of the pan as the liquid bubbles. Add the lentils and cook two minutes more, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling to the sprouts and there is no loose liquid pooling at the edges.
- Finish and serve: Take the pan off the burner and stir in the lemon juice, the lemon zest, and most of the parsley. Slice the cutlets across the grain, lay them over the sprouts with any juices from the board, and scatter the last of the parsley over the top. Serve straight from the skillet.
Variations
- Shredded cabbage: Swap the brussels sprouts for thinly sliced green cabbage, which browns just as willingly and gives a softer, sweeter pan.
- Dill rather than thyme: Use a tablespoon of chopped fresh dill in place of the thyme for a version that leans green and cool against the mustard.
- White beans: Cannellini beans stand in for the lentils and give a creamier, rounder texture that soaks up even more of the sauce.
- Turkey cutlets: Turkey breast cutlets work in place of the chicken, seared the same way, and they hold the mustard sauce particularly well.
- Apple and cider vinegar: Add a diced firm apple with the shallot and finish with cider vinegar rather than lemon for a sweeter, more autumnal skillet.
Storage & Leftovers
This keeps four days in a sealed container in the refrigerator, and it is one of the few chicken breast dishes I am happy to eat cold. Store the sliced chicken on top of the sprouts rather than mixed through, so it stays in contact with the sauce and does not dry at the edges overnight.
Reheat it covered in a skillet over medium with a splash of broth or water, three to four minutes, just until it steams. The mustard sauce tightens as it chills and needs that liquid back. High heat is the thing to avoid here, since already cooked chicken breast turns firm and chalky the second time around.
The sprouts and lentils freeze for up to three months in flat, sealed portions, though I leave the chicken out of the container and cook it fresh. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a pan rather than from frozen, then finish with a squeeze of lemon to bring the sharpness back.
Notes & Tips
- Halve the breasts horizontally: A whole chicken breast takes fifteen minutes and dries out at the thin end. Two thin cutlets cook in six and stay juicy through the middle.
- Let the pan get properly hot: The oil should shimmer and move like water before the chicken goes in. A lukewarm pan gives you pale meat and no browned bits, which means no pan sauce.
- Do not stir the sprouts right away: Three still minutes at the start is what builds the dark frizzled edges. Constant tossing steams them and you end up with a pale, wet pan.
- Whisk the mustard into liquid, not fat: Adding dijon straight onto hot oil makes it split and turn grainy. The broth goes in first, then the mustard whisks smoothly into it.
- Rinse the lentils: Canned and pouched lentils carry a starchy liquid that clouds the sauce. Thirty seconds under the tap keeps the pan looking and tasting clean.
- Save the zest: Zest the lemon before you juice it and add the zest off the heat. It carries the perfume that the juice alone does not, and heat drives it straight off.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Chicken, lentils, and shredded sprouts split the work three ways here. The cutlets carry most of the protein, the lentils add their own along with the fiber and the body that makes this a full plate, and the sprouts bring bulk and sweetness once they brown.
- Chicken breast is close-grained and mild, which is why it takes on the mustard and thyme so readily, and it is dense in protein for how quickly it cooks. Slicing it thin and pulling it at temperature is what keeps it tender.
- Brussels sprouts belong to the cabbage family, and shredding them turns their faint bitterness sweet and nutty against a hot pan. They carry vitamin K and vitamin C in real quantity, along with the fiber that gives the skillet its volume.
- Lentils hold their shape in the sauce and give the dish something to chew, and they bring both plant protein and folate to a pan that would otherwise be all vegetable and meat. They also soak up mustard better than almost anything else I cook with.
- Mustard, thyme, lemon juice, and zest are what keep a browned, savory skillet from tasting one-note. The acid goes in with the burner off, so it stays sharp and perfumed rather than cooking down into the sauce.
- As you eat, look for the darkest sprout shreds and notice how much sweeter they are than the pale ones beside them, and give yourself long enough at the table to taste the lemon that went on at the very end.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken thighs instead?
Yes, and they are more forgiving. Use boneless, skinless thighs opened flat, sear them four to five minutes a side, and cook them through to 175°F, which is where thigh meat goes tender. They render more fat into the pan, so start the sprouts with a little less oil.
Do the lentils have to be cooked already?
For a dinner this quick, yes. A can or a vacuum pouch of cooked brown or green lentils goes straight in, drained and rinsed. If you are starting from dry, simmer a half cup of green lentils for twenty five minutes ahead of time and this becomes a weekend recipe rather than a weeknight one.
My sprouts came out soft and gray. What happened?
Either the pan was crowded or the shreds were wet. A pound of shredded sprouts needs a full twelve-inch skillet, and if yours is smaller, brown them in two batches. Dry them thoroughly after washing, and leave them alone for the first three minutes so the cut faces sit against hot metal.
Is the mustard going to make this taste sharp for children?
Dijon loses most of its bite once it has simmered in broth for a couple of minutes, and what is left reads as savory rather than hot. If you want it gentler still, use one tablespoon rather than two and add an extra squeeze of lemon at the end to keep the sauce from tasting flat.