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Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Sautéed Apples—one of the top five most popular recipes on my site—  is a skillet dinner recipe that happened due to a chance encounter at Trader Joe’s. Had it not been for a fortuitous introduction in the wine aisle, this gem of a recipe might have been lost forever.

cast iron skillet sitting on a green checkered dish towel. Inside: Chicken Apple Sweet Potato Skillet with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

Harvest Chicken Skillet History

The original version of Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Sautéed Apples first appeared in my recipe archives four years ago, when I was still snapping haphazard recipe photos with my non-smart phone. I took these photos under our hazy orange kitchen light 30 seconds before dinner. I then casually uploaded the recipe to the interwebs and happily went along my food blogger path. The photos were far from enticing (see for yourself—I included the original at the bottom of this post for posterity), and I assumed no one ever really got around to cooking it.

Fast forward a few years and a few hundred recipes later, and I had all but forgotten this Harvest Chicken Skillet existed.

Then, I went to Trader Joe’s.

healthy chicken dinner served from the pan - Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes and Apples

I was browsing the wine aisle at Trader Joe’s debating which bargain bottle to add to my cart, when a blog reader stopped me to introduce herself. SO FUN! (PS. This does not normally happen.)

She mentioned that she makes this Harvest Chicken Skillet almost every week in the fall…and it took me an indisputably awkward amount of time to figure out which recipe she was talking about.

After attempting to play it cool, I found the recipe on my phone, then promptly purchased every ingredient I needed to remake it right then and there.

cast iron skillet with a dinner of Chicken, Bacon, Brussels Sprouts Skillet with Sweet Potatoes and Sauteed Apples

Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Sautéed Apples, welcome back into my life!

Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes Brussels Sprouts and Sautéed Apples—Autumn in a Meal

We’ve eaten this chicken skillet so many times since that run-in at Trader Joe’s, I honesty don’t know how I forgot about it in the first place. It features all of my favorite fall ingredients—sweet potatoes, apples, Brussels sprouts, and a touch of cinnamon—along with one of my favorite year-round ingredients, BACON. I love that it’s made in single pan, is healthy and filling, and reheats well too (just like this Sweet Potato Pasta).

Chicken Apple Sweet Potato Skillet with Bacon and Brussels Sprouts

Today’s version of the recipe is almost identical to the original version I posted back in 2012. I clarified a few things in the recipe directions to make them easier to follow and added the nutritional information.

This harvest chicken skillet recipe is also Paleo and Whole30 approved, so if you are following either diet, you can enjoy it too.

Dear Harvest Chicken Skillet with Sweet Potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and Sautéed Apples, I’ll never forget you again!

Recommended Tools to Make This Harvest Chicken Skillet Recipe

More Stellar, Healthy Chicken Recipes


Chicken, Apple, Sweet Potato, and Brussels Sprouts Skillet

With sweet potatoes, apples, Brussels sprouts and bacon, this healthy Paleo and Whole30 approved chicken skillet is packed with flavor and delivers every food group in one pan!

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (divided)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 4 slices thick-cut bacon (chopped)
  • 3 cups Brussels sprouts (trimmed and quartered (about 3/4 pound))
  • 1 medium sweet potato (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 8 ounces))
  • 1 medium onion (chopped)
  • 2 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and cut into 3/4 inch cubes)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced (about 2 teaspoons))
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
  • 1 teaspoon <a href="http://amzn.to/2cTnYMV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">ground cinnamon</a>
  • 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth (divided)

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large, nonstick or cast iron skillet over medium high, until hot and shimmering. Add the chicken, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer to plate lined with paper towels.

  2. Reduce skillet heat to medium low. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crisp and brown and the fat has rendered, about 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate (I simply laid another paper towel on top of the plate with the chicken, then stacked the bacon on that). Discard all but 1 1/2 tablespoons bacon fat from the pan.
  3. Increase skillet heat back to medium high. Add Brussels sprouts, sweet potato, onion, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and the onions are beginning to look translucent, about 10 minutes.
  4. Stir in the apples, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Cook 30 seconds, then pour in 1/2 cup of the broth. Bring to a boil and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved chicken and remaining 1/2 cup broth. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes. Stir in reserved bacon and serve warm.
  • Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (the bacon will soften somewhat, but the meal is still yummy). Reheat gently in the microwave with a splash of chicken stock to keep it from drying out.

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