Tuscan Chicken Thighs are super easy to prepare and makes a great weeknight dinner! All you need is a package of chicken thighs and a few pantry staples, along with fresh garlic, fresh thyme and a lemon from the fridge. Cannellini beans add creamy texture without adding any cream!
What are Cannellini Beans?
Cannellini beans are a popular staple in central and southern Italy. Cannellini beans, also known as white kidney beans, taste mild and creamy. This makes them a great addition to entrees, soups, stews, dips and other side dishes. Adding them to an entree, such as Tuscan Chicken Thighs, gives it an extra punch of protein. One cup contains 17g of protein and 11g of fiber! I always try to have a variety of beans in my pantry, including cannellini beans, so I have them on hand for any dish!
Prepping Your Tuscan Chicken Thighs
First, grab your colander to rinse your cannellini beans. They are often covered in a thick juice, so its best to rinse it off before adding your beans to your dish. Next, prepy our fresh thyme by giving it a quick rinse. You can try it on a paper towel and set aside until ready to use.
Modern Empty Nester Tip: If you don’t have fresh thyme, you can use dry thyme leaves. But there is no comparison to the fresh fragrance and beauty of fresh thyme sprigs cooking with the chicken.
Wash your lemon and begin slicing it into thin rounds. Discard the two ends and reserve your lemon rounds onto a separate dish. Thinly slice your fresh garlic cloves and place on the same dish with lemons.
Modern Empty Nester Tip: Modern Empty Nesters want minimal dish washing — so cut your lemon and garlic first and set aside! This way, you can use the same cutting board for your chicken. If you trim your chicken first, you will have to grab a second cutting board or wash the cutting board before reusing to avoid bacterial contamination.
Next, it’s time to prep the chicken. I always like to trim the fat off my chicken thighs and clean them. Depending on the brand, there can to be extra fat, bones, and veins that no one wants to eat! So grab your cutting board and trim away! Rinse the chicken in the colander and pat dry.
Ready to Cook Tuscan Chicken Thighs
Add the olive oil to the pan and turn the stove to medium-high. Toss garlic slices into the olive oil in the pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the chicken thighs. When garlic begins to sizzle, add your chicken to the pan. Be careful not to burn the garlic, because this will change the taste of the olive oil and the overall flavor of the finished dish. Sprinkle desired amount of paprika over the chicken to give it some color. Sear chicken on both sides to get some good golden color. Feel free to add a little more olive oil, depending on your pan size, if needed. Use your judgement, just don’t overdo it.
Next, add the chicken broth around the chicken and simmer. Add rinsed beans around the chicken. Top chicken with fresh thyme sprigs and sliced lemon rounds. Place the lid onto the pan. Simmer on low heat for 20 minutes for flavors to meld. You will see the chicken broth begin to look a bit creamy and luscious. Spoon over the chicken to keep chicken moist.
Transfer your Tuscan Chicken Thighs to a serving platter or serve right from the pan. Serve alongside a beautiful Easy Italian Salad. Enjoy!
Tuscan Chicken Thighs
Equipment
- 1 Large saute pan with lid
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Colander
Ingredients
- 9 individual Chicken thighs
- 1 can Cannellini beans (15.5 oz)
- 1 Lemon, sliced in circles
- 2 cloves Garlic
- Paprika, to taste
- 2 tbsp. Olive oil, extra virgin
- 1/2 cup Chicken broth
- Fresh thyme, several sprigs
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Prepare chicken thighs by trimming fat off with a sharp knife. Rinse thighs in colander and pat dry. Sprinkle salt, pepper and paprika onto thighs, as desired.
- Heat olive oil in pan on medium high heat and add in chopped garlic. Once garlic is heating up, add in chicken thighs to pan, searing both sides of chicken until a golden crust forms. Add chicken broth to pan with chicken and simmer.
- Top chicken with fresh thyme sprigs and sliced lemon rounds. Rinse beans and add around chicken. and then simmer on low heat for additional 20 minutes for flavors to meld.
- Serve and enjoy!
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