Chicken and Green Beans

Green beans and chicken might not be the first dish that comes to mind when you think of comfort food, but once you try this chicken green bean recipe, it will be high up on your list when you want a meal that nourishes both your stomach and your heart. The slow cooker does most of the work, with a quick broil at the end, and there’s minimal prep at the start, all of which brings additional comfort.

Inspired by Greek cuisine, chicken with green beans is a great dish to serve with rice, with a hearty bread or with other grains like farro or barley. It’s a meal that will change the way you think about green beans. So let’s power up the slow cooker and do our bit of prep.

Ingredients for Chicken and Green Beans

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• Fresh green beans: You’ll need a pound of fresh green beans, trimmed and rinsed. It’s best to use fresh green beans if you can get them, so the texture comes out just right.
• Tomatoes: Use two large tomatoes or the equivalent in smaller tomatoes like plum or cherries; either way, they’ll be chopped.
• Onion: A yellow or white onion works best here, well chopped, of course, so that the flavor will spread out into the dish.
• Chicken broth: You can use a vegetable broth as well, if that’s what you have.
• Fresh dill: Measure out 1/4 cup of fresh snipped dill.
• Lemon juice: Use 2 to 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, depending on your affinity for lemon flavor. Fresh lemon juice is ideal, but store-bought works too. If you’re unsure, here’s how to juice a lemon.
• Garlic cloves: Make sure the garlic is finely minced so it permeates the dish well. You can use frozen pre-minced cloves as well.
• Chicken thighs: Use bone-in chicken thighs with a total weight of around a pound and a half. If they were frozen, be sure they’ve thawed overnight in the fridge.
• Olive oil: Don’t substitute with different oil like canola or avocado, as you want the olive oil flavor here.
• Optional garnishes: Lemon wedges and additional snipped fresh dill are optional but recommended, both for flavor and for presentation.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the vegetables

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Combine the green beans, tomatoes, onion, broth, dill, lemon juice and garlic in a 5- or 6-quart slow cooker.

Step 2: Add the chicken and slow-cook

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Top this mixture with the chicken, then drizzle on the oil and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Cook everything on low, covered, until a thermometer inserted in the chicken reads 170° to 175°F, four to six hours.

Step 3: Broil the chicken

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As you near the end of the slow-cook, preheat the broiler. Place the chicken on a greased rack in a broiler pan and broil it 4 to 6 inches from the heat until it’s golden brown, three to four minutes.

Step 4: Combine the chicken and green beans

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Serve the chicken with the bean mixture and, if desired, lemon wedges and additional fresh dill.

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Chicken and Green Beans Variations

• Try it with pork: You can follow this same recipe using pork chops for a delightful meal, just note that pork is ready at an internal temperature of 145°, so the slow cooking will not take as long.
• Use snap peas instead: If you don’t have or don’t care for green beans, you can make this dish with snap peas instead. It will be a bit sweeter and very tasty.
• Double the tomatoes: Adding extra tomatoes will make this a tangier, juicier dish that tomato lovers will ask for time and again.

How to Store Chicken and Green Beans

This dish will keep well in the fridge for up to three days. You can reheat it in the microwave, but heating it in a pan with a splash of broth will best recreate the fresh taste and texture.

Can you freeze chicken with green beans?

This meal will freeze well for about two months; after that, the green beans will start losing their texture. Place the leftovers in airtight bags for freezing, and reheat portions in a microwave at 50% power.

Chicken and Green Beans Tips

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What should I serve with this dish?

As noted above, this chicken and green beans dish goes great with all sorts of small-grain options, like rice, farrow, barley, pearl couscous and more.

Can I use frozen green beans?

Not so much. The freezing process already begins to break down the cellular structure of the green beans, so using them will result in a mushy dish.

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Yes, you can use canned tomatoes, and in fact, their fluid will add flavor and tenderness.