Chicken and Cannellini Beans
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Chicken and cannellini beans braised in a rich tomato sauce, finished with wilted kale and toasted sourdough that soaks up every bit of the pan — this Tuscan one-pan stew comes together in about 30 minutes.
The structure for this dish comes from ribollita, the Tuscan bean soup traditionally thickened with day-old bread. Here it’s adapted with boneless chicken thighs to make it a complete main course rather than a starter.
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★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Hubby doesn’t like kale, but had no problem eating it in this flavorful dish! We’ve made it twice now — the second time with arrabiata sauce and doubled garlic, and it was absolutely delicious.”
Sharon
What’s in this, and why
- Cannellini beans: These mild, creamy white beans are a cornerstone of Tuscan cooking — the base of ribollita, pasta e fagioli, and countless other Italian dishes that have fed families for centuries on very little. Canned beans work well here and absorb the tomato sauce beautifully as the stew cooks. If you have cannellini beans cooked from scratch on hand, use 2 cups — the texture and flavor are noticeably better.
- Bread: Stale or day-old bread is a staple of Italian peasant cooking — a way to stretch a meal and thicken a broth at the same time. I keep a loaf of sourdough or ciabatta around specifically for dishes like this. Day-old works better than fresh because it holds its shape as it absorbs the sauce rather than dissolving into it
- Leafy greens: Lacinato kale — also called Tuscan kale, dinosaur kale, or cavolo nero — is the traditional choice for ribollita, and for good reason: Its sturdy leaves wilt into the stew without getting soggy. Curly kale works too, as do chard or collard greens.
Chicken and Cannellini Beans
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- ½ (75 g) thinly sliced red onion
- 2 grated or finely chopped garlic cloves
- â…“ cup chicken broth
- 3 cups (750 ml) prepared marinara sauce
- 1 15-ounce can (425 g) cannellini beans, drained
- 1 tablespoon (30 g) chopped fresh rosemary or thyme
- 2 thick slices crusty sourdough bread, toasted
- 4 cups (265 g) torn lacinato kale, curly kale, or other leafy greens
- ¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
- Season 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Put 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil in a large, deep skillet (12-inches) and place over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chicken and cook without disturbing 6-8 minutes, or until it takes on a golden-brown color.
- Flip the chicken over and add ½ thinly sliced red onion and 2 grated or finely chopped garlic cloves, stirring to coat with the pan juices. Cook 2 or 3 minutes, until the onion softens.
- Add ⅓ cup chicken broth, 3 cups prepared marinara sauce, 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary or thyme and ½ teaspoon salt to the pan, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook 10 minutes.
- Uncover the pan and continue to simmer 10 more minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Drizzle 2 thick slices crusty sourdough bread with olive oil and cut into ½-inch cubes.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and stir in 4 cups torn lacinato kale until it wilts. Serve in shallow bowls topped with some of the bread and sprinkle with the cheese.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Use your favorite prepared pasta sauce (chunky style for a thicker sauce) or make a batch of my easy homemade marinara sauce.
- To prepare in a slow cooker: Follow steps 1-3 to sear the chicken, either on the stovetop or in your slow cooker insert if it’s compatible. Add the onion and garlic for the last 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker with tomato sauce, beans and rosemary. Add another can of cannellini beans for a heartier texture, if you like. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high 4 hours. Stir in the kale and cheese and serve with the bread on top.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Easy and delicious, we loved
Delicious, Thanks! I used kale and was excellent!
Hi Karen, made this tonight for dinner a second time.. Hubby doesn’t like kale, but had no problem eating it in this flavorful dish! The first time we made it exactly as directed, including home made marinara and just added some red pepper flakes because we like a little spice. Tonight, however, I doubled the garlic… and opted for arrabiata sauce (rao’s) for marinara because he prefers it, and omitted extra 1/2 tsp of salt because the jarred sauce probably has enough sodium already. We are trying to limit carbs so, instead of placing a slice of bread atop the dish, I made home made croutons… the toasted sourdough bread chunks limited our carbs vs. a whole slice of bread. Again, it was absolutely delicious 😉 and no one is complaining about me serving kale with dinner!!
thank you!
Your tweaks sound so good!! Thanks for sharing.
This was delicious! I used dense multi-grain bakery bread as I’m not a fan of sourdough. We also sprinkled on some crushed red pepper flakes before serving. I will definitely make this again.
Hi! I want to make this in a slow cooker. I don’t want stew or soup. I want a hearty chicken Dish. Anything I need to do different?
Jhanna – great question! You can make this recipe in a slow cooker for sure.Follow steps 1-3 to sear the chicken, either on the stovetop or in your slow cooker insert if it’s made for that. Add in the onion and garlic for the last 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker with tomato sauce, beans and rosemary. Add another can of cannellini beans for a heartier texture, if you like. Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high 4 hours. Stir in the kale and cheese and serve with the bread on top.
When do you add the kale?
Hi Lori – That was a typo – thanks for pointing it out. Add the kale in step 7, just until wilted. Then add the bread and cheese.
For how much time shall I cook if it is beef or mutton? Really like the recipe but I am avoiding chicken these days.
Hi Samantha – I haven’t made this with either beef or mutton. But if you’d like to try beef, I recommend getting boneless chuck or shoulder steaks (cut 1/2-inch thick). Brown them and braise covered for 1 hour in the sauce, then uncover and reduce a further 15 – 20 minutes to thicken the sauce if necessary. Let us know if you make it!