Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Kale
A Tuscan chicken recipe to make right now! Combine pantry ingredients to make this hearty Italian stew with white beans, tender braised boneless chicken thighs, kale and tomato sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ (75 g) red onion thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves grated on a Microplane or finely chopped
- 3 cups (750 ml) homemade marinara or 1 24-ounce jar prepared sauce
- 1 15-ounce (425 g) can white beans (cannellini) drained
- 1 tablespoon (30 g) chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 cups (265 g) Tuscan lacinato or curly kale, torn into pieces
- 2 thick slices crusty sourdough bread toasted
- ¼ cup (25 g) freshly grated Parmigiano cheese
Instructions
- Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Season evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Put 2 tablespoons of the 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 the onion and garlic to the pan, stirring to coat with the pan juices. Cook 2 or 3 minutes, until the onion softens.
- Add the sauce, beans, rosemary and 1/2 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 the bread with olive oil and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
- Remove the chicken from the heat and stir in the kale until it wilts. Serve in shallow bowls topped with some of the bread and sprinkled with the cheese.
Notes
- 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 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 647kcalCarbohydrates: 87gProtein: 49gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gSodium: 1699mgPotassium: 984mgFiber: 6gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 2008IUVitamin C: 23mgCalcium: 199mgIron: 9mg