Cozy Comfort Food: Chicken and Green Beans

It may not be as cold as Buffalo, but it is still the perfect time of year for a warm cozy meal. This dish is simple enough to please the whole family, while flavorful to keep you wanting more. This recipe made two servings with leftovers. Make sure to check out my serving tips at the very end.

You will see from this dish that I prefer meals with satiating fats and complex carbohydrates. The link between heart disease and fat consumption is simply false. What lead to low-fat diet recommendations was a combination of bad science, cherry-picking, and politics (and what do politicians know about health??). While the over consumption of calories from any source can lead to weight gain, fats in moderation are not the bad guy they've been made out to be. If you are interested in learning more, I suggest you take a look at a new book, The Big Fat Suprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet by Nina Teicholz. 

Chicken and Green Beans

Ingredients:

• Green beans (1 cup)

• Yellow onion (.5 lrg)

• Bacon (4-6 pieces)

• Chicken Breast (2-3 pcs)

• White wine or chicken broth (1/2 cup)

Prep time: 5 mins   Cook Time: 30-40 mins

1. Start by preheating a deep pan on medium. Once warm, add your bacon and cook until light brown. While your bacon cooks prep your veggies: dice the onions and cut green beans in 1" pieces.

2. I love my George Forman grill, but if you don't have one, the chicken could be cooked in the oven or in a pan, whatever you prefer. My grill takes ~15-20 mins to cook 3 breasts so I started the chicken the same time as the rest of the dish. (I added the bacon on top so that the chicken would brown a little extra, totally optional.)

3. While you chicken cooks pull the cooked bacon out and let it cool on a paper towel. When the bacon has cooled, crumble it. Leave the grease in the pan!

4. With the pan on medium-high, add your onion and green beans, stir frequently to get all sides coated with the grease. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to med-low.

5. When your onions have gotten soft and brown, turn the heat back up to med and add the white wine or broth to deglaze the pan. Make sure to scrape all the tasty brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Check your green beans, but they will likely need maybe 5-10 more mins simmering in the juices.

6. When your chicken is cooked, let it cool for 5 mins then cut into bit sized chunks. 

7. Add the chicken and bacon to the pan and stir. You can cover and let it all sit on low heat to make sure everything is piping hot.

8. My bacon usually gives the dish enough salt, but I would suggest some fresh ground pepper for sure. 

Serving Tips:

If you wanted this dish to be a stand alone meal I would suggest doubling the amount of green beans. For this meal I had a garlic zucchini side dish for added veggies.

As is, the flavor profile is rich but fairly simple, so it would pair well with a light but full flavored side. Or if you wanted to serve it over plain rice, you could boost the flavor with some spices (sage, Italian Seasonings, rosemary).


Enjoy this warm cozy meal and let me know any changes you tried!