Monday, February 3, 2014

Tuscan Chicken & White Bean Dinner

Tuscan Chicken & White Beans 

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, sliced thing (1 1/2 cups)
1 Tablespoon minced fresh garlic
1 cup chicken broth
8 medium-sized carrots (about a pound), cut into 1" chunks
2 cans (15 ounce each) white kidney beans (cannellini), drained and rinsed
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon dried sage leaves, crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 chicken thighs (about a 1 1/3 pound), skin and visible fat removed
1 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley, minced

1. In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
2. Stir in broth, carrots, beans, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper.
3. Arrange the chicken on top of the bean mixture. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Turn the thighs over and simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring 2 to 3 times, until the chicken is opaque near the bone, the carrots are tender, and some beans have broken up and thickened the stew. Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the parsley. Serve right away.

Thoughts: This dish is both gluten free and dairy free. It is affordable as chicken thighs go on sale about every 3 to 4 weeks (my sale cycle anyway) for about $1.20 a pound. Canned beans do as well. (Cannellini beans are white kidney beans and look great in this dish but some stores consider them a speciality item and charge more for them. Regular red or pink kidney beans can be substituted or even canned "Great Northern" beans, which are smaller but very tasty). Notice the number of herbs used in this dish. Consider that as we move into the garden season. Start tucking a couple bucks a week into an envelope for herb plants. Come May, you should be able to buy the basics. My daughter has a narrow 6" strip of dirt along one of her walkways that we planted in herbs last year and that investment really paid off! We used the herbs fresh all season and had plenty to dry for winter use.

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