A gorgeous dish, it really should have a fancy name…a little wine, lemon and a handful of sun-dried tomatoes spark up gorgeous green beans, chicken and a few potatoes. Fingerling potatoes or Yukons are perfect but a red potato makes a great budget stand in. And everything is napped with that bright sauce. Shhh…don’t tell anyone how simple this dish is and they’ll think you’re a genius.
Lemony Chicken with Green Beans
I love sneaky dishes like this that masquerade around as something fancy when in reality, they are just basic, inexpensive ingredients treated right. This is my kind of cooking and hits all the notes I look for in a dish:
- Healthy, with a little of the main protein, lots of vegetables and very little “starchy” element.
- Deceptively simple and fast, a few short steps ensure a glorious outcome.
- Inexpensive, easily obtained every day ingredients absolutely shine.
Fast & easy enough for a week night, if you toss this on a large platter for company it will be absolutely glorious. Add a crusty bread, pass the rest of the wine and let the party happen.
Consider artichokes or White Bean Dip with Olive Oil and Herbs as an appetizer and a simple tart for dessert. Double this with no problem (two big saute pans would work best or you might end up taking more time to reduce) and this dish can be kept warm in the oven for a short period prior to serving. Remove the lemon if holding the dish or it will be too strong.
The only potentially expensive ingredients in this dish are the sun-dried tomatoes and the small bit of wine. I have a few hints on how to get both at a reasonable cost…just glance through my applied strategies, below. This meal runs about $3.65 with careful shopping.
Lemony Chicken with Green Beans
Lemony Chicken with Green Beans
- 3/4 ounces sun-dried tomatoes, oil packed is best, about 4 – 9, sliced into thin strips; if using dried, soak (see notes)
- 12 ounces of potatoes, about 8 fingerlings, or 4 large red potatoes, skins on, well scrubbed
- 1 pound of green beans about two cups, if not in season, consider asparagus instead
- 2 plus tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 small onion or 1/4 large, sliced very thinly
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup sliced green onion (1/4″ slices)
- 1/4 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc is lovely) (see note)
- 1 cup chicken stock, a little more if needed
- 1 lemon, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- Salt and pepper to taste, about 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Slice potatoes into 1/4’s if using reds, and in half the long way if using fingerlings. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, reduced to a good simmer and cook about 10 minutes. Add green beans and cook for 8 minutes longer. The potatoes should be just done but not in danger of falling apart and the beans bright. Scoop out the beans (they’ll be floating on the top) and plunge into cold water to stop cooking and remove, drain the potatoes.
Dredge chicken in flour, add salt and pepper to flour if desired. Have wine and chicken stock at the ready.
Towards the end of the cooking time for the potatoes and beans, heat a large (non stick is best for this recipe) skillet (use two if yours isn’t very large) over medium high heat. Add olive oil. When warm, add onions and saute for a moment. Add garlic. Slide to edge of pan. Add chicken pieces, shaking off excess flour, and lay them in one layer. Saute until lightly golden brown on one side (two to three minutes) and turn. Stir the little pile of onions and garlic now and then.
When chicken is just cooked through, add the wine, stir up any brown bits, mixing onion and chicken together, and cook until wine is slightly reduced. Add chicken stock, lemon slices, green onions and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for a moment to blend the flavors but don’t reduce. The sauce needs to be loose because the potatoes will absorb some of it. Add green beans and potatoes and warm though, stirring gently to combine. Tongs are a great tool at this point. Add a little additional stock if needed.
Turn out on to a large platter so the sauce gets evenly distributed over the top. This dish can be held for a short time, loosely covered with foil in a 200 degree oven, but if doing so, or when storing, remove the lemon slices. The lemon can become overwhelming if kept in the dish too long.
Notes:
- if not using oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, place dried tomatoes in a heat proof bowl and as the water boils for the potatoes, add about a cup of it to the tomatoes. Allow the tomatoes to steep as the meal is being prepared, then slice thinly to add towards the end.
- if no wine is available, use about a tablespoon and a half of white wine vinegar and a little extra chicken stock
From the kitchen of http://www.frugalhausfrau.com
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I’ll be bringing this recipe to Fiesta Friday 178. Stop by and see all the fun posts and recipes (hint: you may find something for the 4th of July) and stop back on Tuesday to vote for you favorites.
Let’s talk about how to save money/time on this recipe:
- Read {Strategies Applied} for additional tips as well as throughout the recipe, for saving money/time and managing this recipe on a budget.
- Follow my Strategies – You’ll see them all explained on the upper left tab of every page and how I apply them, below.
- Don’t get discouraged if your prices don’t match mine! Keep shopping at the best prices and your fridge/freezer and pantry will be stocked with sales priced ingredients.
- Use a coupon matching site! One of my favorites in my area is Pocket Your Dollars, but every store has a group of enthusiastic Coupon Matchers. Do not discount the savings! I check their site every week, even if I don’t “need” to go to the store and often find bargains I can’t pass up.
Use your large skillet like a “griddle” or a flat top in a restaurant to make several components of the dish at the same time. Notice the onions are browning away in a corner while the chicken cooks…save using multiple pans or adding ingredients to and from the skillet – it also keeps all that built up flavor in the pan.
Using portions of the skillet like a chef uses a flat top reduces cooking time and fuss
Put your own spin on it:
- This dish is marvelous with asparagus and could easily be adapted to winter squashes or other vegetables during the fall.
- The lemon adds a hint of brightness, but it could be brought forward by cutting the lemon in half and using the juice and zest from half the lemon, then slicing the other half and using them at the end.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 6.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 291 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 9 g | 14 % |
| Saturated Fat 2 g | 9 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 4 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 2 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 63 mg | 21 % |
| Sodium 328 mg | 14 % |
| Potassium 537 mg | 15 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 23 g | 8 % |
| Dietary Fiber 4 g | 15 % |
| Sugars 5 g | |
| Protein 27 g | 55 % |
| Vitamin A | 13 % |
| Vitamin C | 28 % |
| Calcium | 5 % |
| Iron | 13 % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
Recipe made and priced in March 2014, original source unknown; may have been Cooking Light. Reposted in June 2017 because it’s had less than 150 views in three years and it’s just too good to be overlooked.
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