Saturday Recovery Chicken & Bean Skillet
Fifteen minutes, one pan, and whatever's in the cupboard. Built for a day of chores on an empty stomach when you need something substantial without thinking about it.
why it works
Clean, highly digestible protein alongside a wall of soluble fibre, without sending blood sugar anywhere dramatic. The beans simmering in the pan juices is what makes this feel like a proper meal rather than assembled components.
Ingredients
- chicken, cut into bite-sized strips or chunks
- 1 tin butter beans, cannellini or chickpeas, rinsed hard in cold water
- a massive couple of handfuls of spinach or kale
- 1 onion, garlic, and a bit of ginger if you have it
- cumin, paprika, or leftover Cajun seasoning
- splash of olive oil
- splash of water or low-salt stock
- salt and pepper
Method
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Tiny splash of olive oil on medium-high. Chicken in with the spices, salt and pepper, and cook until golden and cooked through, then tip it out onto a plate.
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Same pan, heat down, and gently sweat the onions and garlic until soft.
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Rinsed beans in with a tiny splash of water or stock. Simmer for 5 minutes so they soften properly and absorb all the pan juices.
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Chicken back in, drop the mountain of spinach on top, lid on for 2 minutes until the greens wilt completely down into the beans.
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Serve with one or two slices of sourdough, toasted and drizzled with olive oil, to scoop everything up.
Serve it with
- Perfect Rice, Every Time, if the sourdough isn't enough
remix
- Butter beans, cannellini or chickpeas all work — butter beans go creamiest
- Kale instead of spinach, added a couple of minutes earlier
- Leftover Cajun seasoning is the best spice option here
- A squeeze of lemon at the end lifts it noticeably
- Skip the chicken and use two tins of beans for a vegan version