This post has been sponsored by Safeway. All thoughts and opinions are my own. You can find your nearest Safeway here.
White Bean Braised Skillet Chicken topped with homemade Sourdough Bacon Croutons is a quick comforting meal – perfect for weeknights!
Creamy white beans and juicy chicken breast simmered in herby rich broth this easy chicken recipe is rustic, earthy and perfectly comforting any time of year! A skillet meal that tastes like it’s been simmering away for hours but it comes together in less than 30 minutes – all with ingredients found at my local Safeway!
Big Flavor Fast
So quick and easy this chicken breast recipe has so much flavor you won’t believe that it takes only 30 minutes from start to finish!
Inspired by French Onion Soup layers of flavors are developed from hefty amounts of smoky bacon, fresh herbs and deeply caramelized onions. It even has the same crouton topping as the classic soup that get all crispy on the top while sopping up the luscious sauce on the bottom.
But the main thing these two dishes have in common is how they turn simple ingredients into something amazing.
Stock Up Simply at Safeway
With a stock of simple ingredients (and a few amazing, customizable recipes!) it’s easy to throw together delicious and economical meals on the fly. And thanks to Safeway I’ve always got the best basic ingredients on hand.
When shopping at Safeway no matter whether I’m in floral, produce, freezer or the meat department I can always find amazing store-brand options. It makes it quick and easy to get my shopping done since I never have to guess about quality.
Like chicken breasts for example. Whether I’m looking for fresh or frozen, skinless or skin-on there’s a Safeway store-brand product to fit my needs. Actually, all the ingredients for this one pan dinner are available at a great price from Safeway brands.
I purchased these products and more at my local Safeway but you can also stock up and save at any of the Albertsons Companies family of stores including Albertsons, ACME Markets, Jewel-Osco, Vons, Pavilions, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Shaw’s, Star Market, and Carrs/Safeway. Visit Safeway.com to find a store near you and discover some fun meal prep tips and recipe ideas!
How to Make Moist Tender Chicken Breast in a Skillet
Wondering how to cook chicken in a skillet and have it turn out moist, tender and delicious rather than tough and rubbery? You and me both, friend!
Up until a few years ago I avoided chicken breast recipes for fear of serving the dreaded dry, flavorless chunk of meat rather than the delicious lean chicken I was dreaming of. But then I learned this braising technique! It’s a simple one pot meal, with the main, starch and veg in one, that produces juicy, fully cooked chicken breasts in minutes*!
This skillet chicken recipe builds flavor with a base of sautéed bacon and vegetables that are turned into a luscious tomato white wine sauce. Add white beans and chicken and cook through before topping with homemade croutons and broiling until crispy.
Depending on the size of your chicken breasts it may take less or more time to cook. The average size of a split portion boneless skinless chicken breast ranges from 4-6 ounces (or more!) so the cooking time will vary. You’ll know the chicken is ready when it’s white all the way through “opaque” and has an internal temp of 165 degrees.
How to Customize this One Pot Meal
- Need something even heartier? Add 1/2 cup uncooked white rice and increase chicken stock to 2 cups total for a chicken and rice skillet.
- Make it cheesy and add a layer of Parmesan cheese or melty mozzarella before topping with croutons and baking.
- Have an abundance of tomatoes? Skip the canned stuff and use fresh diced tomatoes instead!
- Add other vegetables into the mix! Leafy greens like chard, spinach or kale work nicely. Other great additions include mushrooms, leeks or green peas.
- Use dried white beans instead of canned! Soak beans overnight, increase chicken stock to 2 cups and simmer for 1 hour before adding chicken breasts.
- Skip the breadcrumbs and serve with a loaf of bread instead.
White Bean Braised Skillet Chicken with Bacon Sourdough Croutons Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon cut into 1” pieces
- 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breast portions 4-6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced and divided
- 3 medium celery stalks diced
- 2 medium carrots diced
- 2 15 ounce cans white beans drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh minced rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 loaf sourdough bread roughly cut in ¼” cubes
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat brown bacon until crispy. Remove 3 tablespoons of bacon grease and add to a large bowl with half the chopped garlic. Add bread cubes and parsley to the warm grease and toss to coat to make Bacon Sourdough Croutons.
- To the 2 tablespoons of bacon grease remaining in the hot pan add 2 tablespoons butter and reduce heat to medium. If there wasn’t much grease in the pan add additional butter to make 4 tablespoon total. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Then add celery and carrots and continue cooking until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Then add remaining chopped garlic and dried herbs. Cook only until fragrant, about 30 seconds then sprinkle flour over top and stir to coat. Cook until flour is no longer raw, about 2 minutes then add white wine to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Stir in canned tomatoes then add chicken stock, while stirring. Bring to a simmer to thicken.
- Season the thickened sauce with salt and pepper before stirring in the white beans. Nestle chicken breast into the sauce leaving a bit of the top of the chicken exposed. Season the exposed chicken with salt and pepper and additional dried thyme. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes or until chicken is opaque and cooked through with an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Top evenly with Bacon Sourdough Croutons and half the crumbled bacon, reserving the remaining for garnish. Broil under high heat until browned and crispy. Remove and garnish with sour cream, remaining bacon and parsley. Serve with a green salad and the remaining half of the sourdough loaf to sop up all the luscious sauce.
Nutrition
enjoy!
priya
Oh 5 stars! Great post! looks and sounds delicious! thanks for sharing!
ONE armed MAMA
Thank you so much, Priya!