This might be one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made! I can’t take all the credit – one of my friends shared the technique on our mom’s group Facebook page. I knew upon her description that I had to take my own stab at it!
The best part about this “casserole” layered with beans, veggies and chicken is its versatility. You can put any vegetable or bean under the chicken and it will turn out delicious every time. As the chicken cooks it drips flavor and seasons everything down under. Moreover, you can assemble this in the morning and bake it off when the baby is crawling underfoot and you just want dinner to be ready already!
Start by choosing the beans you’d like to use. I used navy and garbanzo, but you could try black beans, great northerns, pintos, giant beans, lima beans – anything. You can use canned or about 3 cups of freshly cooked too.
Herb options are also completely up to you. I chose oregano and basil from our garden, but rosemary would have been nice too!
Mix beans, herbs and spices together in the casserole dish
Plus green beans. I had frozen on hand, but you can also use fresh – or any other veggies you like.
Add your chicken on top. We had boneless/skinless, but bone-in and skin-on will work – as will breasts. (Check doneness with a meat thermometer if you use thicker pieces like bone-in breasts)
Season with more salt and pepper
And rub with olive oil. I added some optional Garlic Gold nuggets on top too.
Ready to go in!
45 minutes later Matt and I couldn’t wait to dig in
We served this with Spinach Feta rolls on the side.
Easy Chicken and Bean Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cans of beans of your choice like navy beans and garbanzo beans, or use 3 cups of cooked beans
- 1 cup green beans frozen or fresh
- 2 tsp chopped fresh herbs like oregano and basil
- 1/2 tsp each of kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 tsp fresh garlic minced
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 1-2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs bone in or bone out, skinless or skin on
Instructions
- Start by prepping ingredients - drain and rinse beans, chop herbs, mince garlic
- Mix beans, herbs, garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper on the bottom of a casserole dish
- Add thighs on top
- Drizzle thighs with olive oil and season with additional salt and pepper
- Bake in 425* oven for 45 minutes for skinless/boneless and 1 hour for bone-in/skin on chicken.
I can’t wait to make another twist on this soon: Sun-dried tomatoes? Olives? Peas? Kale? Dill and lemon? Endless options for customization!
This sounds amazing – and so versatile, too! definitely a use-up-what-is-around sort of meal, which are the best kinds!
Yum! I’m all about ease and versatility when it comes to dinner choices these days. This one looks delicious to boot!
How delicious! I love cooking with chicken thighs. I bet this would taste good with a little brown mustard rubbed on the chicken as well! 🙂
This looks delicious and I think I’ll try it with rosemary!
Do you usually use dark meat? Is there any particular reason? I usually just grab some chicken breasts but maybe I should branch out.
Breasts should work too! I love legs/thighs for their flavor
This looks wonderful, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions for how vegetarians like myself might make this dish? Tofu? Tempeh?
Hmmm…since tofu doesn’t have much flavor and doesn’t drip, I’m not sure you’d get the same effect. I might focus on just making it a bean and veggie bake and doing a marinade type thing for flavor?
Dear Kath and Ally,
I am vegetarian as well and I often prepare these kind of dishes with tofu, tempeh or, if I have on hand, a soya burger. I just get very creative with marinade, condiments & herbs/spices. It is important to add a good amount of liquid before popping the pot into the oven (for this purpose I mainly use a crock pot with a lead, which helps to lock the moisture in).
One of my favorite combination is with eggplant, peppers and beans.
Ella
Looks so good!! Thanks for sharing.
Do you think that fish would work?
oh yes!
This looks delicious! Unfortunately, I used up all the green beans in my house half an hour ago by making a stir fry. Time to hit the grocery store!
Yummy! Leaving bones in would increase flavor but the skin would increase fat unfortunately. We had a lobster cassoulet while traveling flavored with vanilla (it was really delicious) and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since!
Cannot wait to try this one! I need some easy weeknight meal options.
Yum, this looks good. I shall save it for the next time I am wondering what the heck to do for chicken! 😉
WOW! This looks both easy to make and heavenly to eat! I’ve been in a sort of food rut with dinner. Let’s just say there’s been lots of plain grilled chicken breast and whole wheat pasta…..BUT NO MORE! Thanks for sharing this delicious looking recipe. I’m getting hungry already 🙂
This looks like a fast mid-week dinner option! I like that it’s gluten-free as well 🙂
So simple and so obviously good! I definitely need to try this one out the next time we have meat-eating friends over. Or maybe I can make myself a single serving with 1/3 can of beans… 🙂
In a little tiny ramekin that would be perfect : )
What a wonderful method, Kath! I love a recipe that can easily be modified for whatever ingredients you have on hand. I look forward to trying this for dinner!
I see so many recipes with chicken thighs, but it took me forever to trim the fat out (I used boneless/skinless as well) – from the pictures, it looks like you didn’t trim the fat. Do you just cut the fat away from the cooked chicken when you’re eating? I guess I was afraid that the fat on the chicken would significantly contribute to the fat content of the dish I was making…does leaving the fat really not make much of a difference as long as you don’t eat it in a dish like the one you made?
I only eat chicken abut once a week – if that – so I just cut it off while eating and don’t worry too much about the drippings
Honestly a little chicken fat won’t kill you or make you gain an ounce. Everything in moderation is a good guide to eating healthy. And the amount of flavor in that bit of fat is what makes chicken thighs so lovely for these kind of dishes. Live a little and eat a tiny morsel of fat. It’s a wonderful thing.
Paula – I appreciate your concern, but I didn’t mean to imply that I was afraid of eating fat. I’ve always trimmed the fat off chicken and beef cuts because that’s what my parents did, however I found that chicken thighs have a lot of fat that’s hard to cut out. As a nutrition student, I just wanted Kath’s opinion on the fat content of chicken thighs, though admittedly, I did not word my question as well as I could have.
Sounds delicious, but seems like it would need some type of liquid so that it doesn’t dry out. How do the fresh green beans cook without liquid? It’s at a high enough temp to roast???
The chicken provided plenty of moisture – that’s why I’m not sure how well it would work with just beans.
Oh yum! The possibilities of flavours are endless depending on the your choice of meat, herbs, or add-ins such as lemon, balsamic vinegar or even some maple syrup! 🙂
Does this need to be covered to prevent from drying out? I will be using breasts
I didn’t cover it and it was juicy as can be, but breasts (especially boneless/skinless) might be better with some foil on top. I wanted my thighs to brown on top though, so I left them uncovered.
Looks great! I have a baby just about the same age as Mazen. What’s your take on providing this to baby? I have steered away from giving ours salt so far but wonder if it’s just a little if it would be ok?
Yeah I just gave him little bit of chicken and beans along with some fresh food like avocado. From what I’ve read, as long as you’re not salting the baby’s food at the table or feeding them really salty things like canned soup or v8 it should be fun
Simple, economical, and tasty! Did you make the Spinach Feta rolls? Can you point me to the recipe?
They are from our bakery, Great Harvest Bread Company
I do something like this with white beans, thyme and garlic, then wrap the chicken in prosciutto. For “company” I’ll do cornish game hens with the backbone cut out and laid flat (so it cooks faster). Super easy but so tasty and looks fancy! I love beans and chicken.
This Chicken and Bean bake looks wonderful. I’m always looking for something healthy yet simple to make for dinner.
Yum! I’m going to do this with cannellini beans, mushrooms, peas and thyme! Roll on suppertime!
I’m in need of dishes like this these days (even more so when new baby comes). This is totally something everyone in the fam would eat! Great recipe!
I just love this idea, will be making it this week!
Thanks Kath for another meal inspiration!
Ana
Kath I made it last week and we absolutely loved it!! I used zucchini, grape tomatoes, and potatoes (red skinned) with great northern beans, and topped with skinless and boneless chicken thighs like yours. It was easily one of the best meals ever (not to mention sooooo easy!!), I totally loved and cant wait to make again!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Ana
Yay so glad! I’m making it again this week too : )
this looks delicious! i love chicken.
http://therealfoodrunner.blogspot.com
Easy & healthy, love it! Even if all the chicken was eaten at dinner, the rest would make a protein-filled leftover lunch the next day!
Love easy dinners like this…I am thinking roasted red peppers!
What variety of oregano is pictured? It looks so much like thyme! I make a dish similar to this, but with grains in place of the beans. It sure is yummy!
I used thyme, oregano and basil, so you probably do see thyme and the oregano leaves are the bunch on the bottom
Oh I would so do this with black beans, fresh corn cut from the cob and cilantro.
Thank you for posting this recipe. This is exactly the kind of inspiration I come to your blog for – nutritious, simple, and delicious. I saw your post this morning at work and now I am at home with the chicken in the oven. Can’t wait to eat it!
It looks so easy, delicious and quick! Perfect for busy moms and hungry families!
Very nice recipe! I love that your recipes are simple. The whipped banana oatmeal has been my daily breakfast since you posted it. Keep up the great ideas for recipes. This one is so perfect for busy professionals and mothers. Can’t wait to try it.
What I really like about this is that you’ve managed to prepare a balanced meal – protein, veg and starch -, almost all in a single oven dish and in record time! Fantastic!
Definitely one to add to the recipe book – thanks for the share!
How do you prepare your spinach feta rolls? Those look really yummy too, and I didn’t find the recipe when I tried searching your blog…
They are from our bakery, Great Harvest Bread Company
I love this recipe Kath! I never seem to know how to prepare meat myself and this is so simple! I bet perfect as leftovers too.
Hi Kath! I really like your concept of a quick casserole for busy days. I have 3 kids under 5 myself, so I know how hectic dinnertime can be :). I was wondering if you check the internal temp of the chicken before finally deciding it’s done? The chicken in the final pics looks a little pink to me, and I’d be nervous to serve it unless I knew for sure (maybe it’s just the way the pics look on my computer screen, though).
Matt did, yes. It could be the photo editing that makes it look pinker?
How would one prepare this in a slow cooker? It looks great but my oven needs to stay OFF this summer! Thanks!
I made this last night.. I just used whatever veggies I had in house: Collard Greens, tomatoes, mushrooms and some bell pepper. It was so yummy!! Definitely going to do this one again. Thanks for sharing!
This recipe looks very delicious! I can’t wait to try this. I would like to add asparagus and lot of red pepper! 😉
I made this with kidney and black beans, rosemary and basil and it is will be my go-to quick summer meal! Super yummy! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! After a long and stressful few days at work, I was looking for an easy recipe, and this was so perfect! So easy to make, and so tasty!
This looks delicious and simple! Thanks for sharing!
Oh… this looks so good! I need to try this one! 🙂
Hi… Great recipe there… We changed it slightly: spice was turmeric and cummin and added fresh peas and coriander ( cilantro ) towards the end of cooking. To serve: added a roasted cummin seed, garlic and salt yoghurt sauce…. It was VERY yum !!! Thanks for the inspiration…. John & Jodie, Perth Australia.
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I am 75 and check your website every day. Your little Maze is amazing and I love your blog….except for tofu and oatmeal.. Thanks so much for your photos, recipes and lovely slices of life from your family.
I made this tonight – so simple and so flavoursome!! A perfect meal for a cold rainy Sydney winter night. I added a finely diced onion and a couple of handfuls of kale and served alongside roasted carrots (next time I’ll probably just add the carrots in). The 3-year-old rejected it (as expected) but the 12 -month-old just about ate her bodyweight in beans. Delicious leftovers for the husband’s lunch tomorrow too. Definitely a keeper!
I loved this dish. I modified slightly using garbanzos and cannelloni beans. I left out the green beans and instead added chopped scallions; celery and fresh spinach. I also used a bit of chicken stock to keep the beans moist. My entire family SWOONED over this dish last night. THANK YOU! Laurie
Loved this dish! I subbed 2 cups of cubed butternut squash for one can of beans, and used rosemary and thyme for the herbs, but otherwise followed your recipe exactly. This dish was so flavorful and hearty! The leftovers the next day were even better. I’ll definitely be making this again.
Tonight I made this dish with garbanzo beans, black beans, frozen peas, and frozen chicken breasts cut into large chunks. Very quick to put together! Had it baking while we played with our dog! Kids certified this dish has yummy and a keeper! Great weeknight recipe!
Do you think this would work with pork, too? Chops or loin? My husband is allergic to chicken (and some beans, so I’d use black beans and maybe make this more mexican???) Thoughts?
If not, I’ll make this for me and have it for lunches all week!
I think so! If you can bake it, it will work
I made this tonight and it was so yummy! I decided to make a vinaigrette marinade for the chicken and used both thighs and breast cutlets. I also sprinkled some of the vinaigrette on the veggies and chicken once on the plate. Will do this again. For sure. Thanks for sharing.
I made this with the following twist….black beans, garbanzo beans, fresh green beans, one small yellow squash and one small zucchini, fresh basil, cilantro,rosemary and dried oregano, then 4 mix Italian cheese in with beans and on top of chicken. I used a skinless chicken breast. Everything else was the same as recipe. It was delicious. Thank you for the recipe
This looks delicious with chicken or fish! I’m going to add some pesto, YUM!!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’ve now made this meal several times…soooo delicious. I do season the chicken with just some olive oil, vinegar and the mojito lime mccormick seasoning but I’ve also done it just like you indicate in your recipe and it’s delicious as well. AND I love how easy it is! Again..thanks for sharing!
I am making this tonight. I used black beans and asparagus with some cumin and ginger.