August 26, 2020

Easy Chicken and Bean Bake

Name: Easy Chicken and Bean Bake
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 cans of beans of your choice (like navy beans and garbanzo beans, or use 3 cups of cooked beans); 12 ounces green beans (frozen or fresh); 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs (like thyme and basil); 1 lemon (zested and cut ); 1 tsp each of kosher salt and black pepper (layered and mixed); 1-2 tsp fresh garlic (zested); 1/2 tsp Red pepper flakes to taste; 1-2 tbsp olive oil; 4-6 chicken thighs (bone in or bone out, skinless or skin on)

I’m bringing back a KERF classic today – the chicken and bean bake! This casserole features three kinds of beans (two canned, one fresh) plus fresh herbs and tasty chicken all baked into one dish.

This might be one of my favorite recipes I’ve ever made! I made this for our family recently and updated the photos. It’s one of my easiest, crowd-pleasing recipes. I love any recipe that is both make-ahead friendly and an all-in-one dish. This casserole-style chicken bake checks all the boxes!

Chicken and Bean Bake

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!

Ingredients

Beans

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. I actually made my navy beans in the Instant Pot the day before. Just cover dried beans with an inch of water and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes. My chickpeas were from a can! And our fresh beans from the market.

Herbs

Herb options are also completely up to you. I chose thyme and basil from our garden, but rosemary would have been nice too!

Seasonings

Mix beans and herbs together in the casserole dish along with salt, pepper, olive oil, one lemon, and garlic. I am really into zesting garlic these days!

Give everything a stir

Green Beans

Plus green beans. You can use frozen cut green beans as well! Or sub in any kind of similar green veggie.

Chicken

We used bone-in, skin on thighs seasoned generously with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes on top. These were big thighs so we had four, but you could easily fit six small ones or boneless skinless too. Note that thinner, boneless thighs would cook a little faster and reduce cooking time. Check doneness with a meat thermometer around the 45 minute mark.

Bake at 425 degrees for one hour

Or until chicken is done per a meat thermometer and golden brown on top!

This all-in-one recipe has protein, starchy beans, vegetables and plenty of flavor, but some might like a side of rice or a roll!

Print Pin

5 from 4 votes

Easy Chicken and Bean Bake

This "casserole" couldn't be easier. Simply layer beans, herbs and veggies in the bottom of a baking dish, top with chicken and cook until brown and crispy. Prep ahead to make dinnertime a breeze.

Course Entree

Cuisine American

Keyword beans, chicken

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4 Servings

Author Kath Younger