Chicken and Green Beans is a weeknight warrior recipe! Made with tender chicken, crisp green beans, bright tomatoes, and a tangy pan sauce in under 20 minutes, this chicken and green bean skillet boosts protein, nutrients, and serious flavor!
Skillet dinner recipes, like this Chicken and Green Bean Skillet, Tex-Mex Chicken and Sweet Potatoes, and Turkey Taco Skillet, are MVPs when it comes to fast, flavorful, and wholesome family meals.
While I love all my skillet dinner recipes, I find myself turning to this Chicken and Green Bean recipe again and again. From the protein-rich chicken to crisp-tender green beans to the fresh sweet tomatoes to the lemon garlic pan sauce, this chicken skillet is both satisfying and delicious.
Reasons to Love Chicken & Green Beans
- 20-Minute Dinner Recipe. Oh yes, just 20 minutes from start to finish! Perfect for any night of the week, even busy nights!
- Wholesome, Simple Ingredients. This recipe uses simple ingredients to pack in some serious flavor!
- Elevated Flavor. While many people think of chicken and green beans as rather boring or bland, this recipe brings them both to life with a tangy, acidic sauce, aromatic thyme, and sweet tomatoes. While super simple to prepare, the flavor produced is restaurant-worthy.
- Adaptable and Allergy Friendly. This chicken and green bean skillet is low in fat, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, and relatively low in carbs, as written. By omitting the parmesan, the dish is dairy-free as well.
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Use either boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs.
- Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes, or even seeded, diced Roma tomatoes will work. If I am making this dish in the winter months, I find grape tomatoes are best, as their flavor is good year-round.
- Green Beans: Fresh green beans are best, but if you don't have fresh green beans, you can substitute thin frozen green beans that have been defrosted. For this recipe, I would not use canned green beans or cut thick frozen beans.
- Seasonings + Flavor: Using salt, pepper, lemon zest, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, and thyme leaves add so much flavor to this otherwise simple dish.
- Parmesan Cheese: The parmesan is completely optional, but does add a nice finish to this recipe. Omit for a dairy-free, paleo-friendly, and whole30 approved recipe.
How to Make Chicken and Green Beans Skillet
The following tips are provided to help you achieve perfect results. You will find the detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Brown Chicken. In a large nonstick skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil has heated, add in the chicken, season with salt and pepper and sauté until golden on each side.
- Add Green Beans and Tomatoes. Once the chicken has browned, add green beans and tomatoes and sauté for 1-2 minutes to let the green beans begin to soften.
- Add Garlic. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute just to toast the garlic briefly.
- Simmer. To the skillet, add in the broth, lemon zest, thyme, and balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the green beans are crisp-tender.
- Finish with flavor. Remove from the heat and add the fresh lemon juice and serve with Parmesan cheese if desired.
Substitutions/Modifications
- Swap Chicken Stock for Dry White Wine: If I have a chardonnay or pinot grigio on hand, I love using that in place of the chicken stock. It adds a nice punch of flavor and makes the dish feel even fancier. Note: If using wine, omit the addition of the balsamic as it will be acidic enough.
- No Tomatoes? If you don't happen to have fresh tomatoes, simply omit them from the recipe. The green beans and chicken will shine on their own!
- Soft Green Beans: I love the crisp-tender bite the fresh greens retain when they are simply sauteed in the skillet. However, if you would like your green beans on the soft side, I would recommend blanching or steaming the green beans prior to adding them to the sauté pan with the chicken.
Serving Suggestions
While this recipe for Chicken and Green Beans can stand on its own as a complete meal, it is also delicious served over brown rice or quinoa or with a baked sweet potato on the side. If you want to keep this meal low-carb, I suggest pairing it with a Copycat Panera Greek Salad or Spinach Bacon Salad.
More Easy Chicken Dinner Recipes
- Honey Lemon Chicken Skillet
- Marry Me Chicken
- Chicken Piccata
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Breasts
- Chicken Asparagus Stir Fry
If you enjoyed this simple one-pan chicken and green beans recipe, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below.
Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs cut into 1 inch chunks
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound fresh green beans trimmed
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes halved
- 1 sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 cloves garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 medium fresh lemon juice and zest
- Parmesan Cheese optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the chicken to skillet and brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side.
- Once the chicken has browned, add green beans, and tomatoes to skillet and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for just 1 minute longer to toast.
- Add in chicken broth, lemon zest, thyme, and balsamic vinegar. Lower the heat to medium and cover the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the beans are just crisp-tender.
- Turn off the heat and add the juice of the fresh lemon and serve with Parmesan Cheese if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published in 2016, but was updated in 2021 and 2024 with new photos and a video.
Sandra
I love this quick on bust weeknights, especially with sports practice for the kids. They love this one and I know they'll gobble it up!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing this, Sandra! Thank you for taking the time to share.
JoAnne
This is one of my favorite meals. I love that it’s easy, quick and you get a lot of flavor “bang” for the buck.
Kristen Chidsey
Thanks so much for sharing, JoAnne! I do love this simple meal as well.