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This Chicken and Green Beans recipe is a true weeknight hero! Ready in just 20 minutes, this simple skillet dinner brings together tender chicken, crisp green beans, and juicy tomatoes in an irresistible tangy pan sauce!
Reasons to Love Chicken & Green Beans
Chicken and Green Beans is an MVP when it comes to fast, flavorful, and wholesome family dinner recipes.
- 20-Minute Dinner Recipe. Oh yes, just 20 minutes from start to finish! This one pan dinner recipe is perfect for any night of the week, even busy nights!
- Wholesome, Simple Ingredients. Just a handful of everyday ingredients delivers big, satisfying flavor.
- Elevated Flavor. Chicken with green beans may sound basic or even boring, but not here! This recipe brings them both to life with a tangy, acidic sauce, aromatic thyme, and sweet tomatoes.
- Suited to Various Diets. This chicken and green beans skillet is naturally low in fat, gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, and relatively low in carbs. Omit the Parmesan, and it's dairy-free too!
Happy Cooking! xo Kristen
Notes on Ingredients
- Chicken: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders, or thighs.
- Tomatoes: Grape tomatoes are my go-to for this skillet recipe, as they taste delicious year-round and don't need deseeded.
- 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.
- To Flavor: A combination of 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
This one skillet recipe comes together FAST but I have a few tips to help you achieve perfect results.
- 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.
Complete Dinner
Packed with protein and veggies, you can simply plop this skillet with chicken and green beans on the table and say dinner is done--and everyone would be satisfied. That said, I often pair with a side of two to make dinner stretch a bit further.
- Add a Starch: Serve over Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot quinoa. Or try roasted red potatoes or orzo rice on the side (a family-favorite!)
- Add a Salad: Add even more veggies to your dinner plate (or keep this dinner lower in carbs), by paring this skillet recipe with a Copycat Panera Greek salad, BLT salad, or spinach bacon salad.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Add a Splash of Dry White Wine: If I have a sauvignon blanc 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 Fresh Thyme? Leave it out! This dish will still be plenty flavorful without thanks to the lemon and balsamic.
- 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!
- For Soft Green Beans: I love the crisp-tender bite the fresh greens retain when they are simply sauteed in the skillet. However, if you like your softer green beans, I would recommend blanching or steaming them prior to adding them to the sauté pan with the chicken.
More Easy Skillet Dinner Ideas
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Chicken and Green Beans
Ready in 20 minutes, this simple skillet dinner brings together tender chicken, crisp green beans, and juicy tomatoes in an irresistible tangy pan sauce!
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, + more to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper, + more to taste
- 1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 cloves garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, optional
- 1 medium fresh lemon, juice and zest
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- parmesan cheese, optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with ½ teaspoon each of salt and 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 the pan and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for just 1 minute longer to toast.
- Add chicken broth, lemon zest, thyme, balsamic vinegar, and a pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet. 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, if desired.
Notes
Replace Chicken Stock with Wine: Feel free to use a dry white wine, like a pinot grigio, in place of the chicken stock. Be sure to omit the addition of the balsamic though, as the wine and lemon juice will be acidic enough.
Lemon Juice: If you don't have fresh lemons, do NOT substitute jarred lemon juice. Instead, add an extra teaspoon of balsamic to round the flavor out.
Frozen Green Beans: You can substitute defrosted, thin frozen green beans (not thick-cut green beans) for fresh.
Option for Soft Green Beans: For green beans that do not have a crisp-tender bite to them, I recommend either blanching or steaming the green beans before adding them to the skillet. To blanch the green beans, drop them into boiling water for 2-3 minutes and then transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Alternatively, place the green beans in a large heat-safe bowl with 2 tablespoons of water, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and microwave for 3-4 minutes.
Storage: Cooled leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I don't recommend freezing leftovers.
Nutrition
Calories: 158kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 9gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 689mgPotassium: 613mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1360IUVitamin C: 42.7mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 2.1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2025.
I love this dish! After I started making it tonight i discovered I had neither fresh nor dried thyme, so I used a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning. It was a different flavor but it still turned out great.
When you give the calories in a serving, you don’t give serving size. Can you add that?
Hi Rick, this serves 4. So the calories are based on 1/4 of the entire recipe, which is about 2-1/2 to 3 cups.
Just wondering what happened to the other half teaspoons of salt and pepper. Should I add them straight to the pan?
Hi Julie! Add them after cooking if desired by taste 🙂 Enjoy!
I love balsamic vinegar but a little goes a long way; I will cut in half when I make again. Also I will put tomatoes in at the end during the last five minutes when covered.
I just made this and found it was tasty - thoroughly enjoyed. I served it with a dollop of plain Greek yogurt and loved the creaminess of it mixed with the sauce.
What a great idea to add some yogurt to the final dish! Thanks for sharing.
This was quick and easy to make once the prep is done.
It has a nice tangy taste, not too overbearing by any means.
I blanched my beans, first.
Also added fresh parsley and McCormick Italian seasoning to the chicken.
I used unsalted chicken stock too.
Trust the process, during the cooking it wasn’t looking too promising. But at the end adding in all the liquids and the lemon juice, it was coming together.
Also better if you let it sit and soak up the juices before serving.
I ate it as is, but would have been great over brown rice or quinoa.
Just learning to cook so I tried this recipe. My wife said it was cooked well, very tasty and she enjoyed it; so did I.
For me just starting the recipe was very easy to follow and very sufficiently detailed.
P.S. The color pictures give something to compare against.
Thanks Kristen, on to more recipes. I need to get the guts to tackle the Instant pot recipes!
Hi Denny! I am honored this was one of your beginning recipes and glad to hear the pictures help. I have tons of tips for Instant Pot success. You may want to sign up for my email series for Instant Pot Tips. But regardless, reach out any time with questions.