Washington – A fulfilling meal you can make in one pan in less than 30 minutes is the ultimate modern-day survival tool.
It’s just the thing to jump-start your engine as it sputters and stalls around 5pm, when those first thoughts of dinner hit and you realize you need to get something on the table soon.
Knowing you can whip up a meal with little cleanup can tip the scales toward cooking instead of grabbing takeout; over time, that could make a real difference in your well-being, because homemade food typically is considerably more healthful – with fewer calories, less sodium and saturated fat and more nutrients – than prepared foods from a store or restaurant.
I think everyone should have at least five rush-hour dinner recipes in their repertoire, and you can count this one as a keeper.
Here, quick-cooking chicken breast cutlets are browned in a skillet, then transferred to a plate so the rest of the meal can be made in the same pan. When onions and carrots are added, they pick up the browned bits of flavour left from the chicken, and as they soften and release their moisture, a flavourful sauce begins to develop.
Zucchini, haricots verts, garlic and thyme are added next, along with tomato paste, broth and hearty white beans. The whole saucy mixture simmers until the vegetables are just tender. In minutes, you have a sumptuous, colourful, herb-infused stew of French-Mediterranean goodness for your chicken to rest on. A sprinkle of fresh basil ribbons brings it all together for a dish that can help keep you from unraveling, even on the busiest weeknights.
Chicken With Provencal White Bean and Vegetable Ragout
4 servings
Ingredients
Four 5-ounce (140g) pieces thin-cut boneless, skinless chicken breast
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 large carrot, scrubbed well and finely diced
1 small zucchini, diced
4 ounces (about 110g) haricots verts (green beans), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme (may substitute 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1½ cups no-salt-added chicken broth
420g can no-salt-added white beans, such as cannellini or Great Northern, drained and rinsed
½ cup packed fresh basil leaves, sliced into ribbons
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Steps
Season the chicken with half of the salt and half of the pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, add half of the chicken; cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Cook the remaining 2 pieces of chicken in the same manner (no need to add oil).
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the skillet; reduce the heat to medium, then add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring frequently to dislodge any browned bits from the chicken still in the pan, until the onion starts to soften, about 3 minutes.
Add the zucchini, haricots verts, garlic, thyme and the remaining salt and pepper. Cook, stirring for 1 minute, then stir in the tomato paste until it’s evenly distributed, then add the broth and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in ¼ cup of the basil and the lemon juice.
To serve, spoon the bean-vegetable mixture on to serving plates and top each with a piece of chicken. Garnish with the remaining basil.
Nutrition, per serving: 360 calories, 39g protein, 23g carbohydrates, 12g fat, 2g saturated fat, 105mg cholesterol, 440mg sodium, 6g dietary fibre, 5g sugar
Washington Post
Krieger, author of Weeknight Wonders: Delicious Healthy Dinners in 30 Minutes or Less(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013), blogs and offers a weekly newsletter at www.elliekrieger.com.