Heart-Healthy Savory Chicken One-Skillet Meal

Get out of the kitchen faster—with fewer dishes to wash—with our easy, heart-healthy, one-skillet meal.

We took an original recipe and adapted it to be healthier by using less butter and less salt (unsalted butter and chicken broth), enhancing the flavor with poultry seasoning and thyme.

Prepared in less than an hour and high in protein, iron and vitamin D, your family will enjoy our Savory Chicken with Rice & Green Beans for a quick dinner on weeknights or anytime. Gather your ingredients, do a quick browning of the chicken, add the seasonings, rice, broth, and green beans, and let it simmer. Relax until its ready to serve!  

Preparation time: 20 minutes or less
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total time: About 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS 

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 lb.) or use bone-in chicken thighs with skins removed 
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter*. Regular butter can be used. 
• ½ teaspoon kosher or regular table salt 
• 1 and ½ teaspoons poultry seasoning, or more to taste
• ¼ ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or several Tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 cup uncooked converted rice, such as basmati or Uncle Ben’s** (or a rice that cooks in 20 minutes)
• 2 cups no-salt added or reduced-sodium chicken stock
• 1 lb. fresh whole green beans trimmed and washed. Frozen whole green beans can be used. 
• Fresh thyme for garnish, optional 

*The amount of salt added to butter varies. Using unsalted butter reduces the sodium in the meal and allows you to better control the amount of sodium. 

**Converted rice (also known as parboiled rice) is a type of rice that's been partially cooked and dried, which allows the rice to hold on to more nutrients compared with ordinary white rice. In fact, another name for converted rice is parboiled rice. The parboiling alters the starches so that the grains hold their shape better, stick together less, and also are less likely to stick to the bottom of the pot. (Source: The Spruce Eats)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Trim extra fat from the chicken thighs and sprinkle the top with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning and black pepper. If using boneless chicken thighs, tuck ends under so the thigh looks like a roll.
2. Heat large 10”-11” skillet to medium high.
3. Add the olive oil, then place thighs, seasoned side down, into the skillet. Sauté for 3-4 minutes or until nicely browned. Turn over and sauté one more minute.
4. Remove thighs and place on a plate, leaving juices in the pan. The chicken will be returned to the skillet in a few minutes to finish cooking.
5. Add butter to the skillet and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly browned.
6. Stir in rice, the remaining 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning, and thyme.
7. Add chicken stock and bring rice mixture to boiling.
8. Return chicken to skillet and arrange the green beans around the chicken.
9. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until chicken is done (175℉), green beans are tender-crisp* and rice is tender.
10. Sprinkle with fresh thyme to serve if desired.

*For softer green beans if using fresh: place in microwave safe bowl with several tablespoons of water, cover with lid and microwave for four minutes before adding to the skillet. 

Makes 4 servings of one chicken thigh, 1 cup green beans and ¾-1 cup rice. 

Nutritional Information
Per serving: 490 calories; 15.3g total fat (4.8g saturated); 481mg sodium; 109mg cholesterol; 46.6g carbohydrate; 4.6g fiber; 2.7g total sugars; 40.3g protein; 693mg potassium.