Homemade on the Heights: One-Pan Chicken With White Beans and Spinach

Though sunny days filled the first two weeks of classes, clouds and rain are beginning to filter into the weather forecasts. This can mean only one thing: Fall is coming to Boston.

And as the summer weather begins to say its farewell to the Heights, the campus ambiance will completely shift. The days become shorter, temperatures colder, and meals heartier. So, here is a perfect dish to welcome this forthcoming fall atmosphere. Though it’s a simple recipe that’s adaptable to most college living spaces, this dish combines protein, vegetables, and legumes. These food groups blend into a silky and briny sauce that—atop pieces of tender chicken—produces a comforting flavor profile. Give this one a shot, and I’m sure you’ll be making it again.

DISH:

One-Pan Chicken With White Beans and Spinach

INGREDIENTS:

2–3 chicken breasts

2 cups of chicken broth

One bag of spinach

One can of cannellini beans

Herbes de Provence

Salt

Pepper

Optional:

Freshly chopped rosemary

RECIPE:

1. Pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel. Salt and pepper each side, lightly massaging the spices into the breasts.
2. Pour a thin layer of oil into a pan on medium-high heat. Place the chicken in the pan and let one side cook for 4 minutes. Flip and let the other side cook for 4 minutes. You do not want to fully cook the chicken at this step. You should be looking for a light-brown cook on each side. Once done, set aside.
3. Glaze the pan with about one-quarter cup of chicken broth.
4. Pour a bag of spinach into the pan and add salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence. Let the spinach cook down.
5. Add in the can of beans and stir the beans and spinach until mixed together.
6. Pour about a cup of chicken broth into the pan. The amount of broth you add is dependent on how much chicken you are cooking. You can always add more chicken broth as it cooks down.
7. Add your chicken back in and sprinkle in some fresh rosemary if you have any. Taste the broth with a few pieces of beans and spinach and add more Herbes de Provence to your liking.
8. Cover the pan with a lid or tinfoil and let it cook for 20 minutes. Flip the chicken halfway through. It is important to keep an eye on the level of the chicken broth. If you notice it is close to completely evaporating, add more broth, or else the beans and spinach will burn. You want to end with a somewhat soupy texture—not completely liquidy but not totally dry.
9. After 20 minutes on the heat and under a lid, your chicken should be cooked. But if you want to double check, take the chicken out of the pan and cut into halves. If it is cooked, you can turn off the heat.
10. Serve and enjoy!