20 Minute Italian Chicken with White Beans

I love italian food. I often crave something cheesy and tomato-saucy, with lots of basil and garlic - yum! And when I come up with something that's all that plus healthy, then I know I have a winner. But if it can be cheesy, saucy, basil and garlicky, healthy AND can be made in 20 minutes? Well, that recipe needs to be shared!

This is my 20 Minute Italian Chicken with White Beans, and it is really good.

Are you wondering how it can be both cheesy and healthy? I can explain. There isn't a lot of cheese in this recipe, but it has that creamy, cheesy feel to it because of the white beans. Yes, really - there's something about the white beans that gives a creamy, satisfying texture that your mouth loves when you eat cheese but with far fewer calories. And if you add a little real cheese along with that, you get the flavor of cheese, and the warm, creaminess from the beans and you get a really satisfying meal. I know it doesn't really taste like a bunch of gooey cheese, but if you're trying to cut down on calories this is a good way to have something that makes your tummy happy.  🙂

I made this recipe for my lunch a couple of days ago, and I packed up the leftovers for my husband's lunch yesterday. He called me to tell me how much he LOVED it - he said I could make that any time I wanted. He said the only problem was he wished it was a bigger serving!

The key to being able to cook this up in  20 minutes is how the chicken is sliced. I take 2 large, boneless & skinless chicken breasts and slice them lengthwise to make 4 thin pieces. If you have a very sharp knife this isn't hard to do. I always do this with chicken breasts because I think most of them are too huge for a portion anyway! But if you are not too confident in your knife skills, you can cube the chicken and it will cook quickly that way too.

20 Minute Italian Chicken with White Beans

Print Recipe

Chicken, basil and garlic in a rich tomato sauce with creamy white beans - topped with fresh grated parmesan. So good on a busy, cold night!

• Author: Beneficial Bento
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Main dish recipe

Ingredients

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• 2 pieces boneless (skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise to make 4)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 clove large garlic (crushed)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 oz can white beans (like cannellini or navy beans - 14.5)
• 1 oz can petite diced tomatoes - 15 .
• ½ teaspoon dried italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon dried basil (or 1 teaspoon fresh chopped basil)
• parmesan cheese (for garnish)
• salt and pepper (to taste)

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Instructions

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium heat.
2. Add the garlic, stirring until softened.
3. Place the chicken in the pan and brown on both sides.
4. Drain and rinse the white beans, adding them to the pan.
5. Add the tomatoes and spices, cooking and stirring until blended.
6. Simmer 10 - 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
7. Season with salt and peper, and serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Notes

Remember - the key to this dish cooking quickly is slicing the chicken thinly lengthwise. You can also cut the raw chicken into cubes, if desired.

Here are my other 20 minute dinner recipes:

20 Minute chicken Noodle Soup 

20 Minute Chili Mac

20 Minute Hot Hoagies

20 Minute Cassoulet

20 Minute Chicken Tostadas