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This easy Chicken Pesto Beans recipe is a one-pan wonder packed with flavor! Juicy chicken, tender beans, and a rich pesto sauce come together for a quick, hearty meal. Perfect for busy weeknights when you need something simple, healthy, and delicious!
😍Reasons to Love Chicken Pesto Beans
You’ll love this recipe because it’s simple and full of flavor. The tender chicken, creamy beans, and deconstructed pesto make a tasty combination. It’s an easy meal to cook with just one pan and doesn’t take much time, perfect for a quick and delicious dinner any night of the week.
✅Ingredient Notes
- Olive Oil: Use extra-virgin olive oil for the best flavor. You’ll need it to toast the nuts and sauté the onion and garlic.
- Pine Nuts or Almonds: Both work great, but pine nuts add a traditional pesto flavor. Toast them until golden for extra crunch.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This saves time! Any cooked shredded chicken will work, but rotisserie adds extra flavor.
- Cannellini Beans: These white beans are creamy and mild, but you can use any white beans you have on hand.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan melts better and adds a rich, salty taste to the dish.
- Basil: Use fresh basil leaves for that classic pesto flavor.
- Lemon: A squeeze of lemon juice at the end brightens the whole dish and balances the flavors perfectly.
🔪How to Make Chicken Pesto Beans
Toast pine nuts in olive oil, set aside.
Sauté onions, garlic, then add chicken.
Stir in beans and stock, simmer.
Melt in Parmesan, stir in basil.
Serve with the toasted pine nuts, lemon juice, and extra Parmesan.
👨🍳Expert Tips
- Toast Nuts Carefully: Pine nuts or almonds can burn quickly. Keep the heat low and stir frequently to ensure they turn golden. If they do burn, it’s best to start over since burnt nuts can overpower the dish.
- Don’t Overcook the Basil: Stir the basil in at the very end. Overcooking fresh basil can cause it to lose its vibrant flavor.
- Cheese Clumping Fix: If the Parmesan clumps when added, try grating it finer or mixing it with a little warm broth before stirring it into the dish to help it blend smoothly.
- Freeze for Later: You can freeze it for up to 2 months. However, freeze without the fresh basil and lemon; add those fresh after reheating for the best flavor.
🗄️Storage and Reheating
- To store, allow the dish to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight container. You can refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- For reheating, simply warm it in a skillet over medium heat, adding a splash of broth or water if the mixture thickens. Stir occasionally until heated through. You can also reheat it in the microwave in 1-minute intervals, stirring in between. For best results, add fresh basil and a squeeze of lemon juice just before serving to refresh the flavors.
More Delicious Stew Recipes
If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment or give this recipe a rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐! I will be happy to hear from you!
Pesto Beans
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- ¼ cup pine nuts or sliced almonds
- Salt and pepper
- 1 large onion, sliced thinly
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken works great
- 2 15.5-ounce cans cannellini beans or white beans, drained
- 1 1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan, about 4 ounces, plus more for serving
- 1½ cups tightly packed basil leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Toast the Pine Nuts: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 12-inch skillet or small Dutch oven over medium-low heat.
- Add the pine nuts, and once the oil starts sizzling, stir occasionally until the nuts are golden brown (about 2 minutes). Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
- Cook the Onion, Garlic, and Chicken: In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for about 3 minutes until lightly golden.
- Stir in the garlic and cook until sizzling (about 1 minute).
- Add 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring until the chicken is heated through.
- Add the Beans and Stock: Stir in the drained beans and stock. Bring the mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low.
- Stir in the Cheese: Gradually add the grated Parmesan in batches, stirring vigorously to combine.
- Once the cheese melts into the broth and the mixture turns creamy, season with salt to taste.
- Turn off the heat, and while the beans are still hot, tear or chop the basil leaves and stir them in.
- Serve hot in bowls. Top with the pine nuts you made earlier, add a squeeze of lemon juice, and finish with extra black pepper and grated Parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe is such a simple yet flavorful side dish! The pesto clings perfectly to the beans. My whole family loved it—definitely adding this to my regular rotation!
Thanks, Sarah! So happy your family enjoyed it. Simple dishes really are the best sometimes!