Description
Tuscan Chicken with white beans and kale has tender meat that falls off the bone in a rich gravy flavored with pancetta, white beans, and rosemary. Cook this hearty one-pot meal in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or stovetop—this recipe is inspired by America’s Test Kitchen Multi-Cooker Perfection Cookbook. Every recipe in the cookbook allows cooking with a multi-cooker or slow cooker, making the book a great resource.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs with skins, trimmed of extra fat, or 4 bone-in chicken breasts*
- Salt & pepper
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces of pancetta or 2 bacon strips, chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2–3 (15-oz) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or 4 cups SCD prepped Navy beans**
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 rosemary sprigs, fresh
- 12–oz kale stemmed and coarsely chopped, optional
- juice of 1 lemon if using kale, optional
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare Kale. If including kale, rinse and drain it in a salad spinner and break it into small pieces. Discard any large thick stems. Place kale pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Work salt and lemon juice into the leaves and massage for 1 minute. This process tenderizes the kale. Let it sit in the lemon juice while preparing the dish. Knead the leaves with your hands a few times.
- Prepare chicken and cooking pot. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add oil to the cooking vessel (multi-cooker, slow cooker, or Dutch oven and heat for a few minutes to get hot. Set the temperature to the highest sauté or browning function for multi-cooker and slow cooker.***
- Cook Chicken. Place 4 seasoned thighs or two breasts skin down and cook until browned, 5 – 7 minutes. Repeat with remaining chicken, and transfer to a plate. You can remove and discard the skin at this point or keep it on the chicken if desired. You can remove it before eating if desired.
- Add pancetta, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper to fat in the cooker until pancetta is crisp and browned for about 3 minutes.
- Stir in beans, water, and rosemary sprigs.
- Nestle browned chicken, skin side up, into the pan, and any accumulated juices on the plate. • 6A) Pressure Cooker: Lock the lid and close the pressure release valve. Select the high-pressure cook function and set the time for 9 minutes. It will take a few minutes to get to the correct temperature, and then the 9-minute countdown begins. When the timer goes off, turn off the multi-cooker, turn the knob to a quick release, and release steam. Carefully remove the lid, allowing moisture to escape away from you. • 6B) Standard Slow Cooker and Slow Cook with Multi-Cooker: Place lid on the cooker, select low heat, and cook until chicken is tender for 2- 3 hours. Carefully remove the lid, allowing steam to escape away from you. Note: If using Instant Pot, slow cook, select the high slow cook function and increase cooking time to 4 to 5 hours. • 6C) Stovetop: In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed stockpot, bring ingredients to a boil on medium heat and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or the meat temperature reads 165º.
- Transfer chicken to a serving platter and remove the skin, if desired. Add the chopped kale and lemon juice to the pot and cook for 3 minutes until wilted. Stir to incorporate any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add more water if needed. Discard the rosemary sprigs but allow leaves to remain.
- Serve. Spoon the bean mixture around the chicken on the serving platter and top with chopped parsley.
Notes
The recipe was updated on 10/15/22 to include stovetop cooking methods.
*The recipe calls for 8 chicken thighs, but I also use 4 bone-in chicken breasts or thighs. They are all delicious, but I prefer thighs. This recipe has generous portions, and the beans are very filling. It may serve more than four people, depending on the weight of the meat and the appetite. The nutritional information is based on bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
** SCD followers – see recipe for Navy beans. Add beans into the pot with kale in step 7. Beans must be made ahead.
***If your slow cooker does not have a browning function, do steps 2-4 in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven, and then transfer ingredients to the slow cooker following with remaining steps.
Do you have picky eaters that do not want to eat around the bone? Remove meat from the bone after it has cooled a bit during step 3.
If using boneless thighs or boneless breasts, reduce cooking time. Pressure cooker 8 Minutes; Slower cooker 1.5 – 2 hours; Dutch oven – 15 minutes or until meat temperature reads 165º.
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- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Pressure Cooker, weeknight meal, cannellini beans, rosemary, Italian food, bone-in chicken thighs, SCD, Navy beans
