Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Kale
Tuscan Chicken with White Beans and Kale features tender meat that falls off the bone in a rich gravy flavored with pancetta, white beans, and rosemary. This hearty one-pot meal can be cooked in a pressure cooker, slow cooker, or on the 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.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Chicken
- Method: Pressure Cooker
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs with skins, trimmed of extra fat, or 4 bone-in chicken breasts*
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces of pancetta or 2 bacon strips, chopped**
- 5 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 (15-oz) cans of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, or use SCD prepped Navy beans***
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 rosemary sprigs, fresh
- 12–oz kale stemmed and coarsely chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Prepare the Kale. Rinse and dry the kale in a salad spinner, then break it into small pieces. Discard any large, thick stems or thinly slice them for use. Place the kale pieces in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon sea salt. Massage the salt and lemon juice into the leaves for 1 minute, tenderizing them. Let the kale sit in the lemon juice while preparing the dish. Gently knead the leaves between your hands a few times.
- Prepare the chicken and the cooking pot. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add oil to the cooking vessel (such as a multi-cooker, slow cooker, or Dutch oven) and heat for a few minutes to bring it to a hot temperature. Set the temperature to the highest sauté or browning function for the multi-cooker and the slow cooker.****
- Cook Chicken. Place four seasoned thighs or two breasts, skin-side down, and cook for 5–7 minutes, until browned. Repeat this with the remaining chicken and transfer it to a plate. At this point, you can remove and discard the skin or keep it on the chicken. You can also remove it before eating.
- Add pancetta, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper to the fat in the cooker. Cook until the pancetta is crisp and browned, 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 reach the correct temperature, and then the 9-minute countdown will begin. When the timer goes off, turn off the multi-cooker, turn the knob to the quick-release position, and release the 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 an Instant Pot or slow cooker, 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 until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165°F.
- Transfer the 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 the kale is wilted. Stir to incorporate any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add more water if needed. Discard the rosemary sprigs, but retain the leaves (needles).
- Serve. Spoon the bean mixture around the chicken on the serving platter and top with chopped parsley.
Notes
*The recipe calls for eight chicken thighs, but I also use four bone-in chicken breasts. They are all delicious, but I prefer thighs.
**For Mediterranean and Detox Diets, eliminate the processed meat and additional olive oil when browning the chicken.
*** SCD followers, see the recipe for Navy beans. In step 7, add the legally prepared cooked beans to the pot along with the kale.
****If your slow cooker does not have a browning function, follow steps 2-4 in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet, cast-iron skillet, or Dutch oven, and then transfer the ingredients to the slow cooker for the remaining steps.
Do you have picky eaters who refuse to eat meat with bones? Step 3 removes the meat from the bone after it has cooled slightly.
If using boneless thighs or breasts, reduce the cooking time as follows: 8 Minutes in the pressure cooker, 1.5–2 hours in the slow cooker, or 15 minutes in the Dutch oven, or until the meat reaches a temperature of 165°F.
Try these other delicious kale recipes.
Find it online: https://www.suppersanity.com/tuscan-chicken/
