Tuscan Herb-Baked Chicken Thighs with Cannellini & Kale
One-pan chicken thighs baked over creamy cannellini beans and kale in a garlicky rosemary broth — rustic Tuscan comfort with almost no cleanup.
Best for high-protein · budget one-pan dinner
This is the kind of dinner that tastes like it simmered all afternoon but really just leans on a hot oven and good pantry beans. The thighs render their skin crisp while the fat and herb-flecked broth soak into the cannellini below; the kale wilts into everything at the end and keeps it from feeling heavy. Bone-in, skin-on thighs stay juicy and cost little, and a whole tin of beans stretches four servings without a scrap of cream. Serve straight from the pan with bread to mop the broth.
Ingredients
- 8 piece chicken thighs , about 900 g total, patted dry
- 30 ml olive oil
- 4 clove garlic cloves , thinly sliced
- 2 sprig fresh rosemary , leaves picked
- 480 g cannellini beans , drained and rinsed (2 tins)
- 200 g chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml low-sodium chicken stock
- 150 g lacinato kale , stemmed, torn
- 1 piece lemon , half juiced, half in wedges
- 1 g dried chilli flakes , optional (optional – can be omitted)
- 4 g fine sea salt
- 1 g black pepper , freshly ground
Instructions
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1
Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Pat the chicken thighs very dry and season all over with the salt and pepper. Dry skin is the whole secret to it crisping instead of steaming.
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2
Set a large ovenproof skillet or roasting pan over medium-high heat with half the olive oil. Lay the thighs in skin-side down and leave them undisturbed until the skin is deep golden and releases easily, 6–8 minutes. Turn them out onto a plate; they will finish in the oven.
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3
Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining olive oil, the sliced garlic and rosemary, and cook just until fragrant, about 1 minute — don't let the garlic brown. Stir in the beans, chopped tomatoes and stock, scraping up the browned bits, and season with a pinch of salt.
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4
Nestle the thighs back in skin-side up so the skin sits proud of the liquid. Slide the pan into the oven and bake, uncovered, until the chicken reaches 74°C at the bone and the beans are bubbling, 28–32 minutes.
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5
Pull the pan out and fold the torn kale into the hot beans around the thighs; it will wilt in the residual heat in 2–3 minutes. Squeeze over the lemon half, scatter the chilli flakes if using, and taste the broth for salt.
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6
Serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges and plenty of bread for the broth.