Garlic Butter Chicken Thighs with Green Beans

Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs are seared until browned, then finished in the pan with garlic butter and a small splash of stock. Green beans are sautéed in the same skillet until crisp-tender and coated with the pan juices. This version fits a weeknight schedule and corrects ingredient allocation so the chicken is used once across the cooking process, with no extra allocation for transferring or returning it to the pan.

By Julienne

Cook time: 22 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 5 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper freshly ground, divided
• 15 ml neutral oil
• 6 pieces chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on patted dry
• 20 g unsalted butter divided
• 3 cloves garlic cloves minced, divided
• 120 ml chicken stock
• 450 g green beans trimmed
• 10 g unsalted butter divided
• 2 cloves garlic cloves minced, divided
• 2 g fine salt divided
• 1 g black pepper freshly ground, divided
• 15 ml lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 8 g parsley chopped

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs dry. Season both sides with 5 g of the salt and 1 g of the black pepper. The chicken looks evenly seasoned and dry on the surface.
2. Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs skin-side down and cook without moving them until the skin is deep golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Turn the thighs and cook 3 minutes more. The skin is browned and releases easily from the pan; the second side has started to color.
3. Reduce the heat to medium. Add 20 g of the butter and 3 minced garlic cloves to the pan. Spoon the foaming butter over the chicken for 1 minute. The garlic is fragrant but not browned.
4. Add the stock to the skillet, cover partially, and cook the chicken until the thickest piece reaches 74°C and the juices run clear, about 6 to 8 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest thigh reads 74°C.
5. Transfer the chicken to a plate to rest. Keep the pan over medium heat. Add the green beans, the remaining 10 g butter, the remaining 2 minced garlic cloves, the remaining 2 g salt, and the remaining 1 g black pepper. Sauté, tossing often, until the beans are crisp-tender, 4 to 5 minutes. The green beans are bright green with a little resistance when pierced.
6. Return the chicken and any resting juices to the skillet. Add the lemon juice and toss briefly to coat the beans and glaze the pan juices. Top with parsley, if using, and serve immediately. The pan juices lightly coat the chicken and green beans.