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Braised Chicken Thighs with Butter Beans, Fennel & Tomato
Fennel loses its licorice edge entirely once it braises, turning sweet and silky against the tomato. The butter beans break down just enough at the edges to thicken the sauce without any flour. It is the kind of pot you leave alone for forty minutes, and it gives back 41 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber a bowl.
Braised Chicken Thighs with Butter Beans, Fennel & Tomato
Recipe Card
Braised Chicken Thighs with Butter Beans, Fennel & Tomato
Method: One-Pot·Cuisine: Mediterranean
Best Season
Fall through early spring
Ingredients
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2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
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1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
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1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, divided
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper
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1 large fennel bulb, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick, fronds reserved
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1 medium yellow onion, sliced
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4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, no salt added
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1 can (15 oz) butter beans, rinsed and drained (cannellini work too)
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1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
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5 oz baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
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Zest of 1 lemon plus 1 tablespoon juice
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For serving: the reserved fennel fronds, roughly chopped
Instructions
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1
Pat the chicken thoroughly dry and season with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a heavy pot or deep skillet over medium-high and brown the thighs in a single uncrowded layer, 4 to 5 minutes a side, until a deep golden crust forms and they release from the pot without sticking. Move them to a plate. They will not be cooked through.
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2
Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, the fennel and the onion to the same pot. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits, until the fennel edges are golden and it has lost its raw crunch. Stir in the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook 45 seconds, until fragrant.
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3
Pour in the tomatoes with their juice, the butter beans and the broth. Nestle the chicken back in along with anything on the plate, bring it to a bare simmer, then cover and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken pulls apart easily at the thickest point and the fennel is completely tender.
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4
Uncover and simmer 5 more minutes, mashing about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot with a spoon. That starch is what thickens the sauce, so keep going until a spoon dragged across the bottom leaves a track that fills in slowly.
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5
Stir in the spinach a handful at a time until it wilts, then the lemon zest, juice and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Taste it. A braise this long almost always wants acid rather than more salt, so add lemon until the tomato tastes bright again. Scatter the fennel fronds over the top.
Meal Prep Tip
Keeps 4 days in the fridge and freezes for 3 months, and the flavor is better on day two. The beans keep absorbing liquid overnight, so reheat gently with a splash of broth to bring the sauce back.
Make It Yours
If you don't like fennel
Two sliced celery stalks and a chopped leek give you the same sweet, soft backbone without the anise note. You lose about 1 g of fiber per serving and a little of the sweetness, so add a pinch more oregano.
Leaner
Boneless skinless chicken breast works if you add it back for only the last 12 minutes; any longer and it goes stringy. Saves about 60 calories and 6 g of fat per serving and adds 2 g of protein.
Plant-based
Swap the chicken for a second can of butter beans plus 10 oz of browned mushrooms, and use vegetable broth. Protein lands near 19 g per serving instead of 41 g, and fiber climbs by about 5 g.
Lower-sodium
Use no-salt-added beans and cut the added salt to 1/4 teaspoon total. Saves roughly 200 mg per serving; double the lemon and add a bay leaf to the braise so the sauce still tastes finished.
Heartier
Add a thick slice of toasted seeded bread under each bowl to catch the sauce. That is about 12 g net carbs and 90 calories per serving, which keeps it inside the Mediterranean carb target.
Budget
Bone-in skin-on thighs cost less and braise even better; remove the skin after browning to keep the saturated fat where it is. Dried butter beans soaked overnight replace the can at roughly a third the price.
Nutrition
Per serving — estimate, excluding the fennel fronds for serving. Sugars are naturally occurring, from the tomatoes, fennel and onion; none is added.
Calories
460
Net Carbs
18g
Total Carbs
27g
Fiber
9g
Total Sugars
8g
Added Sugar
0g
Protein
41g
Fat
22g
Saturated Fat
5g
Sodium
600mg
Nutrition pending review by our registered dietitian — estimate only. Not medical advice.
Keywords
DinnerHigh ProteinOne-PotButter BeansHigh FiberMediterranean
Besides Sugar
Besides Sugar: Soluble Fiber Turns a Meal into a Gel
Butter beans are dense in soluble fiber, which dissolves into a viscous gel as it moves through your gut. That gel physically slows how fast digestive enzymes reach the starch around it, so glucose enters your bloodstream over a longer window. There are roughly 9 grams of fiber in this bowl, and the beans are doing most of that work.
About Prediabetes Mastermind
Prediabetes Mastermind builds practical, science-backed tools for reversing and managing prediabetes — meal frameworks, recipes, and plans verified by a registered dietitian. We treat prediabetes as a condition worth taking seriously, and we focus on what you can do, not what to fear.
These recipes and their nutrition figures are pending review by our registered dietitian. Nutritional information is an estimate and not medical advice; consult your healthcare provider about your individual plan, especially if you take glucose-lowering medication.
