Chicken with cannellini beany mash recipe

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Our chicken with cannellini beany mash costs £3.50 for two portions and takes just 5 minutes to prep

Chicken with cannellini beany mash
(Image credit: Future)
Serves2
SkillEasy
Preparation Time5 mins
Cooking Time25 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories419 Kcal21%
Saturated Fat2 g10%
Fat14 g20%
Carbohydrates21 g8%

This chicken with cannellini beany mash recipe takes 30 minutes to make and serves two.

Once you’ve mastered this creamy, beany mash we think you’ll be serving it alongside sausages, casseroles, and pies. It’s quicker to make versus mashed potatoes and butter beans are a great source of potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. We’ve served it with rocket but steamed broccoli or green beans would make another nice choice.

Ingredients

  • 1tbsp olive oil
  • 1tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • Low-cal cooking oil spray
  • 2 frozen skin-on chicken breasts, defrosted
  • 50g kale, thick storks removed

For the mash:

  • 400g tin cannellini or butter beans, drained
  • 1⁄2 vegetable stock cube
  • 1⁄2 lemon, plus extra to serve
  • Rocket, to serve

WEIGHT CONVERTER

to

Method 

  1. Heat the oil with the rosemary and garlic in a small pan. Leave to infuse.
  2. Over a high heat, spritz a non-stick frying pan with oil. Once hot, reduce the heat a little and fry the chicken for 5 minutes on each side until golden and the juices run clear. Remove from the pan, season, cover with foil and set aside.
  3. Add the kale to the pan with a splash of water. Fry until wilted, then tip into a colander. Squeeze dry and roughly chop.
  4. Return the pan to a medium heat, crush the garlic that was used in the oil, and cook until fragrant. Add the beans, the stock cube and 200ml water. Bring to a boil and stir until soft.
  5. Off the heat, use a masher to make a smooth paste. Squeeze in the lemon to taste and season with lots of black pepper. Mix through the chopped kale. Serve with the rosemary oil, rocket and a lemon wedge to squeeze over.

Top tips for making our chicken with cannellini beany mash

This recipe is delicious with chicken but it would also work well with some sausages and a rich onion gravy instead of the herby oil.

Can you eat cannellini beans on their own?

Once drained and rinsed the beans could, in theory, be eaten from the can but we don’t think it’s the best way to enjoy them. Consider tossing into salads, adding to soups, stews or even blitzing into a hummus-like dip.

Do you have to cook canned cannellini beans before eating?

There’s no need to cook the beans after you’ve drained and rinsed them. They are a great alternative to chickpeas if you want to make a homemade dip. However, if you are using them in soups or to make a cassoulet there’s no need to discard the liquid from the tin. Just add it straight to the pan and reduce the other liquids in the recipe. 

How do you make canned beans taste better?

As this recipe demonstrates, mixing beans with some herbs and seasoning makes them infinitely more tasty! You can also cook them in a little stock or add a splash of wine if simmering over medium heat. 

Profile picture of Jessica Ransom
Jessica Ransom

“I always have a tin of beans in the cupboard as they are an easy and affordable way to boost the nutritional value of a recipe and they have a long shelf life.”

If you’d prefer a smooth mash, consider blitzing the bean mixture with a stick blender

Ninja Foodi 2-in-1 Hand Blender & Hand Mixer - View at Amazon 

Ninja Foodi 2-in-1 Hand Blender & Hand Mixer - View at Amazon 

Torn between a hand mixer and a stick blender for your next kitchen appliance? With this Ninja Foodi you can have both! It’s easy to clean, and has a powerful 850W motor and a 1.5m cord.

Read our guide on how to make mashed potatoes if you fancy the original. You might also like our homemade sauces for chicken or these healthy chicken recipes are perfect if you need some mid-week inspiration. 

Rose Fooks
Deputy Food Editor

Rose Fooks is Deputy Food Editor at Future Publishing, creating recipes, reviewing products and writing food features for a range of lifestyle and home titles including GoodTo and Woman&Home. Before joining the team, Rose obtained a Diplome de Patisserie and Culinary Management at London’s Le Cordon Bleu. Going on to work in professional kitchens at The Delaunay and Zedel.

With contributions from