Recipe

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This easy recipe for garlic chicken and green beans is a simple and delicious family-friendly weeknight meal.

The garlic chicken is pan-seared to perfection with a quick lemon garlic sauce that’s as delightful as it sounds and paired with tender-crisp green beans made quickly while the chicken cooks!

garlic chicken breast on a plate with green beans and a lemon wedge

Easy Skillet Chicken & Green Beans

Just like my white wine chicken with green beans, this recipe turns a few ingredients into a scrumptious meal: juicy chicken, a sauce that's to-die-for, and crisp-but-tender steamed green beans. Everyone in the family will devour this dinner!

The lemon-garlic combo is a simple one and always a winner. Whether it's used in a lemon marinade or to infuse veggies with fresh flavor, it can easily transform the taste of simple ingredients.

Ingredients

To pan-sear the chicken breasts, you’ll only need salt, pepper, and olive oil. The sauce is made with butter, white onion (or shallots), garlic, chicken broth, cornstarch for thickening, and fresh thyme (dried thyme or poultry seasoning works too). The green beans are also seasoned with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes (optional but great for a little spice), and lemon.

How to Make Chicken and Green Beans

While the recipe card below shares the recipe step-by-step, below I explain a few tips for each of these steps:

Butterfly the chicken breast to help the chicken cook faster and ensure even cooking.
Pan-sear the chicken breasts in a hot pan without moving them until the first side is seared, then flip to finish cooking.
Make the sauce in the same pan once the chicken breasts have been cooked. The little drippings on the pan add lots of flavor. After sauteing onions, garlic, and thyme in butter, add chicken broth and let it simmer.
Cook the green beans in a separate pan while the sauce simmers. Squeeze a little lemon juice to add freshness and that citrus flavor we love once they are done cooking.
Add the chicken back to the pan for 2 minutes after the sauce has simmered to heat it through.
Serve the chicken breast, the green beans, and then add a few spoonfuls of the epic sauce right over the top!

garlic chicken and green beans on a white plate

Can I use Frozen Green Beans?

Using frozen green beans will leave a lot of water from thawing in the pan, and the seasonings will be diluted. To avoid this, thaw the green beans first or remove some of that water from the pan before adding the seasonings, and do not add any additional water during the cooking process.

What Else to Serve with Green Beans & Chicken

There is always room for more side dishes! Some other yummy options to serve are cilantro lime cauliflower rice, roasted sweet potato stacks, and balsamic roasted beets.

Garlic Chicken and Green Beans

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 30

This easy recipe for garlic chicken and green beans is a simple and delicious family-friendly weeknight meal.

5 from 53 votes

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Ingredients

For the chicken:

2 chicken breasts, butterflied into 4 pieces
Salt & pepper, for seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup chopped onion, about 1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, finely chopped, or ¾ teaspoon dried thyme or poultry seasoning

For the green beans:

1 lb fresh green beans
2 tablespoons butter
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
Pinch red pepper flakes, optional
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
¼ cup water
1 lemon, divided

Instructions

Cook the chicken:

On a flat surface, butterfly the two chicken breasts into 4 thinner pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and heat it up.
Place the chicken breasts in the hot pan and cook, without moving them, for 4 minutes on the first side, then once golden and seared, flip them over and continue cooking for an additional 4 to 5 minutes until the chicken breasts' internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from pan onto a plate.

Make the sauce:

To the same pan, add the butter and melt it, using the back of a spatula to grease the entire surface. Add the onions and sauté, for 3 minutes, until they turn translucent and golden. Add the garlic, and stir to cook the garlic for about 30 seconds.
Add the chicken broth to the pan, bringing it to a simmer while stirring the tidbits from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, stir to combine, and reduce the heat to medium-low to simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook the green beans:

Meanwhile, prepare the green beans by heating up a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the green beans to the pan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir to distribute. Add the water to the pan and cover it immediately. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, opening up the cover to stir occasionally.
Once the green beans are ready, remove the lid, squeeze half a lime over the top, stir and turn off the heat.

Combine:

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water and mix until smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the pan, mix to combine, and add the chicken breasts back to the pan, spoon the sauce over the top and simmer for 2 minutes to heat everything through.
Serve the chicken with the cooked green beans and lemon wedges from the remaining ½ lemon sliced into wedges.