Coming home hungry to cook dinner is a real bummer… But, it gets lots better, real fast, if you can do it fast like this easy chicken with cannellini beans dinner.

And, if friends are joining you too, you will want it to be especially good, but without a lot of fuss, even if you do have celiac disease.

My husband and I shared this gluten-free chicken recipe with some friends and found it all of those – quick, easy, and not a lot of fuss. I started it cooking and then was able to visit with our friends while it finished and the kale with minced garlic steamed. I thought that it was yummy and I’d bet you will too!

Everyone went back for seconds! Living gluten-free is not always that easy, but this simple dish cooks in one pan and thickens its own gravy. This could be called gluten-free cooking for dummies. That sort of describes what I need when I’m talking to someone while I’m cooking 🙂

Beyond that, it’s allergy-friendly and low-glycemic, too. Gluten intolerance makes cooking strictly gluten-free essential, but the basic ingredients here work together to bring out their own great flavors – and be easy, as well. Even more, this recipe is healthy in other ways. The beans, seasoning veggies and tomatoes add fiber and nutrients, and the fat that is there (about 5 grams of fat per serving) is the healthy sort.

By the way, speaking of fat in food, I enjoyed Kristin Wartman’s post on “The last days of the low-fat diet fad.” She describes some of the errors in recent years in our general understanding of what types of and how much fat we should have in our diets, and how serious that has been in causing people to eat more carbohydrates and sugar. With a lot of back-up references (to which I’m sorry to say I didn’t follow the links), she concludes that convincing people to give up their old dietary habits is a hard sell, especially when so many “trusted” sources still have bad information, and points out that the one type of fat that we should avoid is Trans-fat. I highly recommend her article.

Chicken with Cannellini Beans, Tomatoes & Italian Parsley

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 40 minutes Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Boned and Skinned Chicken Breast Halves, or Tenders

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 Cup Chopped Onion

1/4 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley, Snipped

1 Cup Chopped Celery

1 Clove Minced Garlic, optional

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Pepper

1 1/2 Cups Water, or GF Broth (your own, or your favorite – I used Pacific Natural Foods Organic Free-Range Chicken Broth this time)

16 Ounces Cannellini Beans, or other canned White Beans (be sure they’re GF and do not drain them)

16 Ounces Diced Tomatoes

8 Each Black Olives, optional garnish

Directions:

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven.

Brown the chicken pieces.

Move them to the side.

Add the onion, parsley and celery.

Stir and cook for a few minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well.

Cover; cook on low for about 20 to 30 minutes. Chicken should be fork-tender, and when it’s cut, the juices should run clear.



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This recipe is posted here: …

– Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free’s Slightly Indulgent Tuesday

– The Gluten-Free Homemaker’s Gluten-Free Wednesdays

– Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday

– Frugal Follies’ Frugal Food Thursday

– The Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday

– The Whole Gang’s Real Food Weekly

More gluten-free chicken recipes:

Chicken and Penne with Kale and Tomatoes for an Easy Chicken Dinner

Chicken Mushroom Rice Bake with Homemade Gluten-free Mushroom Sauce

Gluten-Free Chicken Stir-Fry with Celery and Onion Is a Quick Meal to Make

Easy, Gluten-Free Chicken Breasts in the Crockpot for Two