If you live on the East Coast you know that the past few days have been a weather adventure. From a terrifying blizzard Sunday night to a brief blustery winter wonderland yesterday to a muddy, mucky mess today, we’ve been through a lot. Yesterday, I could barely leave my apartment, even the C-Town five blocks away was too much of an ordeal. So, I went to the delicious Italian deli around the corner for some meat. Thus, I had to be resourceful with what lay in my cabinet already, so I came up with this one-pan chicken and beans dish. Pancetta and Olives take the place of salt to make this dish more interesting.

Cast Iron Chicken and Butter Beans

Serves 1, takes about 15 minutes

You will need:

1 small chicken breast fillet

1 Tbs chopped Kalamata olives

1 cup large butter beans (canellini work too)

1/4 cup fresh parmesan

2 1/8 inch slices pancetta cut in small pieces (or 3 tbs cubed)

3 tbs olive oil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chopped garlic

salt and pepper

1/2 tomato (optional)

1 Tsp lemon juice (optional)

Method:

1. Make sure the piece of chicken is thin (no larger than 1/2 inch thick) and if not, pound it out. Coat both side with salt, pepper and garlic and set aside.

2. Heat your skillet on medium and add 1/2 the olive oil. Add the pancetta and cook for 1 minute, then add the beans and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes and add the parmesan. Push to one side of the pan and keep the heat on (you want to form a crust).

3. Add the olive oil to the empty side of the pan and add the tomato face down (you want to brown it). Then add the chicken in the remaining space. Cook three minutes on one side so that a brown crust forms and then flip until cooked through. Turn the heat off and stir the beans to serve, pour the lemon on the chicken and top with olives.

….ohh and I added some roasted brussels sprouts.