Like most home cooks, I've collected an abundance of chicken recipes, over the years with most of them serving chicken breasts, not chicken thighs. This is because breast meat is higher in protein than thigh meat (3 oz breasts have 24 grams and 3 oz thighs have 21 grams), and chicken breasts are lower in fat (breasts have 7 grams and thighs have 13 grams).
But my thinking has changed over the years and chicken thighs are making an appearance on the table equally as often. Chicken thigh meat has better flavor in my never to be humble opinion, and is less likely to end up overcooked.
I always cook them without the skin which helps reduce the fat content, and depending on the recipe, buy bone-in thighs, or in this case, boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
That's enough talk about chicken nutrition. This healthy chicken dinner packs a lot of flavor without a lot of fussing in the kitchen. I roasted whole boneless chicken thighs in the oven after drizzling them with low-fat buttermilk (buttermilk helps tenderize, though you could skip it), and Italian seasoning. While my chicken thighs cooked, I sauteed onion, mushrooms, and green beans in a skillet.
Buttermilk, sour cream, and Dijon mustard make a quick sauce, and add another layer of flavor to my chicken concoction. Served with slivers of parmesan, this meal looks like it took hours to make, but in truth, came together quickly.
Shake It Up!If you want to save a few calories, then by all means, use chicken breast meat. Broccoli florets, chopped kale, or zucchini would be a terrific alternative to green beans too.
P.S. If you're looking for a nutrition comparison for chicken breasts versus chicken thighs, check out this article from SFGate.
Boneless Chicken Thighs with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Sour Cream Sauce
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- ½ cup low fat buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cups green beans , cut into 2" pieces
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 4 cups mushroom , sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ½ cup low fat buttermilk
- ½ cup low-fat sour cream
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese , shaved or shredded
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with foil. Sprinkle chicken with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, then drizzle ½ cup buttermilk over the top. Bake for 20 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink in the middle.
- While chicken cooks, steam green beans for 8 - 10 minutes until crisp-tender in a large pot with a steamer basket and 2 inches of water over medium high heat.
- Remove the beans from the pot and drain the water. Add olive oil to the pot over medium-high heat and add the onions. Cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Reduce the heat to medium and add the garlic, beans, mushrooms, and 1½ tablespoons Italian seasoning. Continue to cook for another 5 - 8 minutes until vegetables are just tender.
- Combine ½ cup buttermilk, sour cream, and Dijon mustard in a small bowl and pour over the vegetables and gently stirring to combine.
- Chop the cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pan, combining sauce, chicken, and vegetables.
- Serve topped with parmesan cheese.
Products I used for this recipe - Tristar Products 4 Piece Chef Pan. I don't clutter my cabinets with cooking supplies, and when I find a product I like, it replaces something worn out, or is so superior that I'm willing to donate a less stellar product. This square chef's pan you see in the recipe above is one of those purchases. It's a quality product with deep sides that cleans up easily and is completely nonstick. If you decide to make a purchase, Amazon will pay me a commission for it. This doesn't cost you anything additional. These commissions help support the cost of authoring this blog, so thank you!
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