Creamy Dill Chicken with Potatoes and Green Beans
A flavorful, classic diner recipe that is wonderful on a busy weeknight or even for entertaining. The bright, distinct flavor of fresh dill is the star here, so don’t be shy when it comes to showering it over that chicken!
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (depending on how many you’re serving), pounded to half their original thickness (see note 1)
Salt and pepper, as needed
Olive oil, for cooking
16 oz. fresh green beans trimmed (give or take)
24-oz. baby gold potatoes, halved (quartered if they’re especially large)Â
3 tsp – 1 TBSP chicken stock concentrate (such as Better Than Bouillon; see note 2)
½ cup sour cream
1 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP butter
2 TBSP chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Adjust the racks to the top and middle positions.
- Put the potatoes on one baking sheet and the green beans on another baking sheet. Drizzle both with olive oil to coat (a couple teaspoons per sheet pan), and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put the potatoes on the top rack and the beans on the middle rack and roast until golden and cooked; potatoes take about 25 to 30 minutes (stirring halfway through) and the beans take about 10 minutes or so, no need to stir.Â
- Meanwhile, cook the chicken. Add 1 to 2 TBSP olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper on one side and cook in the hot oil until golden brown and done in the centers; about 4 to 5 minutes per side (pounded/thinner chicken takes less time to cook through).
- Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board and let it rest while you prepare the sauce.
- To make the sauce, reduce the heat under the skillet to medium and add the chicken stock concentrate to the pan (that still has the chicken bits and drippings) along with 1 cup of water. Stir and let this simmer for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the sour cream and Dijon. Add half of the chopped dill and the butter. Stir to melt/combine and taste – season with salt and pepper as you see fit. Alternatively, if it’s too salty – just add more water.
- Slice the chicken breasts and plate alongside the potatoes and green beans, with some of the creamy dill sauce spooned over top.Â
Notes
NOTE 1: Flattening/pounding chicken breasts prior to cooking ensures that the thickness will be more even throughout, and it will increase the surface area somewhat, giving more chicken the chance to get browned and flavorful. It also tenderizes the meat, helping you to achieve juicier results. To do this, I just put the chicken breasts on a cutting board and then I lay a piece of plastic wrap over them. I use a rolling pin or a heavy pint glass to just pound them out a bit.
NOTE 2: If you cannot find chicken stock concentrate, you can substitute 1.5 cups of chicken stock for the water. Allow it to simmer in the pan until reduced to one cup and then proceed with the recipe from there. Reducing it that way is a form of concentrating the stock, thus increasing its flavor.