One-Pan Stovetop BBQ Chicken Thighs with Homemade Beans: Your New Favorite Comfort Food Dinner

Does your family crave the rich, smoky flavors of authentic baked beans, but you’re looking for an easier, less fuss alternative? Look no further! This incredible recipe for Chicken Thighs with Barbecue Beans is a game-changer. Forget heating up your oven for hours; this deliciousness comes together right on your stovetop, all in a single pan. Yes, really! The best part? As the chicken thighs simmer in this savory concoction, they absorb an incredible amount of flavor, becoming incredibly tender and juicy.

Why This One-Pan Stovetop Method is a Culinary Revelation

Traditional baked beans can be a labor of love, often requiring significant oven time and multiple dishes. This stovetop version simplifies the process without sacrificing any of the deep, complex flavors you expect from a classic barbecue bean dish. The beauty of cooking everything in one pan isn’t just about reducing cleanup; it’s about building layers of flavor. The rich drippings from searing the chicken form the foundation for the beans, ensuring every bite is infused with savory goodness.

It’s perfect for a cozy weeknight meal or a casual gathering. The convenience factor alone makes it a winner, but the resulting dish – with its perfectly cooked chicken and robust, saucy beans – will make it a regular in your recipe rotation.

The Genesis of a Delicious Dish: Adapted from a Culinary Master

This delightful recipe is adapted from Chef Todd Richards’ acclaimed 2018 cookbook, SOUL: A Chef’s Culinary Evolution in 150 Recipes. Chef Richards emphasizes the love for extra beans in his family’s version, a sentiment we wholeheartedly echo. When serving this dish alongside other sides for a gathering, the original chicken-to-bean ratio is wonderfully balanced. However, if you’re like us and can’t get enough of that flavorful chicken, don’t hesitate to add more!

Beginning with the Chicken: The Foundation of Flavor

Our journey to a truly delicious one-pan meal starts with the chicken. Searing the bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs isn’t just for color; it’s crucial for locking in moisture and developing a rich, savory fond at the bottom of the pan. This fond, the caramelized bits left after searing, will become the backbone of our barbecue bean sauce, infusing it with unparalleled depth.

Seasoning: Begin by generously sprinkling your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Don’t be shy; this initial seasoning is key to deeply flavorful chicken.
Heating the Oil: Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Ensure your pan is large enough to comfortably fit the chicken thighs without crowding.
Searing Skin-Side Down: Carefully place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, into the hot oil. Sear until the skin is beautifully golden brown and crispy, which typically takes about 7 minutes. This step renders the fat and creates that desirable fond.
Flipping and Browning: Turn the chicken thighs over and cook until the other side is also nicely browned, usually around 5 more minutes. The goal here is to get good color, not to fully cook the chicken at this stage.
Setting Aside: Remove the browned chicken from the pan and set it aside. Crucially, allow those flavorful pan drippings and the fond to remain in the skillet. This is where the magic begins for our beans.

Building the Rich Barbecue Bean Base

With our chicken set aside, it’s time to build the foundation for our incredible barbecue beans. The remaining pan drippings are crucial here, providing a savory depth that will permeate every bean.

Prepare the Beans: Ensure your presoaked beans are thoroughly drained.
Combine Ingredients: Add the drained beans to the skillet, along with the diced onions, bell peppers, celery, minced garlic, optional red pepper flakes, chicken stock, bay leaves, and fennel seeds. The aromatic vegetables will soften and release their flavors into the stock, creating a fragrant base.
Bring to a Boil: Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat.

Essential Recipe Notes and Tips for Success

To ensure your Barbecue Chicken Thighs and Beans turn out perfectly every time, here are a few key considerations and tips:

Choosing Your Beans: For this recipe, we recommend a medium-sized white bean, such as cannellini beans. Their creamy texture and ability to absorb flavor make them ideal. If you’re looking for a low-oxalate bean choice, black-eyed peas are an excellent substitute that will also hold up well in the long simmer. Remember to soak dried beans overnight or for at least 8 hours to reduce cooking time and improve digestibility.
Spice Level Customization: The original recipe suggests a generous amount of red pepper flakes. For a very subtle kick, we use about 1/2 teaspoon, which adds just a hint of warmth without overwhelming the dish. If your family loves serious heat, you can certainly increase this amount, but always err on the side of caution and adjust to your preference. You can also omit them entirely if you prefer no spice.
Gluten-Free Option: This dish can easily be made gluten-free. The primary ingredient to check is the Worcestershire sauce, as some brands contain gluten. Always opt for a Certified GF Worcestershire sauce to ensure your meal is safe for those with gluten sensitivities.
Pan Size Matters: The skillet used in this recipe is similar to this 12-inch, 96-ounce capacity pan. Using a pan of adequate size is crucial, especially if you plan to add extra chicken. A larger surface area allows for proper searing and ensures all ingredients can simmer comfortably without overcrowding, which can lead to steaming instead of browning, and uneven cooking.

Long, Slow Simmer: Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Allow the beans to simmer gently for about 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until they are perfectly tender. This slow cook allows the beans to fully soften and absorb the foundational flavors from the chicken drippings, vegetables, and spices. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.

Infusing the Signature Barbecue Flavor

Once your beans are perfectly tender, it’s time for the true barbecue magic to happen. This step is where we introduce the iconic sweet, tangy, and savory notes that define classic BBQ beans.

Adding the BBQ Components: Stir in the light brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, coarse-grain mustard, apple cider vinegar, and the remaining salt. Each ingredient plays a vital role: brown sugar for sweetness and caramelization, ketchup for tang and body, Worcestershire for umami depth, mustard for a sharp counterpoint, and apple cider vinegar for bright acidity. Combine these thoroughly until you have a rich, aromatic sauce.
Returning the Chicken: Carefully nestle the previously seared chicken thighs back into the skillet, ensuring they are partially submerged in the bean mixture. This allows them to continue cooking gently and truly soak up all the incredible barbecue flavors.
Final Simmer: Let the dish simmer for about 10 more minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through and wonderfully tender. This short simmer allows the flavors to meld beautifully and the chicken to reach its peak succulence.
Discard Bay Leaves: Before serving, remember to remove and discard the bay leaves.

Serving Suggestions & Customization

These Barbecue Chicken Thighs with Homemade Beans are a meal in themselves, but they also pair beautifully with a variety of sides. Think classic comfort food pairings like cornbread, a fresh green salad, or creamy coleslaw. The richness of the beans and chicken is wonderfully balanced by lighter, fresh components.

If you’re looking to switch things up, consider these customizations:

More Chicken, Please! As mentioned, there’s ample, flavorful liquid in this recipe to support additional chicken. Simply use a larger skillet and increase the number of chicken thighs if you desire more protein in your meal. The robust sauce will ensure no chicken or beans end up dry.
Smoky Boost: For an extra layer of smoky flavor, a pinch of smoked paprika or a dash of liquid smoke can be added to the bean mixture along with the other BBQ ingredients.
Sweetness Adjustment: The recipe calls for brown sugar, which provides a lovely sweetness. You can adjust the amount to suit your preference, or even experiment with a touch of maple syrup or molasses for different sweet undertones.
Vegetarian Option (without chicken): While this recipe centers around chicken thighs, the beans themselves are incredibly flavorful. For a vegetarian version, you could omit the chicken, use vegetable broth instead of chicken stock, and add some smoked tofu or tempeh for protein and texture.

The Importance of Resting: The Final Step for Perfection

Your Chicken Thighs and Barbecue Beans are almost ready, but there’s one crucial final step that makes all the difference: resting. When you turn off the heat, you’ll notice a generous amount of delicious, saucy liquid in the pan. It’s essential to let the dish rest for about 25 minutes before serving.

During this resting period, several wonderful things happen:

Thickening of the Sauce: The sauce will thicken considerably, reaching that perfect clingy consistency that makes every spoonful irresistible.
Flavor Integration: The flavors have time to truly meld and deepen, creating a more harmonious and robust taste profile.
Juicier Chicken: Just like with a roasted turkey or steak, resting allows the juices in the chicken thighs to redistribute, resulting in incredibly moist and tender meat.

Trust the process! You’ll be amazed at the difference this simple step makes. Once rested, garnish with the remaining black pepper and thinly sliced scallions for a fresh finish. Enjoy this comforting, flavorful, and incredibly easy one-pan meal!

Chicken Thighs with Barbecue Beans

Adapted from Chef Todd Williams’ cookbook, SOUL

A one-pan stovetop recipe for succulent chicken thighs simmered in rich, homemade barbecue beans that rivals traditional baked beans.

Servings 4 servings

Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

4
bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
2
teaspoons
kosher salt, divided
1
teaspoon
coarsely ground black pepper, divided
2
tablespoons
olive oil
1
pound
dried medium-sized white beans, soaked in water 8 hours or overnight
2
cups
diced yellow onions, from 1 large or 2 small onions
(about 10 ounces)
1 1/4
cups
diced green bell peppers, from 1 large or 2 small peppers
(about 6 ounces)
1/2
cup
diced celery, from about 2 stalks
(about 3.5 ounces)
4
garlic cloves, minced
1/2
teaspoon
crushed red pepper flakes
(optional)
6
cups
chicken stock
2
bay leaves
1/8
teaspoon
fennel seeds
(or a pinch of ground fennel)
1
cup
packed light brown sugar
1/2
cup
ketchup
1/4
cup
Worcestershire sauce
2
tablespoons
coarse-grain mustard
2
tablespoons
apple cider vinegar
2
scallions, thinly sliced for garnish

Instructions

Sprinkle the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium. Sear the chicken thighs, skin side down, in the hot oil, until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 more minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan; set aside. Allow the pan drippings to remain in the skillet.
Drain the beans and add them to the skillet along with the onions, bell peppers, celery, garlic, red pepper flakes (if using), chicken stock, bay leaves, and fennel seeds. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the beans are tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Stir the brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, and remaining teaspoon of salt into the pan. When combined, return the chicken to the pan, and simmer until the chicken is done, about 10 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves.
Let stand for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper and thinly sliced scallions before serving.

Recipe Notes

For the beans, choose a medium-sized variety such as cannellini beans. For a low-oxalate bean choice, black-eyed peas work well.

Regarding red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon provides a subtle kick. Adjust to your family’s preference for spice or omit entirely.

To ensure this recipe is gluten-free, verify that your Worcestershire sauce is Certified GF.

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More Delicious One-Pan Chicken Recipes to Explore

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