Another One-Dish Wonder

This recipe is superfast and supereasy and supergood, though it tastes as though it were complicated and long-simmering.  The chicken thighs are packed with flavor, and fresh rosemary — if you have it — is divine in place of dried.  If you use dried, take a moment to crumble the leaves into smaller bits.  The dish cooks so quickly that full-sized dried rosemary leaves won’t soften completely and will remain, as a labmate of mine says, twiggy.

A few years ago, I served this dish to two hungry siblings of mine, one of whom is not a fan of tomatoes or kalamata olives.  This sibling sat at the table, swallowing heaping forkful after heaping forkful, saying, “I can’t stop eating this!  This is so good!  How can this be so good?  Is there any more?”  The three of us polished off the batch in one sitting.

Since that time, I have fed this dish to friends, roommates, new mothers and fathers, and children.  It appeals to a wide variety of eaters!

One-Dish Rosemary Chicken and White Beans
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 thighs and 3/4 cup bean mixture)

Ingredients
2  teaspoons  olive oil
1 1/2  teaspoons  dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh
1/4  teaspoon  salt
1/4  teaspoon  black pepper
8  skinless, boneless chicken thighs (about 1 pound)
1  (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1  (15-ounce) can navy beans, drained
1/4  cup  chopped pitted kalamata olives

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine rosemary, salt, and pepper; sprinkle over one side of chicken. Place chicken in pan, seasoned side down; cook 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; turn chicken. Add tomatoes and beans; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Stir in olives.