I think it’s time I told you about my love for chicken sausage. I don’t know when it started, but it definitely runs deep. This Chicken Sausage White Bean Skillet is made with pre-cooked smoky chicken sausage to save you time and creamy white canned beans to save you money!! And I’m always excited to share a one-pan dinner meal with you, so this is one you’ll want to keep in your back pocket!
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Ingredients for Chicken Sausage White Bean Skillet
My goal was to create a quick skillet meal that reminded me of slow-cooked beans and ham. You know the beans that cook for hours in a big pot and soaks up all that delicious flavor from a smoky ham hock bone? Yes, that was the goal. And I think I got pretty close! ;) Here’s what you’ll need:
- Chicken Sausage: You’ll need 4-5 fully cooked chicken sausage links. Currently my favorite brand is Aidells smoked chicken sausage, but you can use whichever brand you like. I’ve heard great things about Trader Joe’s chicken sausage too!
- Onion and Garlic: Diced onion and garlic cooks in the residual fat from the chicken sausage and adds lots of aromatics and flavor to the dish.
- White Beans: I love creamy cannellini beans which is what I used, but you can certainly use a different canned white bean like great northern beans or navy beans.
- Chicken Broth: A little chicken broth helps warm the beans through and creates a light sauce.
- Spinach: I had a half bag of baby spinach leftover from my cheese tortellini and sausage skillet so I decided to add it here to reduce food waste and it gives the dish more color.
- Seasoning: Smoked paprika to help achieve that smoky bean flavor, a little bit of salt, black pepper, and dried oregano. That’s all you’ll need!
Recipe Tips!
- Keep an eye on the chicken sausage as it browns in the skillet. It only takes 1-2 minutes on each side. So make sure to remove it promptly after it browns to keep it from burning.
- I like to use a very large 12-inch skillet when making this recipe so I can quickly brown all of the chicken sausage at one time in an even layer.
- Drain the canned beans but DON’T rinse them. The extra starchy liquid that’s stuck to the beans will help create a light sauce.
- You can replace the spinach with chopped kale if that’s what you have on hand.
- Top this easy one-skillet meal with some freshly grated parmesan cheese or a pinch of red pepper flakes for extra flavor!
CAN I USE A DIFFERENT TYPE OF SAUSAGE?
Yes! You can use any type of smoked sausage for this recipe. I just so happen to love chicken sausage, but beef, pork, turkey, or even kielbasa sausage would work just fine. Just make sure you are getting fully-cooked sausage links.
Storing Leftovers
Although the beans will thicken quite a bit after storing in the refrigerator, it will still taste great the next day. So feel free to store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat easily in the microwave until warmed through.
Chicken Sausage White Bean Skillet
Servings 4 (about 1.25 cups each)Ingredients
- 4 fully-cooked chicken sausage links (about 12 oz.) ($4.99)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.08)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced ($0.42)
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 2 15oz. cans cannellini beans, drained ($2.00)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 cup chicken broth ($0.17)
- 2 cups spinach, roughly chopped ($0.76)
Instructions
- Slice the chicken sausage into round medallions about ¼ – ½ inch thick.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the sliced chicken sausage to the skillet and brown on both sides. It will only take about 1-2 minutes on each side. So be careful not to burn the sausage. Once the chicken sausage is browned, remove it from the skillet onto a separate plate and set aside.
- In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil along with the diced onion and minced garlic. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the drained canned beans to the skillet (do not rinse the beans, the residual starchy liquid helps create the sauce), along with the salt, dried oregano, smoked paprika, and cracked black pepper. Then pour in the chicken broth.
- Gently stir everything together and bring the skillet up to a simmer. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chopped spinach to the skillet, allowing the heat to wilt the spinach, then add the browned chicken sausage. Gently stir with the beans to combine.
- Serve hot with crusty bread and some freshly cracked black pepper or red pepper flakes on top. Enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make Chicken Sausage White Bean Skillet – Step by Step Photos
Currently this is my favorite brand of smoked chicken sausage, but you can use whichever brand you like.
Slice 4 fully-cooked chicken sausage links into round medallions about ¼ – ½ inch thick.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the sliced chicken sausage to the skillet and brown on both sides. It will only take about 1-2 minutes on each side. So be careful not to burn the sausage. Once the chicken sausage is browned, remove it from the skillet onto a separate plate and set aside.
In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil along with 1 small diced yellow onion and 2 minced garlic cloves. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the onion is translucent and the garlic is fragrant.
Add 2 15oz. cans of drained cannellini beans to the skillet (do not rinse the beans, the residual starchy liquid helps create the sauce), along with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/4 tsp smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Then pour in 1 cup chicken broth. Gently stir everything together and bring the skillet up to a simmer. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.
Add 2 cups chopped spinach to the skillet, allowing the heat to wilt the spinach. If your bean mixture has gotten a little too thick feel free to add 2 Tbsp of water at this point.
Now add the browned chicken sausage to the skillet. Gently stir with the beans to combine.
Now all that’s left to do is enjoy with some crusty bread and maybe a quick side salad. A simple one-skillet meal for the win!!🙌
This is fantastic with ground Italian sausage too!! Also threw in chopped kale instead of spinach — worked like a charm! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe! Definitely a repeat.
Yes, I love Italian sausage! So glad you enjoyed the recipe :)