Why This Recipe Works

It's no secret that lemon and thyme pair perfectly with chicken. Here we dust boneless chicken breasts with piquant lemon zest and minced thyme before coating the chicken with flour. This keeps the zest and thyme from burning when sautéing the chicken. To make this a full meal, after cooking the chicken we keep it warm in a low oven while we build both a hearty side dish and a sauce on the stovetop, utilizing the fond left behind in the skillet. To add a hit of flavor, we first sauté a bit of pancetta, then add Swiss chard stems, which need a head start on the leaves. Slivered garlic and red pepper flakes add pungency and meld beautifully with the beans and Swiss chard. The starchy liquid from the canned beans helps create a full-bodied sauce in the time it takes the Swiss chard to wilt.

Before You Begin

If your chicken breasts are larger than 6 to 8 ounces each, use fewer of them to maintain a total weight of 1½ to 2 pounds. You will need a 12-inch skillet with a tight-fitting lid for this recipe.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. Combine 2 teaspoons minced thyme, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Spread ½ cup all-purpose flour in shallow dish. Place 4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed, on cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Using meat pounder, gently pound chicken to even thickness. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle with thyme mixture. Working with 1 breast at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess.

Heat 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in 12-inch stainless-steel skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Cook chicken until well browned and registers 160 degrees, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plate and keep warm in oven.

Cook 2 ounces pancetta, cut into ¼-inch pieces, in remaining 2 tablespoons oil in now-empty skillet over medium heat until rendered and crisp, about 3 minutes. Add chopped stems from 1 pound Swiss chard and cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 4 thinly sliced garlic cloves, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, and remaining ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans and their liquid and any accumulated chicken juices, scraping up any browned bits, then stir in leaves from 1 pound Swiss chard, cut into 1-inch pieces. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is tender, about 4 minutes. Slice chicken and serve with chard mixture, passing lemon wedges separately.