• Home
  • Recipes
    • Search All Recipes
    • Recipe Round-Ups
  • Lifestyle
    • Outside the Kitchen
    • Kitchen Tips & Gifts
  • Weekly Meal Plans
  • More
    • About
    • Work With Me!
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

Framed Cooks

My life. One recipe at a time.

Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

Sign Me Up!
Recipes » Warm Chicken And Green Bean Salad

Warm Chicken And Green Bean Salad

By Kate Morgan Jackson

Jump to Recipe

This easy recipe for warm chicken and green bean salad can be customized all kinds of delicious ways! Hearty grains and cheese round out this perfect lunch or light supper.

Warm Chicken and Green Bean Salad

 

Hi there friends!  So, a quick catch-up as to the current situation for the Southern husband and myself.  As you know if you’ve been following along, the Southern husband is back to his Southern roots with our move this week to North Carolina.

However!  This is the not the final stage of our move, because our Carolina Dream House still has a couple of months to go before we get the keys, so we are bunking in with the Southern daughter and my sweet son-in-law, and guess what?

I have been named head chef!

So here’s the thing.  When we were in our sweet New Jersey house, I had my studio all set up, and dinnertime usually involved testing a new recipe and photographing it, and as soon as I get the keys to the Carolina Dream House you KNOW the first thing that I will unpack is my new North Carolina studio.

Until then we are determined to be good house guests, and I didn’t think hauling along my giant light and my distressed wood and my 384,246 plates and all of my cameras and lenses would qualify me as House Guest Of The Year, even though I know our two sweethearts would absolutely have let me do that.

(Not that we had room in the car even if I had!).

So while I am still dreaming up new recipes to test out in the new house, and while I have tons of new recipes already waiting in line to share with you between now and then, I had an idea.

For the next couple of months, sprinkled in with new recipes that I have already tested in my old studio, I’m going to revisit some old faves – specifically the old faves I am cooking up in my new position as Head Chef.

And in many cases, I’ll spiff them up with any adjustments I’ve made since they were first born.

For some of you who have been following me for a while, hopefully this will be a fun reminder of past recipes – and for most of you, it will probably be just like brand new!

So! Tonight I am making my crew a warm chicken and green bean salad from about 3 years ago, so that’s the first one I am going to re-share.

This recipe for warm chicken and green bean salad was born one day when I had a bowl of leftover green beans in my fridge, and since I have a strict No Ingredient Left Behind rule in my house, I was pondering what I could do with them other than serve them on the side of something else.

Then I spied a hunk of feta cheese in my fridge as well, and the wheels started turning…what if I poached a chicken breast, shredded it up into bite-sized pieces, and then tossed it with the beans and the feta?  And maybe some grains for extra heartiness?

And a little olive oil and a big dash of oregano?

And a little while later I had a bowl of warm chicken salad deliciousness.

Now, if you also have leftover chicken in your fridge you can absolutely use that as well, either cold, room temperature or warmed up in a little chicken broth if you want to keep true to the warm vibe of this recipe.

I’ve put directions in the recipe below for my tried and true way to poach a chicken breast, which is the way I make this salad most of the time.  It always yields the most tender chicken, which is key to a top-rate chicken salad.

Here’s how you make warm chicken and green bean salad!

Pop a boneless chicken breast in a pot and cover it with water.  Add a pinch each of salt and pepper – if I am feeling especially fancy, I also toss in a carrot and/or a piece of celery and onion.

Bring it to a boil, let it simmer for about 5 minutes and then turn off the heat and let the chicken stay in the water until the water is just barely warm.

Now scoop out the chicken and shred it into bite sized piece.

Next, toss it in a bowl with some cooked green beans, a handful of feta cheese, and your grain of choice.  My grain of choice is almost always farro, which I continue to have a major crush on, but you can also use brown rice or barley – this recipe is all kinds of flexible.

You can also sub in goat cheese for the feta, and I bet this would also be good with cherry tomatoes tossed in there.  It’s freeform!  You be you!

Once you have tossed the main ingredients together, drizzle on a teeny bit of olive oil, a generous pinch of oregano, season to taste with salt and pepper, and voila!  Supper is ready.

 

You just never know where gazing into your fridge at containers of leftovers can lead…

Thanks for this first journey down memory lane, my friends!

Love, Kate

Print
Warm Chicken and Green Bean Salad

Warm Chicken and Green Bean Salad


  • Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

This easy recipe for warm chicken and green bean salad can be customized so many ways! Hearty grains and cheese round out this lunch or light supper.


Ingredients

  • 1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast half
  • 2 cups cooked green beans
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • 2 cups cooked farro, barley or brown rice – your choice!
  • 1 tablespoon oregano
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil for drizzling

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken breast in a pot and cover with water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes and then let the chicken cool in the water until the water is just barely warm. Remove and shred into pieces.
  2. Combine the chicken with the beans, feta and grains in a bowl and toss.
  3. Drizzle with a little olive oil (a tablespoon or two will be enough) and the oregano and toss again. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes

If you already have cooked chicken in your fridge, this is a great way to use it up! Shred and it either use it at room temp, or warm it up in a little chicken broth.

Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying!

Equipment

Image of Mixing Bowls

Mixing Bowls

Buy Now →
Image of Measuring Spoons

Measuring Spoons

Buy Now →
Image of Measuring Cup

Measuring Cup

Buy Now →
Image of Medium Pot

Medium Pot

Buy Now →
Image of Bear Paws Shredder Claws

Bear Paws Shredder Claws

Buy Now →
3086.9 g349.3 mg6.7 g3.3 g0 g41.2 g7.5 g24.1 g58.1 mg

Did you try this recipe?

Tag @FramedCooks on Facebook and tell us how it came out!

593 shares
  • Facebook582
  • Twitter
  • Yummly
Kate Morgan Jackson

Hi there!  I’m Kate, and I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover.  I started Framed Cooks in 2009, and my mission is to create and share family-friendly recipes that make cooking both easy and fun…yes, I said FUN!  My kitchen is my happy place, and I want yours to be that place too.  And if you make this recipe, I would love you to tag @FramedCooks on Instagram so I can see the deliciousness!as seen in logos

Know someone who would love this recipe?
Click here to email them the link!

Published on June 20, 2020

Good for: Brunch, Dinner In A Hurry, Fourth of July, Kate's Favorites, Picnic Food

Last Post:
Easy Classic Seafood Ceviche
Next Post:
Shaking Beef

I'D LOVE IT IF YOU WOULD RATE THIS RECIPE
(AND COMMENTS ARE WONDERFUL TOO!) Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Comments

Want a photo beside your name? Go to Gravatar.com, sign up for a free account, and upload a photo. It's super easy!

  1. Martha in KS says

    June 20, 2020 at 6:11 pm

    Glad you made it to NC safely. This recipe looks like something I’ll try as soon as local green beans hit the stores. Enjoy your new title – Head Chef!

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      June 21, 2020 at 5:07 pm

      Thank you and I definitely am! :)

      Reply
  2. Cindy Meador says

    June 21, 2020 at 9:10 am

    Once again I am compelled to write to you. We just moved from our home of 22 years. We are currently living in a tiny one bedroom apartment until our home is completed. Moving was one of the most difficult and exhausting things we have ever done. Our home is not going to be ready until late October or early November. We are enjoying exploring and fixing up our bikes to take a ride. Truthfully we need this time to recover from the move. Cooking has been more fun since I am not distracted by packing and heart breaking goodbyes. Thanks for sharing your recipes. They are such a comfort for me.

    Reply
    • Kate Morgan Jackson says

      June 21, 2020 at 5:08 pm

      Oh Cindy, I know just how you feel, all of it – including being grateful for the time in between getting here and moving in to the new house, just to get my bearings. I’m so glad you are finding comfort in cooking – me, too. xoxo

      Reply
  3. Theresa Murphy says

    June 22, 2020 at 8:01 am

    We love farro in our house, too! And you had me at feta! But your goat cheese suggestion works for me, too. Looking forward to more re-runs of the oldies but goodies recipes as you feed the family!

    Reply

Hi, I’m Kate! I’m a recipe writer, food photographer and devoted bacon lover. I’m so glad you’re here!

If you want to know more….

Want to round out your meal? This recipe pairs well with...

raspberry messRaspberry Mess
goat cheese veggie dipBaked Goat Cheese with Spring Vegetables

STILL HUNGRY? CHECK OUT MY LATEST RECIPE VIDEOS!

These recipes are trending up! Come see what the excitement is about!

  • Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
  • Fresh Mint Tea
  • Julia Child's Filet Of Sole
  • Grandpa's Coca-Cola Ribs
  • Caprese Salad Skewers

These recipes are trending up! Come see what the excitement is about!

  • Pastina with Egg and Cheese, Otherwise Known As Comfort Food
  • Fresh Mint Tea
  • Julia Child's Filet Of Sole
  • Grandpa's Coca-Cola Ribs
  • Caprese Salad Skewers

Want every new recipe delivered right to your email inbox?

  • Home
  • Starters
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Contact
Terms of Use • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 Framed Cooks
All photographs © FramedCooks and may not be used for any purpose without written permission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.