Food and Recipes Dish Fried Chicken Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes Recipe Be the first to rate & review! Cast iron is excellent for frying, but you don't always have to deep-fry. Quickly pan-fry the chicken to get a crispy, golden exterior; then pop it in the oven until it's cooked through. Add some tangy green beans and tomatoes to make this a winning meal. By Emily Nabors Hall Emily Nabors Hall Emily Nabors Hall is a food stylist and recipe developer who has contributed regularly to Real Simple since 2015 as a member of the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios team. She works with several Dotdash Meredith brands, including Southern Living, Food & Wine, Rachel Ray In Season, and Meredith Premium Publishing titles. She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, with her husband and two children. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on January 15, 2021 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Active Time: 25 mins Chill Time: 8 hrs Total Time: 8 hrs 45 mins Yield: 8 serves Ingredients 2 cups whole buttermilk 2 large eggs, beaten 3 garlic cloves, smashed 4 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt, divided 2 1/2 teaspoons black pepper, divided 2 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs (about 8) 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4), cut in half 2 cups canola oil 3 cups all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons cornstarch 1 pound trimmed fresh green beans 1 large shallot, thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup) 1 pint cherry tomatoes 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon) Directions Whisk together buttermilk, eggs, garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in a large bowl. Place chicken in a large ziplock plastic freezer bag; pour buttermilk mixture over chicken. Seal bag, removing as much air as possible. (Or combine in a large bowl, and cover with a tight-fitting lid.) Chill 8 to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 425°F. Pour oil into a large cast-iron skillet, and heat over medium-high. Drain chicken well; discard buttermilk mixture. Whisk together flour, cornstarch, 2 teaspoons of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the pepper in a large bowl. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in flour mixture until well coated. Place coated chicken pieces on a large piece of aluminum foil, and let stand to allow coating to dry out, about 15 minutes. Fry chicken, in batches, 4 pieces at a time, in hot oil until golden, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer browned chicken to a wire rack in a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until chicken is deep golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, let skillet rest off heat about 5 minutes while chicken bakes. Carefully pour all of the frying oil into a metal bowl; allow flour to settle to bottom of bowl. Wipe skillet clean. Add 2 tablespoons of the frying oil to skillet, and place over medium-high. Add green beans and shallot, and cook, without stirring, until beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, and cook, without stirring, until beans and shallot are charred and tomatoes begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Stir in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Transfer vegetables to a serving platter, and toss with lemon juice. Serve the vegetables immediately with the fried chicken. Air Fryer Method: Proceed with step 1 of recipe. For step 2, preheat air fryer to 375°F (or 380°F if your air fryer only does 10° increments). Proceed with step 3 of recipe, then spray 4 pieces of chicken generously on both sides with cooking spray and place in preheated air fryer. Cook until golden, crisp, and a thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F, about 19-21 minutes, flipping chicken once halfway through. Proceed with step 6 of the recipe. Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Rate it Print