- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 yellow onion peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons butter optional
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper more or less depending on heat tolerance
- 5 cups water or stock
- 15- ounce can white beans a few tablespoons of the liquid reserved
- 1 cup dry fusilli
- 2 tablespoons freshly minced parsley optional
- 2.5 ounces baby kale
- ½ lemon juiced
- Salt pepper, and crushed red pepper to taste
Cook the chicken:
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, for 10–12 minutes until mostly cooked through and browned all over. Season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Remove from the pot and transfer to a bowl.
Cook the onion:
Add the diced onion to the pot over medium heat. Cook for 5 minutes until it just begins to soften. If using, melt the butter into the onion. Once bubbly, add dry thyme and crushed red pepper and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the stock:
Pour in 1 cup of stock or water to deglaze the pot. Add the remaining stock or water along with beans and the bean liquid, fusilli, and cooked chicken. Season to taste. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a hard simmer. Add water as needed if it evaporates too quickly. Note: You can low simmer it for longer but I was HUNGRY, so I hard simmered to cook the pasta faster. Hard simmer for about 15–20 minutes until the pasta is al dente. Low simmer for about 30 minutes.
Calories: 436kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 19g | Sodium: 130mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 9mg