Green beans are available all year around, fresh or frozen! Lemon Garlic Green Beans are brilliant as a healthy side dish or as a standby snack. Learn how to make simple skillet green beans, sautéed in the pan, with the flavor far more concentrated than it would be if you just steamed them.
Super tasty green beans is the perfect side dish, whether you are planning a side dish for lunch or dinner. As a bonus, these simple skillet string beans are super easy to throw together while your main dish cooks on the stove. When add olive oil, garlic and spices -you get the all time ultimate side dish!
Why you'll love these
Make these green beans! Easy, delicious and incredible! Great for fall, spring and summer! Simple but elegant side dish. I would even add that these string beans are a luxurious and different way to eat a usually plain and often forgotten ingredient.
The perfectly cooked green beans are crisp, tender and flavorful, and you should enjoy eating them! They should never be overcooked, brown or tasteless. And they should not be tough or squeak between your teeth!
How to shop for green beans
How do you pick green beans at the grocery store? You would want to choose those that are smooth and bright in color! Make sure they are not soft.
Green beans should be firm and produce a juicy SHARP sound when snapped in half. The obvious things to stay away from are brownish color beans, beans with wrinkles and spots on them. Those things might mean old and mold.
In terms of variety, you will usually find 3 kinds of green beans in the market.
- Bush Beans are green beans that grow in the spring and early fall. They are larger in diameter, firm in texture and longer in size. Packed with folate and vitamin K!
- Pole beans are sweeter and starchier than bush beans. Similar in size, they have a nuttier taste too.
- Haricots Verts are a smaller, thinner beans of a finer French variety. They are also longer, more exquisite looking🙂 and present themselves better on a plate. In my opinion, haricots verts have a more obvious flavor than pole or push beans.
Tips for success
Avoid buying frozen or canned green beans. This recipe will work with them, but they will be too mushy and soft and definitely more pale in color. Therefore, I would encourage you to buy fresh green beans instead.
Storage
Store your green beans unwashed in a plastic bag. Keep in mind that string beans are prone to decay very quickly. Why is this important? Well, since we don't really know how old the beans are when we buy them, I would recommend to use them as soon as possible.
How to trim green beans
First things first, rinse the green beans under cool water and shake dry.
Next trim the stem ends from the beans. Especially if they are tough and withered. You can do this with a knife or scissors.
Halve any very long beans.
How to cook them
First, add olive oil and butter to the skillet. Allow the fats to melt together and bubble a little bit.
Now chop parsley and garlic. Then add them to the hot skillet and mix with a spoon. Followed with the hot sauce, red crushed chili pepper flakes.
Lastly add lemon juice and chicken stock and reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes, until slightly thickened.
This is the step to add green beans. You'll need one pound of fresh green beans for this recipe.
Cook those beans for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until cooked to your liking.
What to serve them with
I will say that beef and chicken dishes are ideal with green beans. Below is the list of my suggestions:
Sweet and Salty Chicken Thighs
I LOVE to combine veggies with protein and that's why I made a specific chicken dish that uses this green bean recipe. A perfect main course that includes string beans:
Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans
You will love the leftovers!
Here are some other side dishes suggestions 🥗
Ultimate Green Bean Casserole in a Skillet
Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Gratin
Spicy Maple Glazed Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ultimate Green Bean Casserole Skillet
Lemon Garlic Green Beans
Ingredients
- 1 lb. green beans trimmed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup parsley fresh, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha (or any other hot sauce)
- ¼ teaspoon salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- Juice of ½ lemon
- ½ cup chicken stock
Instructions
- To the large skillet, add olive oil and melt the butter.
- Add chopped parsley and garlic and cook for 2-4 minutes.
- Now add hot sauce and red crushed chili pepper flakes
- This is the step to add lemon juice and chicken stock and reduce the sauce for a couple of minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Add green beans and cook for 5-8 minutes.
Sam says
This was really tasty! Husband loved it!
Vera says
Made this with my baked chicken. It was a hit with my boyfriend!