These Braised Green Beans with Garlic and Lemon are simmered in chicken broth and finished with good olive oil. They’re fast enough for a weeknight dinner and most definitely good enough for company.
Right about now, you’re probably thinking, “Oh wow…another recipe for green beans. Ho-hum.” And you’re about to keep right on clicking. But if you give me just a few minutes, you’ll be really glad that you did.
Of course, I love a big pot of green beans southern style, low and slow, until they practically melt. But every so often, I want something different on the table. Something that’s just quicker and brighter.
In this delightful recipe, whole peeled garlic cloves simmer right along with the tiny French green beans (haricot verts) in chicken broth. Then the whole thing is finished with a drizzle of good olive oil and fresh lemon juice that wakes up all the flavors! And best of all, it’s ready in about fifteen minutes, start to finish. That makes it just right for any occasion from weeknights to special dinners.
Recipe Snapshot: Braised Green Beans
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Cuisine: American
Cooking Method: Stovetop
Primary Ingredients: Green beans, chicken broth, olive oil, lemon, thyme
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Yum! Perfect way to make green beans.“
— Tickled Red
What Makes This Recipe Special
This recipe proves that green beans don’t have to simmer all afternoon to be delicious. Ten minutes on the stove, and these beans come out crisp-tender with garlic flavor all the way through.
Whole garlic cloves are the secret here. Simmered right along with the beans, they turn soft and almost sweet, so you get a little bite of mellow roasted garlic along with the green beans.
Finishing with fresh olive oil and a good squeeze of lemon juice at the very end, rather than cooking it in, gives the flavor a big boost and keeps the beans tasting fresh and light, no matter the season.
Ingredient Notes
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- Chicken Broth — This is the braising liquid, so it does a lot of the flavor work here. Choose low-sodium if you prefer to control the seasoning yourself.
- Garlic — Use whole peeled cloves, not minced. When garlic is left whole, it softens and turns almost sweet as it simmers right along with the beans.
- Haricot Verts — These are the slender French green beans you’ll usually find bagged or bundled in the produce section. They’re a bit more delicate than regular green beans and cook in about half the time, so if you do swap in standard green beans, plan on roughly double the covered cooking time.
- Fresh Lemon Thyme — I grow this in my garden and love the citrusy note it adds, but you won’t find it in most grocery stores. Plain fresh thyme works just as well.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil — This goes in raw at the very end, so use a good quality one. It rounds out the dish and gives it richness.
- Fresh Lemon — Use fresh-squeezed, not bottled. Its bright flavor wakes up the whole dish!
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Recipe Variations and Substitutions
- Regular Green Beans — If you can source haricot verts, do use them. They’re thinner and more delicate than standard green beans, so they cook in about half the time. However, you can easily swap in regular green beans, but you’ll need to simmer them for about twice as long, roughly 20 minutes covered, until they’re tender. Or, if you want to keep the shorter cook time, slice regular green beans lengthwise into thin strips before cooking. This is sometimes called “frenching” the beans, and it approximates the size and quick-cooking nature of true haricot verts.
- Vegetable Broth — Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version. The dish loses a little richness but keeps all its brightness.
- Shallot — Add one thinly sliced shallot along with the garlic for a little extra sweetness in the braising liquid.
- Tarragon or Oregano — Fresh tarragon or oregano both work well in place of the thyme. Skip anything as strong as rosemary, since it will overpower the delicate haricot verts.
- Butter — Swap the olive oil for a tablespoon of butter at the end if you prefer a rounder finish over the bright, light one the olive oil gives.
How to Make Braised Green Beans
STEP 1. Clean and trim the beans, if necessary. Haricot verts usually just need a few stem ends snapped off, which takes about five minutes.
STEP 2. In a large skillet, bring the chicken broth and garlic cloves to a simmer over medium heat.
STEP 3. Add the green beans and thyme sprigs. Cover the skillet and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the beans are tender and the broth has nearly evaporated.
STEP 4. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and the juice of one lemon.
Pro Tip
If the broth evaporates too quickly, add a few tablespoons of water as needed so the beans don’t cook dry before they’re tender.
- Taste before you serve. Depending on your broth and how much liquid cooked away, you may want an extra squeeze of lemon or a touch more salt.
- Don’t skip peeling the garlic, but don’t chop it either. Whole peeled cloves are what give this dish its mellow, almost sweet garlic flavor. Minced garlic simmered this long will turn bitter and overpower the dish.
- Watch the broth level as the beans cook. Every stove runs a little differently, so check partway through. If the broth is nearly gone before the beans are tender, add a splash of water rather than letting the pan run dry.
- Don’t season with salt until the broth has reduced. Chicken broth concentrates as it cooks down, so salting too early can leave the finished dish too salty. Taste and adjust at the end instead.
- Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled. Bottled lemon juice has a flatter, sometimes metallic taste that won’t give you the same bright finish.
- Serve these right away. Braised green beans are best fresh from the skillet, while the beans are still crisp-tender and the garlic is warm and soft.
How to Serve
These braised green beans are versatile enough to serve with almost anything. Their light, garlicky flavor works especially well next to something a little richer, so a roast chicken or seasoned grilled fish both make an easy pairing on a weeknight.
For something a little more special, serve these with a grilled ribeye steak. The bright lemon finish on the beans cuts through the richness of the steak nicely, and the whole plate comes together in well under an hour.
They’re just as good on their own too. A bowl of these beans with some warm bread to soak up the extra broth makes a satisfying light lunch or a simple side to round out any dinner plate.
How to Store
Store any leftover green beans in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. To reheat, warm them gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat, or in the microwave in short bursts.
Keep in mind that the beans will continue to cook a bit as they reheat, so they’ll be a little softer than they were fresh out of the skillet. They’ll still taste great, just with less of that crisp-tender bite.
Questions and Answers: Braised Green Beans
- Can I use frozen or canned green beans instead of fresh?
Fresh green beans give the best result for this recipe. Frozen beans might work if thawed and well drained first, but since they release a lot of water that can dilute the braising broth and increase the cooking time, softening the beans more than you’d want. Canned green beans are already fully cooked and soft, so they’d give you a very different texture than this quick braise is meant to produce. Stick with fresh for the crisp-tender result this recipe is going for.
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Recipe
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Clean and trim, if necessary, the green beans.
1 pound haricot verts
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In a large skillet, bring the chicken broth and garlic cloves to a simmer over medium heat.
1 cup chicken broth, 5 garlic cloves
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Add the green beans and thyme. Cover and cook approximately 8 minutes or until beans are tender and chicken broth is nearly evaporated.
3 sprigs fresh lemon thyme
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Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Season with salt, pepper, olive oil, and juice of one lemon.
½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 lemon
- Use whole peeled garlic cloves, not minced. They soften as they simmer, turning mellow and sweet.
- If using regular green beans instead of haricot verts, double the covered cook time to about 20 minutes, or slice the beans lengthwise to approximate the thinner haricot verts shape.
- Add the olive oil and lemon juice at the very end, off the heat, for the brightest flavor.
- If the broth evaporates before the beans are tender, add a splash of water so they don’t cook dry.
- Fresh thyme is best here. Plain thyme works just as well as lemon thyme.
- Leftovers keep in the fridge for up to 3 days, but the beans will soften further when reheated.
Serving 1Calories 114kcalCarbohydrates 12gProtein 3gFat 7gSaturated Fat 1gPolyunsaturated Fat 1gMonounsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 1mgSodium 517mgPotassium 304mgFiber 4gSugar 5gVitamin A 791IUVitamin C 29mgCalcium 59mgIron 1mg
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
