KFC Green Beans with onions is a tasty side dish to make for dinner. There’s no need to go to the restaurant when you can make green beans like Kentucky Fried Chicken at home with this easy copycat recipe.
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Table of Contents
What Makes KFC Green Beans So Good?
Green beans don’t get the kind of respect they should. While most people won’t find themselves with a sudden craving for green beans, they aren’t too likely to turn their noses up at them either.
That goes double if the green beans you serve are well-seasoned with just a hint of garlic, like this KFC green beans recipe. This dish is the perfect side for just about any main course and stores wonderfully.
Why You Should Try This Recipe
Easy to make, quick, inexpensive, and better for you than carb-heavy potatoes, these KFC Green Beans are a side that will save your dinner more than a few times. Make this tasty and versatile side dish in only a few minutes with ingredients you probably already have in your cupboards.
Since everyone likes green beans, they are an excellent addition to weekday family meals, holiday dinners, and potlucks. It’s a winner of a dish that even kids will enjoy.
Green beans are loaded with nutrients including vitamin K, folic acid, and fiber.
Green Beans KFC-style Ingredients
For this recipe, you’ll need:
- Yellow onion
- Cut green beans, canned
- Unsalted butter
- Salt, table or kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Garlic powder
- Water
Ingredient Notes, Substitutes, and Additions
You can use any cut of canned green beans that you have on hand. Fresh green beans are also fine, but you will need to cook them a little longer. You can also use wax beans.
For a shaper flavor, you can use red or white onions instead of yellow onions.
Original KFC green beans did not have any bacon. However, if you would like bacon in the dish then add some cooked bacon bits to the mixture. You may want to reduce the amount of salt because the bacon will increase the saltiness of the dish.
Bell peppers are another vegetable you can add along with the onions. Use either a medium green pepper or red bell pepper.
Add a dash of soy sauce for some umami flavor.
How to Make KFC Green Beans
To prepare this KFC green beans recipe at home:
- Chop the yellow onion finely.
- Drain the green beans and give them a good rinse.
- Place them on the bottom of a medium saucepan and add the butter, finely chopped yellow onions, and the seasonings to the pan.
- Place the saucepan over medium-low heat and add only enough water to cover the beans.
- Cover the saucepan and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the green beans are tender. Do not cook them for too long or they will get a mushy texture. Give the green beans a good stir from time to time to prevent them from burning.
- Drain any excess liquid and serve hot.
What to Serve Them With
Green beans go with almost anything but pair exceptionally well with casual chicken dishes, like Smoked Beer Can Chicken or KFC Copycat Fried Chicken. Serve with other traditional sides, including vegetables, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cornbread.
This recipe is also an excellent start for preparing a green bean casserole. Just add a couple of cans of cream of mushroom soup and some milk and mix everything together. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with toasted breadcrumbs. Bake the casserole in the oven until hot.
How to Store the Leftovers
To keep extra KFC green beans for up to three days in the fridge:
- Cool down the green beans as quickly as possible. Spreading them out on a baking pan will speed up the process.
- Transfer the green beans to an airtight container and put them in the fridge.
Cooked green beans do not freeze well.
What’s the Best Way to Reheat KFC Green Beans?
A no-fuss way to warm up leftover green beans is in the oven. This method is very convenient, especially if you are baking the main course at the same time.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Any temperature will do if you are rewarming the beans with a main course, but you may need to adjust the cooking time.
- Allow the beans to come up to room temperature, then transfer them to a baking dish with a cover.
- Cover and heat until hot, about 15 minutes.
More KFC Copycat Recipes
- KFC Biscuits
- KFC Chicken Pot Pie
- KFC Cole Slaw
- KFC Fried Chicken
- KFC Honey BBQ Wings
- KFC Potato Wedges
Favorite Side Dish Recipes
- Asian Cabbage Slaw
- BBQ Baked Beans
- Dill Potato Salad
- Mac and Cheese with Bread Crumbs
- Panda Express Super Greens
- Roasted Baby Potatoes
- Stick of Butter Rice
Check out more of my easy side dish recipes and the best copycat fast food recipes on CopyKat!
KFC Green Beans
Ingredients
- 2 14.5-ounce cans cut green beans drained
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Place the green beans in a pot and top with the rest of the ingredients. Add enough water to cover the green beans.
- Cover and cook on medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain and serve.
Hello!
Can you use frozen green beans in this recipe?
Thank you,
I think you could, the cooking time would be a little longer.
We have used : Frozen, fresh and canned beans that are green or yellow with excellent results in this recipe. But, we melt the butter separately and add the garlic, salt, pepper to the melted butter and then mix that to the cooked beans and onion. Flavours are more intense.