Name: Cuban Black Beans Chicken With Rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Salsa Avocado Roast Chicken skillet; 1 1/2 cups long grain rice (rinsed ( brown, black or wild rice works too, soaked in water for 30 mins prior to cooking)); 2 tablespoons unsalted butter ((or olive oil)); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 2 1/2 cups water; 2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed well); 2 shallots ( minced); 1 bell pepper (minced (any color)); 1 tablespoon olive oil; 2 cloves garlic ( minced); 1 tablespoon minced cilantro; 1 teaspoon oregano; 1/2 teaspoon cumin; 1/2 teaspoon chili spice; 1 pinch red pepper flakes ((optional)); 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/3 cup chicken or vegetable stock; 1 tablespoon apple vinegar ((or any tangy vinegar)); 2 tablespoons cilantro (minced); 1 x Avocado Crema (see Mexican Lentil Detox Salad recipe); Restaurant style Mexican salsa; Mango Pineapple salsa from the quickest chicken fajita with mango pineapple salsa; Sour cream flavored with lime and cilantro or flavoured with hot sauce; Hot sauce

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This Cuban Black Beans Chicken and Rice recipe is a vibrant, flavorful chicken dinner that will take you straight to Miami!

This Cuban Black Beans Chicken and Rice recipe will take you straight to the streets of Miami! An easy comfort food chicken dinner you will make over and over again.

Oh I don’t know where to start. This chicken and rice recipe hits a soft spot in my heart. When I got married, I moved to Miami with my husband.

Chicken and rice remind me of beautiful vibrant Miami and the sweet years I lived there. We were both students, he was doing his post-graduate degree and I was finishing off my pharmacy license and then moved to food science/recipe development.

It feels like yesterday although it’s been thirteen years! I miss it terribly. The city, the beach, the weather, the people, the food and I miss a cup of good Cuban coffee 🙂

So there was this local chain of “fast food” Cuban food. It really isn’t your typical fast food, but it wasn’t high end either. Just a perfect in-between.

It was across from the university and like our go-to last min. each time we craved a nice big plate of Cuban black beans chicken and rice. It was super affordable, super comforting and super flavorful.

There was an option of salad instead of rice, and the chicken in different portions. And they served this with plenty of different salsas, flavored sour creams and hot sauces on the side. What more can you ask for! It was the perfect Cuban fast food.

Why this recipe for Cuban Black Beans Chicken and Rice works:

Aside from the sweet Miami memories, this recipe is really an amazing way to serve up your chicken dinners.

This Cuban black beans chicken and rice recipe is a classic comfort dinner. A super flavorful and filling meal loaded with protein and fiber.

Chili-spiced roast chicken is served over buttered white rice and topped with an amazing black bean mixture that’s cooked with onions, garlic, and spice.

A refreshing take on a classic chicken and rice dinner! NEVER have a boring roast chicken again!

How to make Cuban Black Beans Chicken and Rice:

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Follow the recipe for salsa avocado roast chicken skillet and roast the chicken.

In the meantime, cook the rice. Place a pot over medium-high heat and add in the butter (or olive oil), then add in the rinsed rice and sauté the rice in the butter for at least 1 min and up to 2 mins. Then add in the salt and water.

Bring the mixture to a boil, and then lower the heat to the lowest setting on your stove. Cover the pot and allow the rice to cook for about 30 mins until all water is absorbed and the rice is tender.

A quick note on cooking rice:

The other day I was grocery shopping and I met a lovely mom talking to herself reading out “how to cook rice” instructions.

So I chatted with her and she complained her brown rice is always either burnt or though to chew. So I told her to always soak the rice for 30 mins in warm water before cooking it.

She e-mailed me back a week later saying this trick worked like a charm! And with this recipe, you can use brown or wild rice as long as you don’t forget to soak.

How to make Cuban Black Beans:

In the meantime, start with the beans. Add the olive and start sauteeing the onions and bell peppers in a deep skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.

Add a pinch of salt and sauté for about 2-3 mins until the veggies are softened. At that point add in the garlic and cilantro and sauté for another min. Then add in the beans, spice, and stock and bring the mixture to a boil.

Lower the heat to a simmer and let the beans soak up all the flavors and cook for about 5 mins more until the sauce starts to thicken up. Finish off the beans by adding the vinegar and cilantro. Turn off the heat and keep the beans covered until ready to serve.

Make some avocado crema:

I love drizzling some avocado cream on top of my chicken and rice. It’s a 2 min avocado dressing that brightens up any average dish!

It perfectly balances the spices and heat in the Cuban black beans chicken with rice recipe. Plus it adds another level of flavor!

I use it with this fabulous shrimps salad with avocado dressing, this Miami inspired sweet potato black bean soup and this Mexican style lentil detox salad. I really urge you to make this avocado crema if you haven’t already.

Now for the record, the avocado crema is more of a Mexican touch and not typical in Miami or in this dish. However, once you pair them, you won’t ever go back to skipping the crema!

Ok on to the black beans, because it’s all about the beans in this Cuban clack beans chicken with rice recipe. It starts with a quick saute of onions, peppers and garlic, then a boost of spice, cilantro, a touch of vinegar and some chicken stock.

This creates an unbelievably flavorful thick sauce for the beans to cook in and makes it feel like a long cooked comfort meal—minus the long cooking time!

How to plate Cuban Black Beans Chicken and Rice:

I love plating the rice on one side, chicken on the other and the beans in the middle. That’s exactly how it was served in Miami!

Now if you have any salsa at home (This 5 min restaurant style Mexican salsa is fabulous OR the salsa in this quickest chicken fajita with mango pineapple salsa) place that in a corner. Add some sour cream (flavored or not) and hot sauce.

The more flavors the better! And don’t forget to leave room for the avocado crema to cool down and smooth out all the spice!

Try this fabulous chicken dinner and enjoy a warm comforting meal that’ll take you straight to Miami! And make plenty of it to freeze for another dull day! Enjoy 🙂

Tips for success:

For perfectly cooked rice, make sure to soak it in cold water for 30 minutes, then rinse it.
Feel free to use brown rice or wild rice in this recipe and remember to soak it for 30 minutes.
I love serving this chicken with rice alongside some of my restaurant style Mexican salsa.

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