So, this morning, I woke up to sleet and snow. Yuck. The snow even accumulated a little. Double yuck. Hello mother nature, it’s the middle of April!!!! Isn’t it supposed to be spring!? I had just packed away the kids winter boots too! I should have known better…
That’s my rant for the morning. Moving on.
This dish is a personal favorite, but for some reason I don’t make it very often! Maybe because I have limited organic chicken breasts and cutting them up seems like a waste to me. I am weird like that. Rice has always been a personal favorite of mine (I lived off it growing up). So, any dish that has rice involved I am always excited about! This particular dish has wonderful flavor and is quite filling. Win win! The kids love this dish (well, maybe my daughter picks around the black beans). Healthy, tasty and filling!
Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless
Red Chile Chicken and Rice with Black Beans
This rice dish is wonderfully simple with cooked chicken, black beans and garlic. An easy dish to make a big pot of to eat leftovers for a few days.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable or grapeseed oil
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 halves total)
- 3 Tablespoons chili powder, divided
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup scallions, chopped
- 1/2-1 cup salsa, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and sprinkle with half of the chili powder. Place the chicken in the hot oil and brown on each side, 2-3 minutes. Remove to a plate, leaving behind as much oil as possible.
- Add the onion and rice to the pot. Stir for several minutes, until the rice turns from translucent to opaque. Add the garlic and the remaining chili powder to the pot. Cook for 1 minute, stirring, then add the chicken broth and salt to taste. Stir well. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on medium-low heat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and add them to the pot along with the beans. Recover the pot and allow to cook 12 minutes longer.
- Sprinkle the green onions on top of the chicken, beans and rice. Test a grain of rice – it should have no more than a hint of chalkiness at the center. If the rice has the correct texture, replace the cover, remove the pot from the heat and let stand 5-10 minutes. If the rice is not completely cooked yet, cook for 5 minutes longer before covering to let stand.
- Fluff the mixture with a fork and serve with salsa if desired.
