Mexican Style Chicken Breast on Black Beans and Rice is a simple, yet delicious pantry meal that can be on the table in 15 minutes or less. Oh, and it's naturally gluten-free.
The making of Mexican Style Chicken Breast on Black Beans and Rice
This recipe for Mexican Style Chicken Breast on Black Beans and Rice was invented because while yes, I love to cook, some days I just don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking, or going to the store, or cleaning up after.
And I also don’t want to go out and spend an hour waiting for someone to bring me some mediocre food and charge me an outrageous amount of money for the privilege of eating their “fast food” that isn’t.
On those days I make what I call “a pantry meal”. Using ingredients I have on hand and a little imagination, I came up with this really tasty dish that was simple to prepare and on the table in about 15 minutes.
Granted, my pantry might be different than your pantry but these ingredients are easy to find, easy to prepare, and won’t cost you an arm and a leg either
The Pantry Items
I start this recipe with some chicken breasts, (which I always have on hand), some poblano and jalapeño peppers, (leftover from my dinner party preparations); a bag of frozen Trader Joes brown rice (a really handy thing to have on hand - 3 minutes in the microwave); a can of whole black beans and some Mexican style tomato sauce (I actually made some of this with my garden tomatoes and chilies and had it in the freezer…but a canned one, such as Ro-tel will work just fine).
LindySez: Just like I found out in my recipe for Baked Salmon in a Light Jalapeno Sauce, sautéing the peppers makes them nice and mild. They have a wonderful flavor but are not hot. I think this would also be good with some sautéed red or green bell peppers.
Mexican Style Chicken Breast on Black Beans and Rice
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 5 ounces each
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
- 1 14 – ounce can of black beans, undrained
- 2 cups cooked brown rice or in this case I had some Trader Joes frozen brown rice in my freezer, another alternative is Sucess Boil in Bag Brown Rice – ready in 5 minutes, or you can even use white rice
- 2 poblano peppers halved, seeded and sliced thinly
- 1 jalapeno pepper halved, seeded and sliced thinly
- 1 14 – ounce can Mexican style tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes crushed or lightly blended with some diced green chilies added
- 4 tablespoons Cotija cheese or you can use grated Parmesan cheese, or grated pepper jack
Instructions
- Step 1Rinse the chicken breasts and pat dry. Season with cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Step 2Heat half the oil and half the butter in a skillet. When hot, add the chicken, seasoned side down and cook, over medium-high heat, until browned about 5 minutes. Turn and cook the other side, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce to the pan, lower the heat and simmer 5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Step 3Meanwhile, in another saute pan, heat the remaining oil and butter and saute the peppers over medium heat until soft and wilted. Turn off heat and set aside.
- Step 4Open the beans and heat in a small saucepan. Heat the rice.
- Step 5To serve: Split the rice between 4 warmed bowls; top with some of the black beans and a little bean liquid (not a lot, just a little); top with the peppers, sprinkle the cheese on, then cut the chicken into slices and place on top; spoon the remaining sauce on top and top with more cheese, if desired. (if using the pepper jack, put on top of the chicken and then place briefly under the broiler to melt)
Leave a Reply