Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls
Cuban Chicken and Black Bean - Quinoa Bowls are flavor-packed, healthful, comforting and sure to brighten up your day! It's like a tropical getaway in a bowl!
Servings: 2
Ingredients
Chicken
- ¼ cup fresh orange juice about 1 large
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice about 1 large
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 red chile (such as Fresno), chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves cut into 1-inch cubes
- ½ cup chicken broth
Quinoa
- 1 ½ cups water or chicken broth
- 2 scallions white and light green part only, finely chopped
- 1 large lime zested
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¾ cup quinoa rinsed
Black Beans
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- ½ medium red bell pepper finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 can (15-ounce) black beans drained but not rinsed
- ½ cup chicken broth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For Serving
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Chopped fresh mango
- Sliced red chiles such as Fresno
- Lime wedges
Instructions
Chicken
- Marinate the chicken. Combine first 9 ingredients in a small zipper-top bag and mix well. Add the chicken cubes, seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Cook the chicken. Remove chicken from marinade; reserve marinade. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken cubes and brown well on all sides. Pour marinade into the pan along with ½ cup chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 5-8 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Quinoa
- Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa. Bring water or broth to a boil. Add the scallion, lime zest, garlic, salt, black pepper and quinoa. Simmer uncovered until water is almost absorbed (about 15 minutes) and the germ begins to appear. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 12-15 minutes.
Black Beans
- While the quinoa is standing, prepare the black beans. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a small skillet or saucepan.
- Add the onion then reduce heat to medium and cook 3-4 minutes or until beginning to soften. Add the red bell pepper and continue cooking 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, chili powder, ground cumin and stir briefly. Add the beans and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer approximately 5 minutes or until thickened. Keep warm.
- TO SERVE: Divide chicken, beans and quinoa evenly between two bowls. Top with chopped fresh cilantro, mango, sliced chiles and lime wedges.
Notes
SUBSTITUTIONS:
- Also great with rice!
- Different brands of quinoa cook up differently. The brand of quinoa I have the best luck with is Ancient Harvest. It’s pre-rinsed to remove the saponin and then dried again. It's a little more expensive, but excellent results every time.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 | Calories: 1142kcal | Carbohydrates: 129g | Protein: 73g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 32g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 2661mg | Fiber: 24g | Sugar: 48g