Chicken, Beans and Cilantro Lime Rice with Tortillas
This meal is a simple and wonderful meal option to pack for a quick bite or for children. It is also wonderful for a picnic lunch. Now, this meal requires chicken, black beans, rice, and tortillas. Typically when I make this meal, I use freshly chopped cilantro. However, I didn’t have that so I used some of the Mexican dried cilantro that I had on hand. Dried spices give off some pretty intense flavor so it was perfect!
Sometimes when I go to my favorite burrito spot, I don’t want to order a burrito bowl or a giant burrito. So, I opt for a kid’s meal. This meal here is partly inspired by the kid’s meal that I typically order. It consists of seared chicken, black beans, cilantro lime rice, and three soft shell tortillas. With all of that, I can make little tacos!
Chicken, Beans and Cilantro Lime Rice with Tortillas
3
servings10
minutes15
minutesIngredients
- For the Chicken:
1 large chicken breast, cut in chunks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Black Beans:
15 ounces black beans
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- For the Cilantro Lime Rice:
1/2 cup rice (white or brown)
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped
1/2 teaspoon garlic power
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
- For the Tortillas:
2 to 4 large soft shell tortillas, flour or corn
Directions
- For the Chicken:
- Season chicken with ground cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high and cook chicken chunks for 7-8 minutes (stirring continuously) or until cooked all the way through.
- For the Black Beans:
- In a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, combine black beans, lime juice, ground cumin, salt, and black pepper. Stir together well.
- For the Cilantro Lime Rice:
- Boil or steam rice according to package instructions. Drain any excess water.
- While still hot, stir in chopped cilantro, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and lime juice.
- Fluff and Serve.
- For the Tortillas:
- Serve all food with warm tortillas.
Although this meal sounds basic, it is quite the opposite. All of the components of this meal make something yummy and wonderful for your taste buds. From start to finish, this meal takes about 15 to 20 minutes to make. This can be a main staple or you can even serve these as an appetizer! Prep for this dish takes about 10 minutes and cook time is about 15 minutes.
I love the flavors that encompass this meal. And, the best part about making it at home? It’s healthier that way! This recipe serves three; however, you can make as many servings as you want. The components to this make for a filling meal.
Timing is important when it comes to cooking this meal. I recommend that you first start by boiling the rice so that you can then season the chicken and cook it. After that, simply heat the black beans and season them according to the recipe. Make sure you’re generous with the seasoning! Don’t be afraid to use salt and cumin.
For the Cilantro Lime Rice, I chose to not use butter or oil. However, it is good with some butter. So, if you are fine with butter, then try using a tablespoon or two! Also, before searing the chicken chunks, make sure they are patted dry well. This will help them to get a good sear. If there is too much water on the chicken, the chicken will simply steam. The black beans take five minutes or less to heat up. Don’t drain the juices from the black beans because you need the juice to coat them so they don’t get dried out.
See? This is fairly easy to make, right? I hope you try making this meal and enjoy it! So, get to fluffing up that Cilantro Lime Rice, searing that seasoned chicken, and stirring seasoning into those black beans. Place everything on a tortilla and take a big bite. And like me, maybe, you won’t be frequenting your favorite burrito spot since you’ll be making this a lot more at home! Enjoy!
