Cuban Spiced Chicken and Rice

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5 from 10 votes

Winner, winner, chicken dinner! This Cuban Spiced Chicken and Rice is delicious healthy comfort food.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Total Time50

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Cuban

Keyword: black beans, Chicken, Comfort Food, healthy dessert, yellow rice

Servings: servings

Calories: 349kcal

Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
2 tsp. Hungarian paprika
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

Chicken

1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5-oz. can diced fire-roasted tomatoes, undrained
1 15.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tsp. Hungarian paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
lime wedges, optional, for garnishing
yellow rice, for serving

Instructions

In a medium bowl, whisk together juices, olive oil, chopped jalapeno and spices through salt. Add chicken to a large Ziploc bag. Pour marinade over the chicken. Seal bag and toss chicken to fully coat all pieces. Place bag in refrigerator for at least 5 hours or overnight, tossing chicken every so often.
In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from refrigerator and add entire contents of the bag to the skillet. Cook, stirring often for 7-8 minutes until chicken is browned. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon to a large plate. Set aside. Drain all but 1/4 cup fat from the skillet.
Add chopped onions and peppers to the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and continue to cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, beans, broth, paprika, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil. Add chicken and any juices from the plate. Reduce heat to a low simmer and continue to cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
To serve, add some rice to bowls and top with some of the chicken mixture or place on the side of the rice. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Notes

I love to serve this chicken over yellow rice and the brand I always use is Goya. I'm not paid to say that. I just wanted to share what I like to use.

I use a 14.5-oz. can of diced fire roasted tomatoes for this recipe. I add the tomatoes with the juices. You can also opt for fresh tomatoes that you dice yourself. If you do, I would add about 1/4 cup extra chicken broth to make up for the liquid in the can.

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