Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake
Posted on April 16 2020
Made with chicken breasts, brown rice, beans and a rich, tasty tomato sauce, topped with cheese and baked until golden and bubbling… An easy, hearty meal that the whole family will love! Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake is one recipe you NEED to try!
I suggest you try it SOON.
I’d even go so far as to say Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake is my favourite dinner recipe of the year!
It’s one of those simple go-to recipes that you can throw together with mostly pantry staples, and essential fresh ingredients that most of us have on-hand all the time.
And yet.
Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake looks and tastes impressive 😉
The aromas wafting out of your kitchen while you prepare this dish are enough to raise a few curious eyebrows, I can assure you.
And the actual flavours, colours and textures of the finished product do not disappoint.
You will also love: Baked Chicken Pasta With Coconut Sauce, Cheats Healthy Beef & Brinjal Moussaka, Clean Eating Carrot Turmeric Ginger Soup. Also give this Costa Rican Gallo Pinto recipe a try for something exotic and different.
I love that this is a one-dish dinner…Meaning you really don’t need to prepare any sides with it. Everything you need is in there.
BUT, if you’re like me and you want to get your greens in at every opportunity, then a simple green salad would suffice.
Anyhoo, either way…
What exactly goes into this wonderfully flavourful Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake:
- Chicken breasts
- Brown rice
- Red kidney beans, or black beans (I have tried both in this dish and they’re equally delish)
- Onion, garlic, bell peppers, coconut oil, herbs and spices
- Tomato paste, canned diced tomato
- Lemon zest and juice
- Grated cheese that you love
If you have an oven-safe skillet (jelly over here – first stop once isolation ends!), now’s the time to bust that bad boy out! If not, no worries, you can still make this dish very successfully.
How to make Cuban-Style Chicken Rice Bake in a nutshell:
- Fry onion, garlic, bell peppers, herbs and spices, push to one side
- Fry brown rice until golden, cook tomato paste
- Pour in diced tomato and water and simmer 20 minutes
- Add cubed chicken breasts and genlty simmer for another 20 minutes
- Stir in the beans, lemon zest and juice
- If using an oven-safe skillet, top with cheese and bake until golden and bubbling
- If not, transfer everything to a baking dish, top with cheese and bake until golden and bubbling
Serve hot and savour every moment!!
Simple, mouth-wateringly delicious, and SO SATISFYING!
Any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer.
Happy cooking everyone, I hope these recipes are bringing you some light relief from the heaviness in the world right now.
Feel free to drop me a comment if you make this recipe, I’d LOVE to know what you think!
And tag me on instagram with a photo of your dish!! @berry_sweet_life
Made with chicken breasts, brown rice, beans and a rich, tasty tomato sauce, topped with cheese and baked until golden and bubbling… An easy, hearty meal that the whole family will love!
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 onion , finely chopped
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper , chopped
- 1/2 yellow bell pepper , chopped
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper , add more if you like it spicy!
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp sweet basil
- 2 tsp mixed herbs
- 1 cup brown rice , or rice of choice
- 50 g tomato paste
- 400 g canned diced tomato
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 4 chicken breasts , cubed
- 400 g canned red kidney beans or black beans , drained and rinsed
- Zest and juice of 1/2 small lemon or lime
- Himalayan pink salt , to taste
- 1 cup grated cheese of choice , I used mature cheddar
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In a large frying pan or oven-safe skillet, heat coconut oil and fry onion for about 5 minutes until starting to brown, add the garlic and bell peppers and fry for another 5 minutes. Now add cayenne pepper, cumin, turmeric, ginger, basil and mixed herbs and fry for 1 minute.
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Push everything to the side of the pan and fry the rice for 4 minutes until going golden, add tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add diced tomato and water, bring to a boil, then turn heat down to a gentle simmer for 20 minutes.
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Stir in the chicken and simmer for a further 20 – 25 minutes or until the rice and chicken are cooked through and the sauce is thick.
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Preheat oven to 220°C (425°F).
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Take off heat, stir in black beans, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. If using an oven-safe skillet, top with cheese and bake for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling. If using a normal frying pan, transfer everything to a baking dish, top with cheese and bake as above.
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Serve as desired with additional lemon or lime and ENJOY!
