Cuban mojo chicken with black beans and rice
Chicken soaked in a garlicky citrus mojo, seared until charred at the edges and served with fluffy rice and simmered black beans.
- 70 min total
- 35 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 4
- About $2.64 a serving
- 690 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 orange, juiced
- 2 limes, juiced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¼ lb chicken breasts, sliced into thin cutlets
- 1½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- 1 can black beans
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tsp ground cumin, divided
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ cup olive oil, divided
- 1½ tsp salt, divided
- 2¼ cups water
- 1 bay leave
Each serving has about 690 calories, 45 g protein, 85 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $2.64 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the orange and lime juice, garlic, 1 teaspoon of cumin, the oregano, 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Save 3 tablespoons of this mojo in a cup.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Add the chicken cutlets to the rest of the mojo, turn to coat, cover, and marinate them in the fridge for 20 minutes. Wash your hands and board.
Timer: 20 min
Dolly’s tip: Up to 8 hours in the fridge is fine, but not overnight. The citrus starts to turn the chicken mushy.Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
Put the rice, water and ¼ teaspoon of salt in a medium and bring it over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
once, cover, turn the heat to low and cook 18 minutes, then take it off the heat with the lid on.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 18 min
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a small over medium and cook the onion and pepper 5 minutes. Add the beans with their liquid, the rest of the cumin and salt and the bay leaf, and 10 minutes.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 15 min
Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a large over medium-high. Lift the chicken out of the and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side, until in spots and 165°F inside.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Marinate. Marinating means letting food sit in a flavorful liquid, called a marinade, before you cook it. Always marinate in the fridge, and never reuse marinade from raw meat unless you boil it first.
How you’ll know: The food is coated all over, sealed in a bag or covered dish, and chilling in the fridge.
Char. Charring means cooking over very high heat until some spots turn black. Those dark spots add a smoky, slightly bitter flavor that balances sweet or rich food.
How you’ll know: You see black spots and blisters in places, while most of the surface keeps its own color.
Medium-high heatTimer: 9 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Let the chicken 5 minutes, it, and the saved mojo over the top.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Timer: 5 min
Serve with the rice and black beans, with cilantro scattered over.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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