One-Pan Chicken with Rice and Beans
sandravalvassori.com
This One-Pan Chicken with Rice and Beans recipe is easy to prep and mostly hands-off. Just one skillet, big flavors, and minimal cleanup.
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (can swap 1/2 teaspoon regular paprika for smoked)
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 2-3 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (about 5-6 thighs)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow or red onion, diced
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (or thinly sliced)
- 8 sprigs tender cilantro stems, finely chopped, plus 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice (such as Jasmine), rinsed and drained well
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans about 1 1/2 cups, drained and rinsed
- 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- flaky salt (or a pinch kosher salt) to finish
- 1-2 limes, for drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, whisk together salt, pepper, paprika, cumin and oregano. Pat chicken dry and sprinkle all over with half of the spice mixture.
- Heat the oil in a 112-inch ovenproof skillet with a lid over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin-side down in the hot skillet. Cook undisturbed until deeply golden and easily releases, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Remove some of the fat from skillet (leave about 2 tablespoons). Add onion and bell peppers. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and chopped cilantro stems and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in rice and remaining spice mixture; toast for 1 minute. Add black beans and pour in the chicken broth, tossing to combine and scraping up any browned bits. Increase heat to high and bring to a gentle boil. Nestle chicken back in, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices.
- Cover the skillet, transfer to the oven and bake 25 minutes. Uncover and cook 10 minutes more until the chicken is cooked through and skin crisps up a little (see notes for crispier skin). Sprinkle with chopped cilantro leaves and flaky salt. Drizzle with lime juice just before serving and enjoy!
Notes
- Use a large skillet. I recommend using a large, oven-proof 12-inch pan that has a lid for this recipe. If you don't have a large skillet, use only 1 cup of rice and 4 chicken thighs. You can cover the skillet with foil if yours doesn't have a lid.
- Ensure rice is well distributed. Once you add the broth, gently stir the rice to make sure it is evenly distributed across the bottom of the pan. Otherwise, it will not cook properly.
- Place under broiler for crispier chicken skin. This dish isn’t meant to have super crispy chicken skin, but if you’d like a little extra crispiness, place the skillet under the broiler for 2–3 minutes at the end of cooking.
- Leftovers are wonderful. Don't be tempted to reduce the amount of rice. Even if you don't have any chicken leftover, the leftover rice and beans will be great on their own, tossed into taco's or burritos, or topped with a fried egg — yum!