Is it just me, or are one pot meals just tastier than any other kind of meal? I know when I’m browsing recipes I always stop on the ones with the phrase “One Pot” in the title. They automatically conjure up images of hearty, family meals with layers of flavors and textures. And one pot meals appeal to Moms who dream of cooking up a big dinner without spending the rest of the evening cleaning up the mess.
We all loved this one pot meal – even John, who isn’t the biggest fan of either rice or beans, let only mixed together in the same dish. But to my surprise he ate every bite of this dinner and had nothing but compliments. This dish has plenty of flavor but it isn’t the least bit spicy.
I’m known for making most of our meals from scratch, but I’m also a working mom with two kids under six years old. I’ll happily take all the help I can get and I encourage everyone to do the same. For this meal I started with the Chipotle Lime Black Bean soup mix from Hurst Family Harvest. It comes with dried black beans and all natural seasonings already inside. You can do the same, or if you can’t find the soup mix in your store I’ve added instructions on how to recreate the same recipe on your own. The point here though is to remind you that even when you stick to an all natural diet, there are still shortcuts available to help out in the kitchen. I’m a big fan of these soups from Hurst Family Harvest – they are all natural and GMO free – and they taste fabulous. They’re versatile too – you don’t have to use them just for soup.
Chile Lime Chicken with Black Beans and Rice
serves 6
1 bag Hurst Family Harvest Chipotle Lime Black Bean Soup
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon canola oil
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1″ pieces
1 cup white long grain rice
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
Place beans in a large bowl and cover with 2″ water. Let soak overnight, or at least 4 hours. Drain and rinse beans.
Place beans in a stock pot and cover with 2″ water. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and cover. Let cook 35-45 minutes, or until beans are done. Drain beans and set aside. (You can also cook the beans ahead of time and refrigerate for up to 2 days.)
Heat canola oil over medium high heat in the same pot the beans were cooked in. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from pot and set aside. (You can place it in the same bowl as the beans.)
Reduce heat to medium and add remaining 1 teaspoon canola oil to the pot. Add rice and stir frequently until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic to the pot and let cook 30 seconds. Stir in the chicken broth. Add contents of the seasoning packet from the soup mix. Stir well. reduce heat to medium low and cover. Let cook 15-20 minutes, or until rice is done. Add chicken and black beans to pot, stir well. Let cook about 5 minutes, until all liquid has evaporated. Spoon onto serving plates and enjoy warm. You can also roll this into flour tortillas and enjoy as burritos. Yum.
**To make this dish without using the soup mix:
Substitute the soup mix with 12 ounces of black beans and 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Follow the same instructions as above, substituting the soup seasoning with chili powder, paprika, and cumin. After adding the chicken and beans to the pot add 1 teaspoon lime zest and stir well before serving.
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