South American-Spiced Chicken, Salsa, Black Beans, & Rice with Avocado, Pickled Chilies & Sour Cream

by Kathleen Mueller August 25, 2023

This recipe is from ‘From The Oven to The Table’ by Diana Henry. Adapted by Kathleen Hallinan Mueller.

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or peanut oil
8 good-sized skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs, or a whole quartered chicken
1 large onion, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, halved, seeded, and sliced
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick, halved
2 – 4 tablespoons Tienda Salsita Salsa Chile Morita or Salsa Roja
150z can of black beans, drained and rinsed
⅓lb cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup basmati rice, washed in a sieve until the water runs clear
2½ cups boiling chicken stock
sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

TO SERVE

lime wedges
pickled chilies
sour cream
2 avocados
Tienda Salsita Salsa Chile Morita or Salsa Roja (Salsa Chile de Árbol if you like spice)
We made roasted Shishito Peppers to serve alongside. YUM!

Another baked rice dish, so again you do need to cook it in the size of pan specified. The chicken, beans, and rice are, in themselves, simple, but it's the add-ons here that make the dish.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat the oil in a 12in ovenproof sauté pan or shallow casserole (the size is very important) and quickly brown the chicken pieces on both sides, just to give them a good color. Remove and set aside. Add the onion and peppers to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes, or until just starting to soften.

Add the garlic, cumin, cinnamon, and salsa and cook for about 2 minutes, then add the black beans and cherry tomatoes. Sprinkle on the rice (it's important that the black beans are underneath the rice and chicken when the dish goes into the oven, otherwise they get scorched). Pour on the boiling stock and return the chicken to the pan, skin side up. Season.

Bake for 40 minutes-60 minutes until chicken is cooked through (165 degrees internal temp). The chicken should be lovely and golden and the stock should have been absorbed. The rice should be tender by this time, too. Sprinkle on the cilantro.

Serve with lime wedges, Tienda Salsita salsa, a bowl of pickled chilies, sour cream, and slices of avocado (just squeeze lime juice over the avocados in a bowl and sprinkle with salt and pepper).

Buen provecho!