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So….these Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls with Fried Bananas…..YES!
I am on a huge “bowl” food kick right now. I think it’s all this healthy, fresh eating that I’m currently into at the moment. It seems that when it comes to healthy, fresh food it just works nicely in a bowl!
I don’t know, either that or I really just like making giant bowls of delicious food.
But umm, happy Wednesday!! I am so excited for today because I am back in the kitchen cooking. Yes! I spent Monday and Tuesday catching up on computer work (ugh) because I had people finishing up in my kitchen and photo room. They were finishing the final coat of paint and other miscellaneous things, which meant no cooking for me. I cannot even remember the last day I didn’t cook for practically the entire day. With Christmas and New Years, I’ve honestly been cooking for three weeks straight – and pretty much all of December too. My new kitchen surely got a good workout though, especially over Christmas.
Oh my gosh, I was tired, but believe it or not, I still hated sitting and staring at my computer screen all day long.
That is just so not my thing, but everyones gotta do it at some point…I guess. Bottom line is I am crazy exited to get back to cooking and photographing today. I guess I kind of love it…obviously.
Oh, and I also spent a decent portion of my Monday night pulling my brother’s friends giant trailer full of snowmobiles out of my driveway. Yup, I didn’t even know I had it in me, but apparently I am pretty good at getting people unstuck. Even if their trailer is the biggest I have ever seen and they don’t have snow tires (ahh..yes). Who doesn’t have snow tires up here (his friend IS from Michigan though)? And yes, I do have five brothers…wonder where the heck they were?
Ah ah hmmm…..the bar. Yes, I’m serious, or at least the older ones were. Brothers.
And back to these Cuban chicken and black bean quinoa bowls, because my rambling is making me tired.
Doesn’t this just look so pretty and delicious? I think so, especially the delicious part. So many good flavors, so many textures. Besides being a flavor freak, I am also a texture freak, so this is totally my kind of bowl.
Plus, hello! Cuban food. YUM!
Now I realize there are a fair amount of steps to this recipe. DO NOT let this scare you off. I will not lie, these bowls take a little time, but nothing is that hard and you make them to your liking. I of course would not recommend skimping on even one part of this meal, because I think everything in it is a must. The fried bananas? FOR SURE? The Mangos? WITHOUT A DOUBT. The quinoa? Well, rice would totally work awesome here too, but quinoa gives us protein and whole grains. The chicken? THE BEST.
And that pretty much sums up how I feel about this meal.
Meaning I clearly love it to death, which is why my caps lock has been on way too much throughout this post. Sorry, but how else am I supposed to show you my excitement. I mean you can’t actually see me, so caps lock it is. Don’t get annoyed, just know I really, really love this bowl.
And I am kind of mildly (or maybe wildly?) exited for you guys to make them too. I hope you love them as much as we all did!
Oh, but before I go – fried bananas done in a savory dish? Best. Thing. Ever.
Seriously, do not be freaked by them. They are delish!
Cuban Chicken and Black Bean Quinoa Bowls with Fried Chili Spiced Bananas + Spicy Mangos.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 862 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Chicken
Black Beans + Quinoa
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red pepper chopped
- 1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
- 2 cups cooked black beans rinsed + drained if using canned
- 2 cloves garlic minced or grated
- salt and pepper to taste
Bananas + Mangos
- 2 bananas sliced + chili powder if desired
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 mango diced
- 1 red chile seeded + chopped
- 1/2 of 1 lime juiced
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- To a blender, add the cumin, 3 cloves garlic, red chile, pinch of pepper, 3/4 cup orange juice, lime juice + lime zest, honey, soy sauce and cilantro. Blend until everything is finely chopped and smooth. Next, add the chicken to a bowl or a ziplock bag and pour half the marinade over the chicken. Toss to coat and allow the chicken to sit for 20 minutes, or even overnight, in the marinade.
- Meanwhile, work on the quinoa. Heat a large high sided skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add the oil and onion. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the onion is soft. Add the red pepper and quinoa, cook another five minutes until the red pepper is soft and the quinoa is lightly toasted. Now pour in 3 cups of water or chicken broth, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and then simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and fluffy. Once the quinoa is done cooking, scoot it over to the side and add another drizzle of oil to the skillet if needed, add the black beans, garlic, salt and pepper. Cook until warmed through. Alternately, you may just stir the black beans into the quinoa.
- While the quinoa cooks, fry the bananas. Remove the peels from the bananas and slice into 1/2 inch thick slices. Set a skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add the oil. Lay down your banana slices and sprinkle with chili powder if using, fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Be sure to watch the heat and turn it down if the bananas are browning too quickly. You want enough heat to caramelize and brown the slices, but you don't want them to burn. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
- Add the mango, red chile, lime juice and cilantro to a bowl. Toss well.
- To cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot, add a drizzle of olive oil. Add half the chicken and cook, 3-5 minutes or until browned all over and cooked throughout. Remove and repeat with the remaining chicken. Once all the chicken is cooked, cover with foil. Add the remaining marinade + 1/4 cup orange juice to the skillet and bring to a boil. Add the 2 tablespoons of butter and cook about 5 minutes or until reduced slightly. Stir in some chopped cilantro if desired.
- To serve, divide the quinoa among bowls. Top with chicken, black beans, mangos and bananas. Drizzle with the the mojo sauce and chopped cilantro if desired.
Thinking 2015 may be all about food in bowls? Bring it on!
I tried making this yesterday and ran into some quesitons. In the instructions it mentions to add cilantro to the marinade but didn’t see it in the ingredients for the marinade. Also, i bought bananas, but seem to think that maybe it should have been plantain bananas. can you clarify? thanks,
HI, the cilantro is a typo, sorry about that. The bananas are just regular bananas. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I made this for dinner last night. It took me a lot longer to make than the 30m prep + 30m cook time indicates here, but I may be a little slower in the kitchen than some top-notch chefs. Oh well! It was totally worth the time because this recipe is so delicious! My suggestions: Definitey use the chicken broth to cook your quinoa. It might be possible to downsize on the 1.5 cups quinoa. I have a considerable amount leftover after serving generous portions.
Thank you so much Grant! I am so glad you liked this!
wow – this was truly delicious! I could only find microwavable quinoa so simply cooked it as explained on the packet and then added to the pan with the fried onions and peppers for a few minutes to get the flavour. There are a lot of steps but nothing complicated and very much worth it – YUM
Thank you Nick! I am so glad you liked this recipe!
Hey, how many servings does this yield? I’m making this dish for my workplace lunch club this week and hoping to feed about 12 people!
This will serve about 4 people, so I would triple the recipe. Let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love the this. thanks! 🙂
We’ve made this recipe multiple times… and about to start making it tonight… because it is soooo delicious!!! Thank you for the recipe!
I am so glad you like it!! Thank you Irene!
I love this recipe, and I’ve made it a few times now. I uploaded my adaptation on my blog today, if you would want to check it out. I was in Cuba in 2015 and was extremely let down regarding the food, however this is such an amazing dish.
Hey Stine Mari! I am so glad you like this recipe, especially because you did not enjoy the food in Cuba. Yours on your blog looks great and thanks for mentioning me ?
Thank you for the wonderful recipe! I made it this evening (my first time cooking Cuban) and it turned out great.
That is amazing! So glad this worked well for you & you enjoyed it!!
Any thoughts on trying to make this chicken in a crock pot? Would most likely be a different texture but would it work?
I think it would work great actually. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4. Let me know if you have questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
I am obsessed with this dish and make it regularly. However, I CANNOT get my chicken beautiful and browned like yours. What’s the secret? I use medium high heat with oil in the pan. I squeeze out all the extra marinade possible to chicken is dryish but it’s still white.
Hmm, I am honestly not sure. I just cook the chicken in the pan as directed. Is it possible you are cooking the chicken a little too long? That might be cause the outside to look dry. Maybe hight the heat to brown the outside of the chicken. Let me know if I can help in any other way. Thanks!
Sorry to burst your bubble, but there is nothing Cuban in this dish, I should know I’ m Cuban. Cuban food is not spicy n we don’t eat quinoa and platanos maduros (plantains the ripe ones) don’t need anything but it did photograph great.
Did you try the recipe? What was your opinion on taste and flavor?
Oh! You are making a pointless comment about the WORD Cuban? Really?!
I made this recipe and it was REALLY REALLY good. It was a bowl full of flavor and interesting to eat. Perfect for a girls night in with wine night!
Thanks for the great recipe and keep up the awesomeness!
Awe! Thank you so much, Ana! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much and your kind words have me smiling big!!
Exactly what bubble did anyone burst?? lol In my opinion, she can call it whatever it is she wants. Let’s just agree to disagree on who the heck cares what it is called. However, this dish is absolutely delicious and I am thrilled to have found it!
Thank you!!!! You are the best and I truly appreciate your kind words!
Well thanks so much for the feedback! Glad you enjoyed the recipe regardless. Have a great day! 🙂
This has become one of my favorite recipes! Making it for the third time tonight for my son’s birthday dinner. I noticed the pictures show the quinoa and beans plated separately, not mixed as the recipe directs. I made it like the picture, except with rice. Also, I made a sauce with 1/2and1/2, sour cream, cayenne pepper, salt, coriander, and chili powder. I drizzled it on the chicken and beans. Delicious!! Thanks for posting!
WOW!! So happy you like it so much Peter!
Sounds delicious!! Thanks so much (and happy birthday to your son)! 🙂
Please view your website content on other media – maybe because I am trying to view this on my phone – but I cant read the first parts of the marinade because it is backdropped by the pic.
This really looks delicious! One thing though, I was looking through your blog and you use quinoa in quite a few recipes. I read that because of the recent popularity of quinoa in the Western world the prices have tripled in only a couple of years, and now people in South America can no longer afford quinoa, which was one of their staple grains. Also, a lot of land that used to produce all sorts of products, is now becoming quinoa monoculture. I wondered if you could maybe use less or no quinoa in your recipes anymore?
This does still look like a great recipe, and I’ll definitely give it a try, but with rice.
Hi! Yes, I do like quinoa a lot, but please feel free to replace the quinoa in any recipe with rice or a grain you love. Thank you!
I wish there was a prize to give you for this.
Absolutely delcious and healthy.
Most beauitiful combination I have ever seen.
Just WOW…
Thank you Nina!!
I am going to try this, this evening. Sadly I don’t have the time to marinade over night, which is obviously ideal, but I bet this is still going to taste yummy! Will let you know what I think, but it’s perfect for me because I want healthy and tasty.
I hope you love these! Yes, please let me know how it goes for you! Thank you!
Good Morning all. To begin with, the dish is beautiful. It’s so tasty and healthy which is a really nice break away from the usual snore-fest that so many recipes offer. I was quite rushed yesterday evening and so I found it very difficult to follow the instructions. Personally I found them a little confusing, but then my wife argued they were quite straight forward (lol) –
There are a number of separate steps required in this dish in order to make it happen. An example of where I was confused was whether to cook the chicken with the marinate in the pan or to extract the chicken on it’s own completely and cook it, whilst then adding butter etc to the marinate on it’s own. I also got confused about how much juice to use at certain points.
Like I say, I was rushed though.
Taste wise it’s a big hit, and the mango pieces work a treat against against the spice. It would also work very well with pineapple I reckon. It’s lovely to be able to throw it all into one bowl and chow it down without having to worry about eating unhealthily. Thank you so you much for this dish. We will be definitely making it again