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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!
So delicious!! My family couldn’t get enough of it. I made it with chicken but also made a shrimp version and tofu for all the different eaters in my house. Everyone was so happy.
Wow yes!! I am so glad you all loved this one Cindy! xTieghan
The flavors were pretty good. But this was 1. A pain to follow the recipe. 2. Took much longer to make than the recipe lists. 3. Made a mess of the kitchen, so many pans, bowls, etc. I so wanted this recipe to be awesome, but for the reasons listed above, I don’t think the finished dish was worth the effort/mess.
Hi Less! I am really sorry to hear that! Is there anything I can help you with? Please let me know! xTieghan
This recipe is incredible, great combination of flavours and definitely one to return to!
Love that! Thank you so much Sophie! xTieghan
Let me preface this by saying I’ve had alot of experience cooking and eating really good food. I worked in a professional kitchen, so from filet mignon,to coq au vin, and back to butter chicken Thali I’ve seen alot, and this is absolutely one of the best dishes I’ve ever had. It’s so mind bogglingly simple yet every part of this dish is bursting with flavor. It’s as if ever part was a world class musician, and you’re attending a symphony orchestra of perfectly coordinated flavors. 11/10 would pay 40 bucks for this in a restaurant.
Haha wow that is so amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Jon! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This is absolutely delicious! Bravo! I cheated and used the already cooked red quinoa from Costco but added your ingredients to it. Just amazing!
Thank you so much Carol! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
Follow up….All of the textures and flavors of this dish worked wonderful together. My favorite part was the fried bananas and the flaked sea salt sprinkled on them is a must. That was my favorite part of this dish. I couldn’t get enough of those bananas!
I made this a few days ago and I can honestly say it was one of the best meals I’ve ever had. It involves many steps and its really a lot of work but the end result was incredible. I’ve never had fried bananas before. Guess what I’m going to put my ice cream with a bit of chocolate? I learned you really need to cut the bananas at least 1/2 inch thick or they fall apart while cooking. So, so good!!
Thank you so much Kathy! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was a great dish! I made it yesterday for family. I used brown rice instead of quinoa. I also put crushed red peppers in the rice along with some additional seasonings to give it a bit more umph. My challenge was with the plantains (didn’t use bananas). I could not get them to caramelize. I used chicken thighs instead of breast because that’s what I Jason hand. All in all this dish was full of amazing flavors. I will definitely be making it again! Hopefully, improving the plantains.
Hi Shon! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Please let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
This looks awesome and I can’t wait to make this. Just wondering though if you think there would be much difference in taste or texture if we were to cook these on the grill? I’ll also probably give this a go with chicken thighs instead, as my husband is not a fan of breasts. Thanks!
Hi Jillian,
I think these would be great on the grill! I hope you love the recipe and please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This looks delicious. I’m looking forward to making it. My only problem is that I absolutely dislike cilantro (I know I know). Can I replace the cilantro with parsley or another herb?
Thank you!
Hi Lorrie! You can use either parsley or basil! Either will be great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
We loved the flavors of this meal! It did take more prep than I usually do but it’s worth it once in a while. My only comment would be that the amount of quinoa it calls for was excessive for us- hubby and I both would have preferred the beans to play more of a part. Next time I’ll reduce the quinoa to 1 cup. Thanks for a yummy recipe!
Thank you so much Karen! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
One of my absolute favorite meals ever! I never knew how amazing fried bananas are until this recipe, but the whole dish is just exploding with so much flavor and variety. Yet it all works. I can’t even tell you how many times I’ve made this now! Thank you!
Thank you Lauren!
Good lord this was good! Made it a couple weeks back, and I’m making parts of it again this coming week! The quinoa-black-bean-pepper mix is delicious, and varied in flavor and texture enough to stand as its own dish, which is what I’m doing with it later this week. I also love love love the mango salsa. My only recommendation for this recipe: more! specifically, I would recommend doubling the mango salsa to give the right amount of freshness and acidity to the dish. I also made extra to go with some black bean burgers, and it paired really well. Also a quick tip if you’re impatient like me and can’t wait for the mangoes to ripen, you can just cook them a little in the pan to bring out some of the sweetness. Actually, I found that I preferred the salsa warm to cold. Lastly, don’t skip the chili powder on the bananas! Adds a welcome kick to cut their density.
I am so glad you loved this Andy! Thank you so much!
This was soooooooooooo delicious!! So many different flavors and textures bursting on my tastebuds! I used a plantain instead of banana, My only recommendation would be to drain or dry chicken from marinade so it browns more easily. Otherwise….a fabulous meal.
I am so glad you loved this Barb! Thank you so much!
Awesome! My family loves this recipe!
Thank you Courtney!