Black Beans and Rice With Chicken and Apple Salsa

From the kitchen of Carly

Tender chicken sits atop creamy black beans and rice, brightened by a sharp apple salsa with cilantro and lime. Warm spices like cumin and coriander build depth while the tart-sweet salsa cuts through richness. Fresh, balanced, and deeply satisfying.

Black Beans and Rice With Chicken and Apple Salsa

Black beans deserve a skillet curry spice treatment, thickened with mashed beans into a sauce that actually coats the rice instead of pooling at the bottom. The apple salsa is the payoff, sharp and bright against the warm spices and rotisserie chicken. Build the whole thing in less than 30 minutes and you've got a weeknight dinner that tastes deliberate.

Prep
n/a
Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 1 cupchopped peeled Granny Smith apple
  • 1/2 cupchopped cilantro, divided
  • 1/3 cupfinely chopped red onion, divided
  • 1 tspfresh lime juice
  • 1/3 cupfinely chopped green bell pepper
  • 2 tbspvegetable oil
  • 3garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 1/2 tspchili powder
  • 1 tspground coriander
  • 3/4 tspcumin seeds
  • 3 cuplow-salt chicken broth
  • 215-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 cupcooked brown or white rice
  • 12-3-pound rotisserie chicken, skin discarded and meat shredded
  • 4lime wedges

Instructions

  1. In a small bowl, combine the apple, 1/4 cup cilantro, 2 tablespoons of red onion, and 1 teaspoon of lime juice. Toss everything together and set the salsa aside.

  2. Scatter the remaining onion and bell pepper into a large skillet with the oil. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until both are completely soft, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic, chili powder, coriander, and cumin seeds, then stir constantly for 2 minutes until fragrant. Pour in the broth and beans and bring to a boil. Drop the heat to medium and simmer briskly for 8 to 10 minutes, mashing some of the beans against the side of the pan with a spoon and stirring often, until the sauce thickens. Taste and season with salt, pepper, and more lime juice if it needs it.

  3. Spoon the rice and beans across plates, then lay some shredded chicken on top. Finish with a generous heap of apple salsa, a scatter of the remaining 1/4 cup cilantro, and a lime wedge or two on the side.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Mash some beans directly in the pan as they simmer, not all of them. You want texture and body in the sauce, not a puree. Stop and taste at 8 minutes; simmer longer if it's still thin and brothy.
  • Toast the cumin seeds in the dry pan for 30 seconds before adding oil. It wakes up the spice profile and makes the whole dish taste less flat.
  • Make the apple salsa first and set it aside. It keeps the apples from turning brown, and you've got one less thing to do at plating time.

Variations

  • Swap white beans for black beans if that's what you have. The spices still work; the sauce just won't be as dark.
  • Use fresh shredded turkey or cooked shrimp instead of rotisserie chicken. Adjust cooking time if using raw chicken; poach it in the broth before adding beans.
  • Skip the apple salsa and top with a raw cabbage slaw instead, dressed with lime and cilantro for a different kind of crunch.
  • Stir in a handful of diced sweet potato with the beans for another layer of sweetness and texture.

Make ahead and storage

Leftovers keep in the fridge for 3 days; store the salsa separately so it doesn't get soggy. Reheat the beans and rice gently on the stovetop with a splash of broth if needed. The salsa is best fresh, but can be made a day ahead and squeezed with extra lime juice before serving.