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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!
This post was originally published on January 7, 2015
Ok, this recipe took me about 3 hours to prepare and cook, but that was partly because my damn kindle kept turning off and I zest/chop/juice really slow. That being said, it was well worth the effort. I couldn’t find red chiles so I used serrano chiles instead. I thought it would’ve been too spicy considering all the chiles in it, but it was delicious.
I think next time I’ll do the marinade the night before.
Can’t wait to try the next one.
Sorry it took you so long, but so happy you loved it!!
Thanks Mia!!
Tieghan, this recipe (and lots of your other ones) looks amazing, and I would love to make it. However, I need to be mindful of nutrition information. I don’t know your background, or how difficult it is to figure that out for each recipe, but have you ever considered adding nutrition info for your recipes?
I drizzled honey over the bananas just before serving. It really brings out the flavors of the sea salt and chili powder!
I made this. It was UH-MAY-ZING. Mind if I share your link in a post?
THANKS!! Of course you can share the link! 🙂
I made this tonight–amazing. It is labor-intensive but well worth it. Being Cuban, I can attest to the genuine flavors in this dish!
Thank you so much!! I am so happy you loved this!
I just made this and after the first bite my husband declared his love for me. I’m a big fan of mango salsa, but the mango AND the fried bananas is pure genius. So, so good. I’ll be making this again.
haha! yeah!! So excited you both loved this, THANKS!!
What kind of red chili?
Just a small red chile, sorry I do not know the name. A jalapeno will also work. Hope you love this!!
I made this recipe tonight for dinner & it was awesome!!! So many layers of flavours , I was scared of the fried bananas but it made the dish ! thank you so much , I love your recipes -You keep me coming back for more!
THANK YOU!! So excited you love this!! 🙂
Although I haven’t made this yet, I thought I would share this with you. My (almost) 16 year old daughter texts the picture of this recipe to me she found on ‘we heart it’, and wants me to make it, but has no idea where it came from. Being the wonderful mother that I am (and wanting this myself!), I Googled quinoa bowl with mango, fried bananas and black beans, and this popped up! Can’t wait to make this soon!
HAHA! That is awesome and thank you for sharing the story! 🙂
Hope you all love this once you try it!!
This was quite possibly one of the best recipes I’ve ever tried. The fusion of flavours in this dish are MIND-BLOWING! I never thought I’d see the day where I would mix chicken with bananas, or even beans with bananas OR heck, anything savoury! But fried bananas are just…..the best (sometimes when I have a sweet tooth, but little to nothing in my pantry to make a proper dessert, I will grab some bananas and deep fry them in butter and then sprinkle them with a bit of maple syrup! uh-mazing!) My favourite part of this dish was digging into everything on the plate and leaving the banana until the very end for an exquisite burst of sweetness! I can’t say enough good things about this dish. Honestly, a work of art. Thank YOU so much for sharing! I have a feeling this meal will become a dinner staple in my house.
YEAH!! I so excited you loved this recipe so much. Thank you for this kind as ever comment!! It put huge smile on my face! 🙂
I so enjoyed making and eating this dish. My kitchen was a wreck but certainly worth it! Crank up the cuban music and go to town
Thanks Shannon! So happy you loved this!
I aM Cuban. I Have been cooking cuban food for 50 years. This recipe should be delicious, but it has noThing to do with cuban cuisine. We NEVER use chilies or black pepper. We don’t fry bananas, we fry plantains. We love mango but not In the cooked food. We don’t cook with cilantrO Or coconut OIL. We don’ t eaT Quinoa.
I can’t begin to describe how great this looks which means it tastes even better!
THANKS!! 🙂
In the instructions you say to add a handful cilantro to the marinade, but it’s not on the ingredient list for the chicken? I’m making this for dinner tonight so I wanted to get the chicken in the marinade!
Looks delish!
Hey Stacey, really sorry about that. I only just men a handful of cilantro, maybe about 1/3 cup? Really sorry if that was confusing. Hope you love this!
oh wow, this looks and sounds delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe.
Simon
Thanks so much, Simon!