Up until a few months ago I would have told you that I hated black beans. I never, ever cooked with them and I didn’t even get them on burritos at my beloved Chipotle. But then one Sunday afternoon the grocery store was out of our favorite Goya pinto beans we normally used to make nachos and August forced me to try the black beans instead. And wouldn’t you know that they were awesome! Since that day, I’ve officially been converted to a black bean lover. And lately I’ve found myself scouring the internets for recipes that use black beans. I figure you can’t go wrong with a recipe that incorporates those fiber packed little beans. So as soon as I stumbled upon this cheesy chicken and rice bake I knew it was a recipe I wanted to try.
Ingredients
2 chicken breasts (shredded)
1 can black beans (drained)
3/4 bag frozen corn
4 cups cooked brown rice
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup shredded cheese
Directions
Ahead of time…
I made a giant batch of brown rice on Sunday afternoon using this chipotle-inspired recipe.
The chicken I made in the crock-pot using the most basic recipe. 2 chicken breasts plus 2 cups of chicken stock cooked on low for 10 hours and then shredded.
By making both the chicken and rice ahead of time, there was almost no prep time required the night I made this dish.
The night of…
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl mix all of the ingredients together.
3. Pour into a casserole dish and top with an extra sprinkling of cheese (you can never, ever go wrong with a little extra cheese in my opinion).
4. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
This recipe reminded me of what I’d normally get in a burrito bowl from Chipotle, hence the name! The rice had the perfect hint of cilantro and even though I avoid the corn salsa at my favorite burrito restaurant because I hate raw onions, I loved being able to incorporate it into this dish.
This dish is perfect with tortilla chips or right off the fork. And it made so much that we’ll be eating leftovers for lunch for a few days!
I can’t believe how domestic you are becoming!! Remember the days of taco meat for a week or plain mac with shredded cheese on top. You’ve come a long way baby!!! A large package should be arriving by the end of the week. It was mailed yesterday. Let me know when you get it.
Nothing wrong with plain spaghetti with cheese!
Hi there! i came across your blog and enjoyed reading it. i’m a new blogger in Texas and have started a blog about reaching my goal of running 1000 miles this year. check it out if you have a chance runningathousandmiles.blogspot.com
Hey Kelsie! Thanks for reading and I’ll be sure to check out your blog! It’s always nice to come across another running blogger who lives in TX!!