Flavorful, comforting, and easy to make!
I love pouring soup over something else. In my house growing up we always poured Chili over noodles and poured chicken noodle soup over mashed potatoes. It's definitely less ~healthy~ but endlessly comforting.
For this recipe I decided to keep the rice and beans separate so they didn't get over cooked. Then at the end you just pour the chicken soup over top! For leftovers I also suggest storing them separately. Beans loose their structure and rice can get mushy when sitting in so much broth.
Also check out my tulips! Fresh flowers always brighten a room (or in this case a balcony).
For this recipe I used Tony Chachere's Chicken Marinade which is *technically* Creole seasoning not Cajun but the two are so close and the dish is more cajun style as a whole. I am trying to learn more about both cuisines right now so please reach out if you have any tips / fun information to share!
You can use your favorite cajun marinade or seasoning. If you're using a seasoning blend, marinate the chicken with a drizzle of avocado oil, lemon juice, and a teaspoon or two of the seasoning blend.
You'll need:
1 chicken breast
1/2 cup cajun chicken marinade
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup diced green pepper
1/3 cup diced red onion
2-3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white rice (long grain preferably)
1/2 can black beans
extra: fresh thyme, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder
Instructions:
Add your chicken + marinade to a tupperware or plastic bag and let marinate at least 30 minutes or over night.
Heat half a tablespoon of avocado oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add in your chicken breast, cover and cook 5 minutes, then flip, cover, and cook another five minutes, repeat until its been cooking 20 minutes. If the bottom of the pot starts to burn, add a splash of chicken broth or leftover marinade. You can sprinkle on extra paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder while its cooking.
While the chicken is cooking, start cooking your rice + rinse your beans. Remove the rice from heat when done, mix in the beans and cover. You can also add a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves and a sprinkle of onion and garlic powder.
Dice your green bell pepper, onion, and celery. Let the purple onion soak in a cup of water for 5 minutes to take out the bite.
After 20 minutes, add a 1/2 cup of chicken broth then use forks or a fork and tongs to pull apart and shred the chicken. Cover and cook 5 minutes. Then add there rest of the chicken broth - add more or less depending on how brothy you want it to be.
Add the pepper, onion, and celery into the chicken + broth and cover for 5 minutes.
You're done! Plate starting with beans + rice in a bowl, then top with chicken + broth.
You can top these bowls off with a bit of sour cream, fresh thyme, fresh cilantro... whatever sounds good!