Slow Cooked Black Beans and Rice
Be warned – you may go into eating this dish with intentions of having a small bowl, but then before you know it you are getting a second bowl. And then wondering how such a large pot of rice and beans disappeared before your eyes.
The process of slow cooking the beans and the rice allows them to absorb all of the flavors adding a lot of depth to the dish. You build flavors in steps starting with bacon or chorizo, sausage and ham and then layering in vegetables and spices. I prefer to use brown rice because the texture is a bit sturdier than other types of rice so it doesn’t get mushy.
Allow yourself some time for this dish to cook before its time to eat. Or make it in advance and reheat it the next day. It’s a very hearty dish so you may want to plan on a nap after you eat which I learned the hard way by taking the leftovers to work for lunch. A comforting food coma made a dent in my productivity for the rest of the day. But I can’t say I was mad about it!
Slow Cooked Black Beans and Rice Recipe
Serves 4-5
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken drumsticks or thighs (skin on)
- 6 ounces Mexican chorizo (or 6 ounces bacon, chopped)
- 6 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick semi-circles
- 6 ounces smoked ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 serrano pepper, chopped (about 1 tablespoons) (substitute jalapeno)
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, diced
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1 whole chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely minced (canned peppers works great)
- 5 and 1/2 cups low sodium store-bough or homemade chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 1/2 pound (8 oz) dried black beans, rinsed (or substitute 2 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed)
Garnish
- Sliced avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream or creme fraiche
- Green part of 2-3 scallions
- 1 lime, cut in quarters
Directions
- Season the chicken on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large Dutch oven or sauce pot over medium-high heat. (When a drop of water sizzles in the pot, it’s the right temperature.) Add the chicken and cook without moving until well browned on the first side, about 5 minutes.
- Use tongs to flip the chicken and cook until the second side is browned, about 4-5 minutes longer. For the legs, turn more often to cook all sides.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside on a plate. Pour out the grease, but do not wipe clean – keep some fat in the pan.
- If using bacon, cut the bacon into small pieces. Add the chorizo or bacon to the hot pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and then cut it crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick semi-circles. Cut the ham into thick 1/2 inch cubes. Add both the sausage and ham to the pot along with the chorizo or bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat begins to crisp, about 5-6 minutes more minutes.
- Peel and dice the onion, serrano pepper, green bell pepper, and celery into small pieces. Mince the garlic. Add to the pot.
- Cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes.
- Add 2 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp thyme, and 1/4 tsp oregano and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds.
- Finely chop the chipotle pepper and add it to the pot along about 1/2 tsp of the chipotle sauce. Cook 1 minute. (If you like it spicy, add an additional teaspoon of chipotle sauce.)
- Add 5 and 1/2 cups of broth (if using canned beans use 4 cups of broth instead), 1 bay leaf, and 1 cup un cooked brown rice. Stir.
- Rinse the dried beans under water or drain and rinse canned beans. Add the beans to the pot.
- Shred the chicken off of the bone and stir into the pot.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Stir occasionally. Taste the beans and rice; they should be tender. If there is still a crunch to either one, keep cooking in increments of 10 minutes until cooked through. Cook with the top off if the rice is still soupy.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf.
- Prep the toppings by removing the cilantro leaves from their stems and roughly chopping. Slice the green part of the green onions. Cut the lime in quarters.
- Serve the rice and beans with cilantro, scallion greens, lime wedges, and sour cream or creme fraiche for garnish.
Most types of dried beans require hours of soaking the beans prior to using. Black beans are different in that they become tender quicker and don’t need a lengthy soak before using. I do think the dried beans give a better flavor to this dish, but substituting the canned beans still tastes great.
The lime juice, avocado, and cream on top are a welcome freshness to the heartiness of the dish.
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