Tender, roasted chicken thighs nestled in a bed of rice, black beans, and peppers, gently seasoned with cumin and topped with a fresh pineapple salsa. I'm sure you'll love this one pan Cuban chicken and rice as much as I do!
1cupdiced fresh pineapple (cut into ¼ inch pieces)
½cupdiced red bell pepper (¼ inch dice)
3tablespoonsminced fresh cilantro
2tablespoonsfresh squeezed orange juice (from 1 orange)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. In a large ovenproof skillet (that has a cover available), brown bacon over medium-high, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
Season chicken with 1 teaspoon cumin, salt, and pepper. Add to bacon grease in hot skillet, skin side down. Brown one side only in skillet, about 13 minutes; transfer to plate (chicken won’t be cooked through at this point).
Remove grease from skillet. Add 3 tablespoons broth, onion, and bell pepper. Deglaze pan by scraping the bottom as the vegetables cook. Cook, stirring, until translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add rice, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and oregano. Cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, beans, and cooked bacon; season with ½ teaspoon salt (see note). Nestle in chicken, skin-side up.
Cover and transfer to oven. Roast until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked through, about 1 hour. Leaving cover on, let set 10-15 minutes. The rice will continue to cook as it steams.
While chicken is in oven, make salsa. Mix together pineapple, red bell pepper, cilantro, and orange juice in small bowl.
Serve with pineapple salsa and chopped cilantro, if desired.
Notes
I used low sodium chicken broth. If you use regular broth, don't add salt to the rice mixture.