Skillet Chicken with Black Beans, Rice, and Chiles

Skillet Chicken with Black Beans, Rice, and Chiles is a one-pan, homey chicken and rice dinner. 

It’s finally going to be cold, and we are going to be ready with a one-pan, warming, homey chicken and rice dinner. Skillet Chicken with Black Beans, Rice, and Chiles is everything we want a January dinner to be.

This is a recipe adapted slightly from Diana Henry’s From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves, a book the Daily Mail called “the perfect winter cookbook for those days when you need sustenance without putting in too much effort.” Who doesn’t want sustenance without the effort? Especially as we head into a week of temperatures dipping into the 20s.

This sustenance also happens to be delish. Cumin-scented rice, black beans, sauteed veggies, and a secret ingredient – a cinnamon stick! – come together as a warm and hearty base for roasted chicken. And it’s all made in one skillet? Let’s get to it.

Skillet Chicken with Black Beans, Rice, and Chiles
Adapted from From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, sliced thin
2 ½ cups chicken broth
2 jalapeños, halved, seeded, and chopped
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 cup brown rice
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Lime wedges, for serving

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken on both sides, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Add the onion and red peppers to the skillet and saute until they just start to soften, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a small saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Meanwhile, add the jalapeños, cinnamon, garlic, and cumin to the skillet and cook for 2 minutes, then add the black beans and cherry tomatoes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the rice on top of the vegetables in an even layer. Add the broth and return the chicken to the pan. 

Bake uncovered for 40 minutes until the chicken is golden and the rice has absorbed the broth. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve with lime wedges.