An excellent mix of cilantro-lime rice, with spicy black beans, and savory shredded chicken; this “Tejano Bowl” is an excellent taste of south Texas. Not quite Mexican, not quite American, this hybrid (fusion) dish is very reminiscent of the Tex-Mex styles popular in the borderland.

If you make the rice correctly it’s like the best thing ever. And you can guarantee you make the rice right every time by picking up an electric rice cooker. It takes all the guess work, the hovering, and the worrying out of cooking rice. It’s simple–it’s easy–it’s fool-proof, and I highly recommend it for any bachelor.

Prep Time: 15 min     Cook Time: 20 min

Ingredients:
Cilantro Lime Rice –

• 1 cup (Long Grain) Rice
• 1/4 cup Cilantro (chopped)
• 1/4 cup White Onion (chopped)
• 1 Lime
• Salt

Spicy Black Beans –

• 1 can of Black Beans
• 1/4 – 1 Jalapeño (depending on how spicy you want it)
• 1/4 cup White Onion (chopped)
• 2 cloves of Garlic (minced)

Chicken –

• Rotisserie Chicken (from the grocery store)
• Green Salsa (AKA: Salsa Verde)

 

Directions:

1. Put the rice in the rice cooker and add water to fill to the appropriate line. Turn it on and let it do the work. This should take about 20 minutes.
2. Start shredding the rotisserie chicken. You don’t have to shred the whole thing right now, just get enough for your meal and then move to the next step.
3. Chop your onions, jalapeño, cilantro, and garlic so they’re ready.
4. In a small pot add your black beans and mix with onions and jalapeños, and stir occasionally on medium heat until the rice is ready (or for at least 10 minutes).
5. When the timer on the rice cooker shows 5 minutes remaining add your cilantro, onion, and the juice from one lime to the rice (while it finishes cooking). Stir, and then close the lid and let it keep cooking.
6. After everything has finished, put the rice and beans on your plate (or in your bowl) and top with chicken. Lastly, drizzle your chicken with the green salsa (to your liking). Enjoy!

Note: If you don’t have a rice cooker, there are ways to cook it on the stove top, but it’s not easy and so for $30 I highly recommend this rice cooker (it makes it so much easier). You can also use this to steam food like veggies or whatever–it’s a nice feature.