Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Bowl

This spicy chicken recipe came about because I wanted to find a new way to use my Spicy Lime Chicken Thigh recipe, but I wasn’t in the mood to serve it over rice. I love black beans, and I had a ton of them on hand from a sale a few months back, so that is how this recipe was born!

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What makes this dish so great is the spicy tomato sauce that simmers all day in the slow cooker. It resembles a homemade enchilada sauce, so don’t discard it. I love to layer the bowl beginning with a big spoonful of warm black beans, then top with one chicken thigh, and a generous covering of sauce.  Lastly, I top with lots of diced avocado, tomatoes, and cilantro.

I love anything where I can create my own toppings, and I did that here. It is quite similar in nature to my Fajitas in a Bowl recipe, with a little different twist. My favorites for this dish are fresh diced avocado, diced tomatoes, and chopped cilantro. So, depending on your tastes, you can add any toppings you like. Some ideas are:

• avocado
• tomato
• guacamole
• salsa
• grilled corn
• cilantro
• sour cream
• shredded cheese
• jalapenos
• onions

The shocker for me was that my daughter absolutely loved this!  She typically won’t touch beans, but once I put avocados and tomatoes on top, the spicy chicken didn’t bother her.  I toned down the spicy flavor for my kids by cutting the amount of chili powder in half, so that they can eat it. Then, I just used my favorite Red Hot sauce to spice it up to my tastes.

More Slow Cooker Recipe ideas:

• Slow Cooker Spicy-Lime Chicken Thighs with Jamaican Rice and Beans
• Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
• Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Bowl

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Total time

8 hours 15 mins

 

Serves: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

FOR THE CHICKEN:

• 1 cup sliced onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 4 pounds skinless chicken thighs
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges, for garnish

FOR BOWL:

• 1 can black beans (not drained)
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 avocado, diced
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro

Instructions

FOR THE CHICKEN:

1. Put onion, celery and carrots in bottom of slow cooker. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and arrange over vegetables.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together tomato sauce, lime juice, and spices with sauce, and garlic. Pour mixture over chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours. Serve half of the thighs with this meal (topped with diced avocado and cilantro and garnished with lime wedges) and reserve remaining thighs for another meal.

FOR BOWL:

1. In a soup bowl, layer ingredients: beans, then chicken mixture (pour sauce over this), top with avocado, tomatoes and then cilantro.

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Recipe developed by Kelly Hancock ©2010 Faithful Provisions. For personal use only. May not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed for capital gain without prior permission from Kelly Hancock.