Salsa Rice with Black Beans
Cumin-rubbed chicken strips hit the pan first, building a golden crust before onion, garlic, and bell pepper pile in on top. Brown rice and black beans fold into the mix last with salsa and a squeeze of lime.
619 calories, 33 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fiber from a single pan in 15 minutes. The protein comes from three places at once: chicken breast, black beans, and brown rice.
Cumin-rubbed chicken strips hit the pan first, building a golden crust before onion, garlic, and bell pepper pile in on top. Brown rice and black beans fold into the mix last with salsa and a squeeze of lime.
619 calories, 33 grams of protein, and 10 grams of fiber from a single pan in 15 minutes. The protein comes from three places at once: chicken breast, black beans, and brown rice.
Ingredients
- brown rice 3 ounces
- black beans 2 ounces
- onion 0.5
- garlic 1 clove
- bell pepper 1
- chicken breast 3 ounces
- olive oil 1 tablespoon
- ground cumin 1 teaspoon
- salsa 2 tablespoons
- lime juice 1 squeeze
Method
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Cook the rice according to the package instructions and set aside.
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Rinse the beans and let them drain.
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Finely chop the onion and garlic and dice the bell pepper. Cut the chicken into strips.
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Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and season with cumin, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook the chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Then add the onion, garlic, and bell pepper and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes.
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Add the cooked rice, black beans, salsa, and lime juice to the pan. Mix well and heat the mixture for a few more minutes.
Add the salsa and lime juice in the last two minutes of cooking. Just enough heat to warm them through, not enough to cook down the acidity. The brightness of the lime and the raw edge of the salsa disappear if they simmer too long.
Behind this recipe
Is 33g of protein enough from one meal?
A systematic review of 49 studies found the body can use well beyond 30 grams per sitting for muscle building. The old ceiling came from studies using fast-absorbing protein shakes. Mixed meals like this one, with chicken, beans, and rice, digest more slowly and release amino acids over a longer window. The review concluded that higher intakes per meal consistently produced equal or greater muscle protein synthesis, with no evidence of a hard cap. The caveat: most participants were younger, trained adults in controlled conditions.
Read the full evidence reviewCan I use white rice instead of brown rice?
Yes. White rice cooks faster and has a milder flavor that lets the salsa stand out more. The trade-off is fiber: brown rice contributes roughly 2 grams of the meal's 10 grams. If you swap, the total fiber drops but the protein and calorie count stay almost identical.
Do the black beans need to be cooked before adding them?
The recipe calls for canned or pre-cooked black beans, rinsed and drained. They only need a few minutes of heat in the pan to warm through. If you are using dried beans, cook them separately first. Canned beans are already fully cooked.
