Yellow Rice And Chicken With Black Beans And Peas

Every family needs a few go-to recipes that are quick, easy and that everyone loves (in other words, that the kids will eat without complaint). For my family one of our top go-to recipes is Yellow Rice and Chicken. 

One of the great things about this home-cooked meal is that you can keep all of the ingredients on hand for last-minute dinners. All you need is two cans, a bag of rice, a jar of olives, seasoning and chicken. (When we plan ahead we add avocado and use fresh chicken, but in a pinch we always keep chicken in the freezer.)

My girls are happy when I serve this because they like the way it tastes, I am happy because I know they are getting a balanced meal that is easy, right from my pantry shelf. Keeping cans of beans and vegetables on my pantry shelf means that I can always come up with a quick side dish. And because vegetables are harvested at their peak of ripeness and canned within hours, the canned version locks in the nutrients until we are ready to eat.

This is also one of those meals that makes great leftovers. In fact, when we know there will be a very busy night during the week we often make a double batch earlier in the week so we can just serve leftovers later. It is just as good reheated in the microwave, and the girls never complain. Score!

Another plus for cooking with cans — cans are 100% recyclable! They are also the most recycled containers in America today, keeping metal out of landfills and saving significant energy. Of course, you can always craft with cans too, which is even more fun. 

I hope your family enjoys this easy-to-make meal as much as mine!  For more can-inspired meals check out Cans Get You Cooking.

Yellow Rice And Chicken With Black Beans And Peas

Ingredients

• 1 can of peas
• 1 can of black beans
• 1 10 oz bag of yellow rice 
• 1 lb chicken breast
• 1/2 jar of green olives (13 oz jar)
• Chef Paul’s Poultry Magic seasoning
• Olive oil
• Avocado (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions

Cut chicken to bite-size pieces.

Add small amount of olive oil to pan on medium heat and cook chicken with your favorite seasoning. 

Set aside chicken once fully cooked.

Add 2 ½ cups of water along with 2 tbsp of olive oil and bring to a boil.

Once water is boiling, add rice, peas and green olives.

Stir together and bring back to a boil.

Cover with tight-fitting lid and turn down heat to low for approximately 23 minutes.

While rice is cooking, bring black beans to a simmer in a small pot

Once rice has cooked, stir in chicken.

When serving, top rice and chicken with black beans. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese and top with avocado slices (optional).