A delicious and (almost) simple slow cooker recipe for Cuban chicken that I cobbled together out of necessity in order to spend the evening without cooking.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 3 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, or more to taste
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup sour orange juice
- ¾ cup dry white wine
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed, or more to taste
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground thyme
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup medium-grain white rice
Instructions
- Place 1/2 of the chopped onion in the bottom of a slow cooker. Place chicken breasts on top and cover with remaining onion. Add black beans and diced tomatoes.
- Whisk together broth, orange juice, wine, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme; pour into the slow cooker.
- Cover and cook until chicken is falling apart and no longer pink in the center, on Low for 6 to 8 hours or High for 3 to 4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Meanwhile, bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
- Shred chicken and return meat to the pot for 5 to 10 minutes to allow it to soak up the juices. Serve over cooked rice.
- Sour orange juice can typically be found in the ethnic isle of your supermarket. If they do not carry it, you can substitute 3/4 cup orange juice and 1/4 cup lime juice.
- To make this a one-pot meal, increase sour orange juice to 1 1/4 cups and broth to 2 3/4 cups, and add 1 cup medium-grain white rice during the last 20 to 30 minutes of cook time.
- To make cleanup even easier, use slow cooker liner (such as Reynolds Kitchens(R)), usually located near freezer bags and other disposable plastic storage containers. They are a dream!
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 421 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 60 g |
| Cholesterol | 47 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 10 g |
| Protein | 28 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Sodium | 2142 mg |
| Sugars | 11 g |
| Fat | 3 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
tasty and different!
I hardly ever write reviews but this was delicious! I can’t imagine how anyone says it’s bland UNLESS they made the mistake of putting the 1 cup of water in the crockpot with the chicken thus diluting the liquid….the cup of water is supposed to be used just to cook the rice. It is soupy but that’s an easy fix. Here is exactly what I did: I followed the recipe exactly to cook the chicken (I did use Rotel instead of plain diced tomatoes). Then when it was done I pulled the chicken out of the crockpot and used the liquid in the crockpot to cook my rice in a separate pot. I only reserved a small amount of liquid in the crockpot so the shredded chicken would have some juice to absorb. Chicken shredding tip: use a hand mixer! It’s so quick and easy. Shredded the chicken and put it back in the crockpot on warm while the rice was cooking so it cook soak up the juice. This is definitely a dish I will make again!
Delicious, already packed with flavor. Chicken was juicy but does dry out fast so definitely keep in juice until ready to eat.
I love the recipe and have make it several times. Since I’m retired, I have never waited for slow cook – just do it on the range. I do substitute Trader Joe’s Cuban Black Beans for the plain black beans and sometimes use Rotel fire roasted tomatoes with green chiles and add a rice medley into the pot. I always consider a recipe the starting point.
I bought a beef brisket and really didn’t want to freeze it, so I substituted it for chicken and made this recipe instead! The only substitutions were the brisket (2 lbs.), seared, and beef broth. It was a hit! I cut the recipe in half (we’re empty nesters) but it ended up being so juicy that there was enough liquid leftover for a bowl of soup! Served it over cilantro-lime rice (a personal addiction) and the leftover brisket will show up in the above-mentioned bowl of soup and will be perfect for brisket tacos for Taco Tuesday! I will definitely try this recipe for chicken, as it is super tasty and it IS easy! And I love that there were no special ingredients to worry about. Thanks Nicole!!!
Great recipe overall! I don’t think you need to add the water and definitely could use another can of black beans. So, next time I’ll mix it up a little!
Although I liked the flavor that was imparted by the orange juice,as many others point out, it had far too much liquid. I transferred it to the stove to reduce, otherwise it would have been soup. Herbal flavors were very mild so if you like it spice you will have to add things you like. Disappointing at the very least. The photo is nothing like the finished product. The finished product is not particularly visually appealing – rather bland, lacking color.
Mine came out like mush. It taste like oregano. Thats all I taste. must have shredded chicken too fine . I made the rice in the slow cooker. Going to try again.
Absolutely delicious. I added chick peas to the mix. My wife loves the tangy taste. I also added some cayenne pepper for a little kick. Thanks for the recipe.
This was really easy to make and great taste, even my grandchildren liked it. I think next time I’ll add a little more of the black beans.
I thought it was a little dry, but my daughters both loved it and want to eat it all the time. I love how versatile this chicken is. We had it last night over rice, but I’ll have it today for lunch in a tortilla with sour cream and cilantro. This would also be good on a Cuban roll as a sandwich.
Great flavor. I doubled black beans and diced tomatoes, otherwise followed original recipe. After shredding chicken, added 1C med grain rice and let it go on low for an hour. Consistency was pleasing…not too soupy, but not dry. Will try again, maybe adding cilantro for a little more bite. DO NOT ADD MORE LIQUID UNLESS YOU WANT SOUP!
Loved it! Since I have a non onion eater in the house, I cut down on the amount and added red, green, and yellow peppers.
Too much liquid and not enough flavor. I agree with a few that next time 2 cans of beans more spice and less liquid.
I thought there is nothing wrong with the recipe…if you like a stewed-cumin flavored type of taste. I didn’t really like it, but I think it’s just my personal taste.
used red beans, fire roasted tomatoes and extra garlic. Did not add the extra water. The recipe was enough to share with family and neighbors. It was delicious and enjoyed by all. This will be made again soon.
Sorry to report, this was a failure. It did not taste right despite the combination of ingredients which peaked my curiosity and desire to try the recipe. It was too soupy and chicken was dry. Seemed like there should have been more beans to the recipe as well. In order to salvage this crock pot dinner, I shredded the chicken even more so it would blend more in the liquid and then added two cans of chili-flavored beans (your choice). Now I have a chicken-chili dinner that tasted better to me and my wife.
Rice wouldn’t cook.
My husband and I did not like this. It had very little flavor in spite of all the interesting ingredients. There was also way too much liquid. After reading reviews, the amount of liquid — which we had to pour off our plates — may have diluted the flavors. I may try this again with less liquid and with cooking the rice in the slow cooker with it.
LOVED it! Next time I will put a little less sour orange and a bit more chicken, but this was AMAZING!i also added a little shredded velveeta cheese to the top! Great with crackers or Doritos!
I used chicken thighs instead of breast and cut them into bite sized pieces. Cooked 5 hrs on low. Even though it was thigh came out over cooked. I’ll try 4 hrs next time. Didn’t have sour orange, so made do with OJ and 1 lime. That said it was pretty tasty except for the over cooked chicken but that’s on me.