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Cuban Quinoa Bowl with Mango Salsa and Fried Bananas

Cuban Quinoa Bowl with Mango Salsa and Fried Bananas


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  • Author: Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4-6 people 1x

Description

The chicken get this tangy, citrusy marinade, and combined with the flavorful quinoa, sweet bananas and fresh mangos - it is a little piece of heaven.


Ingredients

Units Scale

Chicken

  • 1 lb chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (450g)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 3 cloves garlic, grated
  • 1 red chili, seeded if you want
  • large pinch of freshly grated pepper
  • 1 cup orange juice, divided.
  • 4 limes, juice of 4 and zest of 1
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 tsp dark soy sauce
  • handful chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tbsp butter

Black Beans and Quinoa

  • 1 tbsp olive oil (or coconut oil)
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, 90g
  • 1 cup chicken broth, 250ml, or water
  • 1 1/2 cups drained black beans (1 can)
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Fried Bananas and Mango Salsa

  • 2 bananas, sliced into 1/2 inch (13mm) thick slices
  • chile powder, sprinkle, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste
  • 2 tbsp coconut oil, or other neutral oil
  • 1 mango, diced
  • 1 red chili, seeded if you want + chopped
  • 1/2 of one lime, juice
  • handful chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Chicken marinade: In a blender, combine chicken marinade ingredients: cumin, garlic, red chile, pinch of pepper, 6 oz (180ml) orange juice, lime juice and zest, honey, soy sauce and a handful of cilantro. Blend until everything is finely chopped and smooth. Add the chicken pieces to a bowl and pour half of the marinade over the chicken. Marinade for at least 20 minutes. Reserve the rest of the marinade to make the sauce.
  2. Quinoa: While the chicken is marinading, start with the quinoa. Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add in the oil and chopped onion. Cook for around 10 minutes, until the onion is soft. Add the chopped red pepper and dry quinoa, cook another 5 minutes until the pepper is soft and the quinoa lightly toasted. Then you pour in chicken broth (or water), bring it to a boil, cover and then simmer over low heat for around 30 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked and fluffy. Fluff with a fork.
  3. Mango salsa: Meanwhile, add the mango, red chile, cilantro and lime juice to a bowl. Toss well.
  4. Black beans: You can scoot the quinoa aside and cook the beans in the same pan, but I find it easier to take a new one. Drizzle a little bit of oil in a medium hot pan. Add the rinsed black beans, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until warmed through.
  5. Chicken: To cook the chicken, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add in a little bit of olive oil when the pan is hot. Cook chicken until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Work in batches if you have to. Once all the chicken is cooked, cover it with aluminum foil. Add the marinade you didn't use into the skillet, in addition to 60 ml (1/4 cup) of orange juice. Bring to a boil, add in 2 tbsp of butter and cook about 5 minutes or until reduced slightly. Stir in some chopped cilantro if desired.
  6. Bananas: Remove the peels and slice them 1/2 inch thick. Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the coconut oil. Lay down the banana slices and sprinkle with chile powder. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side. Be careful so that the bananas don't burn, turn down the heat if they are browning too quickly. You want enough heat to caramelize and brown the slices, but not burned. Remove from the skillet and place on a plate. Sprinkle with sea salt.
  7. To serve; divide the quinoa among 4 bowls. Top with chicken, black beans, mangoes and bananas. Drizzle with the sauce and chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!

Notes

Adapted from: Half Baked Harvest

  • Prep Time: 40 minutes
  • Inactive Time: 0 hours
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Uncategorized
  • Cuisine: Caribbean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4
  • Calories: 592
  • Sugar: 31.3
  • Sodium: 398
  • Fat: 21.7
  • Saturated Fat: 10.5
  • Carbohydrates: 70.3
  • Fiber: 11.1
  • Protein: 35.2
  • Cholesterol: 88