A note on the black beans. You only need a cup and a half of cooked black beans for the sauce in this recipe. In my book, this is not enough to warrant making a whole batch of beans from scratch, which is why we are using canned beans (I recommend Bush’s, S&W, or Goya). But if you want to make beans from scratch, by all means do not let me deter you. Here’s an excellent method in our Black Bean Burrito Bowl recipe.

Grilled Lime Chicken with Black Bean Sauce Recipe

Prep time: 2 hours Cook time: 25 minutes Yield: Serves 4.

If you don’t have access to a grill, you can sauté the chicken breasts in a cast iron pan on medium high to high heat until lightly browned on both sides and just cooked through.

Ingredients

Grilled Chicken Ingredients:

Garnish:

Black Bean Sauce Ingredients:

Method

1 Combine the lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, oregano, salt and pepper in a glass bowl and mix well. If the chicken breasts are not already thin cutlets, make them so by cutting them in half horizontally. They should be no more than 3/4-inch thick at their thickets point. Trim the chicken breasts of excess fat, then add them to the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

2 Place 1/2 cup chopped red onion in a small bowl and add a couple tablespoons of rice wine vinegar, and enough water to just cover the onions. Chill until dish is ready for garnish.

3 Prepare Black Bean Sauce while chicken is marinating. First, taste the liquid in the canned beans. If it tastes good, use it, if not, drain the can, and rinse the beans. (Depending on the brand of canned beans, the liquid might be good tasting or not.) Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan on medium heat. When hot, add the chopped red onions and cook for 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more.

4 Add the beans to pot, including the can liquid if using (if not, replace with water). Fill up the empty can with water and add that to the pot as well (about 1 3/4 cups of water). Add the bay leaf, chopped cilantro, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Increase the heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Simmer uncovered  for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Pulse in a blender several times until somewhat smooth. (Remember to only fill a blender a third of the way if you are blending hot liquids, and hold the top down while you blend.)

5 Prepare your grill for medium-high, direct heat. Place the chicken breasts on the grill, and grill until they are just cooked through (approximately 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side). Remove to platter when grilled.

Serve the grilled chicken with the black bean sauce. Sprinkle with the strained red onions, and garnish with sour cream, guacamole, tomatoes or fresh cilantro.

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