Chicken With Black Beans, Spices and Sweet Potatoes

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The spices in this one-pot stew give it an island profile, and the orange juice keeps it clean-tasting and light. It takes about an hour to make, start to finish.

Using rotisserie chicken will save several steps; see the VARIATION, below.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.

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  • 4

Ingredients

  • 4 large chicken thighs or leg/thigh quarters, bone-in, skin-on
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil (Use half amount to cook onions if doing variation)
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon peeled, grated fresh ginger root
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
  • 1 1/2 to 2 cups homemade or no-salt-added chicken broth
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 12 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1 poblano chili pepper, seeded and cut into medium dice
  • 1 roasted red bell pepper, cut into medium dice (jarred is fine)
  • 15 ounces cooked or canned no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained

Preparation

Step 1

Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces well with salt and pepper on both sides.

Add the oil to pot, then arrange the chicken pieces skin side down. (You may have to do this in batches.) Cook for about 8 minutes, undisturbed, until the skin is golden brown; the chicken will not be cooked through. Transfer to a plate, skin side up.

Reduce the heat to medium-low; add the onion and stir to coat. Cook for about 4 minutes, stirring often, then add the ginger, chili powder, cinnamon, cumin and cayenne pepper. Stir for 1 minute. Add the orange juice, broth and garlic; use the greater amount of juice or broth depending on how much citrus flavor you prefer. Once the mixture is bubbling at the edges, season the liquid well with salt, stirring so the vegetables will get the benefit of that seasoning.

Stir in the sweet potatoes, poblano and bell pepper; return the chicken to the pot, skin side up. Cook, uncovered, for 12 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is tender yet firm enough to hold its shape. Stir in the black beans; once the mixture is bubbling at the edges, taste and season lightly with salt and pepper as needed. Reduce the heat to low.

Discard the chicken skin from each piece, if desired, then return the chicken to the pot. (If the skin is still on the chicken, make sure the skin is not submerged in the stew.) Divide among individual bowls. Serve hot.

VARIATION: Instead of using chicken thighs, roughly shred meat from store-bought roast chicken and add to the stew at the same time as the beans. You'll need to reduce both the orange juice and chicken stock amounts to 1/2 cup each.

Nutritional Facts
Calories per serving (without skin): 450.0

Total Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 60mg
Sodium: 160mg
Total Carbohydrates: 53g
Dietary Fiber: 13g
Sugar: 13.0g
Protein: 30.0g

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