There are so many dishes where a squeeze of lime adds such incredible flavour and lift, and I love that Mexican-style combination of zesty lime, chilli and garlic. I’ve been wanting to have a go at a Mexican all-in-one style rice dish where lime is one of the predominant flavours, and the great thing about this is that it’s packed full of healthy vegetables and is also delicious both hot and cold- so worth making a double batch and saving some for quick and easy lunches.
This dish could easily be made vegetarian or vegan by just omitting the chicken, the inclusion of the black beans (absolutely my favourite type of bean!) gives it real filling power as well as texture and flavour. I use brown (wholegrain) rice, as it’s a lot more nutritious than white rice, and the nutty texture complements the dish as a whole. This could easily be substituted for white rice if you need it to be ready a bit more quickly!
I made a slightly simpler version of this for the kids, where I omitted the chilli, tomatoes and pepper- they loved it too!