This recipe is a classic for me and brings back a lot of nostalgia. So I figured it would be the first one to start with. And great news! It’s easily affordable. For around 20 bucks, you will have a meal to last you a week. If you don’t mind eating the same thing everyday. But hey that’s how we survived in college and how we perfected this easy recipe.
Besides being cheap, the meal offers a lot of customization. Don’t like chipotles? No problem, skip it. Want it hotter? Add some jalapenos. Mix the beans up, add some red ones, go nuts. Not a fan of canned chicken because it’s too similar to cat food? That’s a shame because it has all the benefits of regular chicken (just a lot of extra sodium), but switch it up with some ham. The main idea is the same. Rice and some protein. Think of this as a jumping off point, and follow your muse.
If you are gonna eat the same meal everyday, it might as well be delicious.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hr
What you’ll need:
- 1 cup of onion
- 4 garlic cloves
- ~4-5 cups of rice
- 11 oz can of chipotle
- 2 10 oz cans of chicken
- Olive oil
- Cheese*
- 1-2 cans of black beans
- 1 Bouillon cube
*optional
Instructions:
- Start boiling 10 cups of water. Add the bouillon and any seasonings you like. I like to boil my water with some salt, red pepper, and garlic. Building a nice flavorful base with the water helps with giving the rice some taste2. Rinse the beans3. Chop garlic and onions4. Drain the canned chicken. You can also use the canned chicken juice in the boiling water to add some flavor
5. Once the water is boiling turn the heat to low and add rice, onion, garlic beans, chipotle, and season some more.
6. Let it sit and occasionally stir. Once water is mostly gone, add chicken, and let sit until water is steamed out.
7. Depending on how much rice you use it will take awhile. With 5 cups it was around 30 minutes to fully steam out the water.
8. Once water is gone, turn off the burner, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and mix everything up. If you are feeling fancy, add some cheese.
Notes:
Feel free to go crazy. This recipe was built for hunger and versatility. Sometimes we would add some mayo in lieu of cheese. For really special occasions, use flaming hot cheetos to add a nice texture to the dish.
