Air-Fryer Cuban Garlic Lime Chicken & Black Bean Boxes

AF-200 Crew Recipe

Air-Fryer Cuban Garlic Lime Chicken & Black Bean Boxes

Easy air-fryer cuban garlic lime chicken & black bean boxes with measured UK ingredients, practical timings and proper global chicken flavour.

Cuban-style mojo uses garlic, citrus and oregano to make chicken taste brighter, not merely sour. Boneless thighs hold onto the marinade and develop dark little edges under hard heat.

Black beans, sweetcorn and rice make this a full box rather than a lonely pile of meat. A quick lime-garlic drizzle pulls everything together and leaves the air fryer to handle the char.

Air-Fryer Cuban Garlic Lime Chicken & Black Bean Boxes
Air-Fryer Cuban Garlic Lime Chicken & Black Bean Boxes preparation stage

You’ll Need

For the Mojo Chicken
650g chicken thigh fillets, cut into large pieces
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
Juice of 1 orange
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
½ tsp black pepper

For the Black Bean Boxes
1 x 400g tin black beans, drained
150g sweetcorn
1 red pepper, diced
600g cooked rice
1 tsp smoked paprika

To Finish
Chopped coriander
Lime wedges

Optional but Dangerous
Garlic mayonnaise
Sliced avocado
Hot sauce

Method

Mix the garlic, orange juice, lime juice, oregano, cumin, olive oil, salt and black pepper.

Reserve two clean tablespoons of mojo, then coat the chicken with the rest and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat your air fryer to 200°C.

Lift the chicken from the marinade and air fry for 12-14 minutes, shaking halfway.

Discard the used marinade.

Brush the clean reserved mojo over the chicken for the final 2 minutes.

Check the thickest chicken piece reaches 75°C and rest for 3 minutes.

Toss the black beans, sweetcorn and red pepper with smoked paprika and air fry for 6 minutes.

Divide the hot rice between boxes and add the bean mixture and mojo chicken.

Finish with coriander and lime wedges.

Lad Tip: Citrus can soften the outside of chicken if left too long. Thirty minutes gives you flavour and clean texture, an overnight bath gives you chicken that has started cooking in the fridge.

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