White plate of rice, black beans, sauced grilled meat, sweet plantain, diced picadillo, green salad with tomato slice and tortilla chips. — Photo: Aleat88 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Latin American & Caribbean · Lunch · Dinner

Costa Rican Casado

Name: Costa Rican Casado
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 70 min
Cuisine: Latin American & Caribbean
Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups Long-grain brown rice; 3 cups Water (rice and beans); 2 cans (15 oz each) Black beans, canned low-sodium, drained and rinsed; 1 large Onion, finely diced; 1 medium Red bell pepper, finely diced; 4 cloves Garlic, minced; 4 small fillets Chicken breast, boneless skinless; 6 tbsp (about 3 limes) Lime juice; 4 tsp Canola oil; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1/2 cup Fresh cilantro, chopped; 3/4 tsp Salt; 1/2 tsp Black pepper, ground; 4 cups Green cabbage, finely shredded; 1 medium Carrot, grated; 2 medium Tomatoes, diced; 2 large (skins mostly black) Ripe plantains, peeled

Casado

By BerryFit Kitchen · Nutrition checked with USDA data · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · How we make recipes

A colourful Costa Rican lunch plate of garlicky brown rice, cumin-scented black beans, citrus-marinated grilled chicken, crunchy cabbage salad and caramelised baked sweet plantains. It is hearty and balanced, with no deep frying.

Prep: 25 min
Cook: 45 min
Total: 70 min
Serves: 4

Medium
Gluten Free
Dairy Free

35%

Per serving701kcal35% of a 2,000 kcal day

44gProtein

111gCarbs

11gFat

17gFiber

Calories come from: Carbs 62% · Fat 14% · Protein 24%

Jump to recipe

Track it in BerryFit and see how it fits your own daily target. Get the app ›

Ingredients

For 4 servings

1 1/4 cups240 gLong-grain brown rice
3 cups720 gWater (rice and beans)
2 cans (15 oz each)480 gBlack beans, canned low-sodium, drained and rinsed
1 large150 gOnion, finely diced
1 medium120 gRed bell pepper, finely diced
4 cloves12 gGarlic, minced
4 small fillets500 gChicken breast, boneless skinless
6 tbsp (about 3 limes)90 gLime juice
4 tsp18 gCanola oil
1 tspGround cumin
1/2 cup8 gFresh cilantro, chopped
3/4 tsp5 gSalt
1/2 tspBlack pepper, ground
4 cups300 gGreen cabbage, finely shredded
1 medium60 gCarrot, grated
2 medium240 gTomatoes, diced
2 large (skins mostly black)360 gRipe plantains, peeled

Steps

1
Rinse the rice in a sieve until the water runs clear.
2
Heat 1 tsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat and soften one third of the onion, one third of the bell pepper and half the garlic for 3 minutes.
3
Add the rice and stir for 1 minute to toast it.
4
Pour in 2 1/2 cups (600 g) of the water and 1/4 tsp salt, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low for 40 minutes until tender.
5
Meanwhile, mix 2 tbsp lime juice, the remaining garlic, 1/4 tsp salt and the black pepper, and coat the chicken in it. Leave it to marinate while you prepare the rest.
6
Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F and line a baking tray with parchment.
7
Cut the plantains on the diagonal into 1 cm slices, toss with 1 tsp oil and spread them on the tray.
8
Bake the plantains for 20-25 minutes, turning once, until golden and soft.
9
Heat 1 tsp oil in a second saucepan and cook the remaining onion and bell pepper for 4 minutes.
10
Add the black beans, cumin and the remaining 1/2 cup (120 g) water. Simmer for 10 minutes, lightly mashing some beans to thicken.
11
Stir half the cilantro into the beans.
12
In a bowl, combine the cabbage, carrot and tomatoes with the remaining 4 tbsp lime juice, the last 1/4 tsp salt and the rest of the cilantro.
13
Heat the last 1 tsp oil in a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat.
14
Cook the chicken for 5-6 minutes per side until it reaches 74 °C / 165 °F inside.
15
Rest the chicken for 5 minutes, then slice it.
16
Fluff the rice with a fork.
17
Plate the rice, beans, salad, chicken and plantains side by side.

Swaps, storage and make-ahead

Swaps

For a vegan plate, replace the chicken with grilled firm tofu marinated in the same lime and garlic mix.
Use white long-grain rice instead of brown rice, reducing the water to about 2 cups and the simmering time to about 18 minutes.
Swap the chicken breast for boneless skinless chicken thighs, which stay juicier on the grill.
Use olive or avocado oil instead of canola oil if that is what you have.

Storage

Refrigerate the rice, beans, chicken and plantains in separate airtight containers within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, reheating until steaming hot. The dressed cabbage salad is best eaten fresh, as it softens within a day.

Make ahead

Cook the rice and beans up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate, and shred the cabbage and carrot a day ahead without dressing them. Grill the chicken and bake the plantains shortly before serving for the best texture.

Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.

Track this in BerryFit

Log Costa Rican Casado in one tap and see how it fits your remaining calories for today.

Or ask Coach Berry to change it

Make it veganMore proteinFewer calories

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Allergens and nutrition

No major allergens in the ingredients.

Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.

Full nutrition

	Per serving (826 g)	Per 100 g
Calories	701 kcal	85 kcal
Protein	43.8 g	5.3 g
Carbohydrates	111.1 g	13.5 g
of which sugars	24.4 g	3 g
Fiber	16.6 g	2 g
Fat	10.9 g	1.3 g
of which saturated	1.6 g	0.2 g
Sodium	704 mg	85 mg

Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.