Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

"When baking, follow directions.  When cooking, go by your own taste." 
- Laiko Bahrs


My brother is somewhat the inspiration for this crock pot meal.  When we vacation in Treasure Island, FL, we typically visit The Floridian, a wonderful little hole-in-the-wall Cuban sandwich shop.  Their pressed Cubans and black beans and rice are delicious!  I have tried in vain to recreate the beans and rice, so instead I decided to make them into a burrito.  This recipe requires either 2 crock pots or a crock pot and a stock pot large enough to cook 1 pound of beans.  I created this recipe November 30, 2009, and I am only now making it a second time.  That may make it seem like the recipe wasn't very good, but I have a large cookbook collection, and I jump around a lot and try my hand at creating my own recipes.  I christened my mom's new stove this time - running my pot of boiling beans over before I soaked them.

Creamy Chicken and Black Bean Burritos

1 lb dried black beans
3 1/2 cups water
1 beef bouillon cube (Don't have this?  Substitute 1 cup broth and cut water to 2 1/2 cups)
4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into strips (~1/2" wide/thick x 4" long)
1 med green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 small yellow bell pepper, cut into strips
1 med onion, cut into strips
1 can each condensed Cream of Chicken and Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
1 TB Durkey 6 pepper Grill Season blend (or your favorite peppery blend)
Flour tortilla shells
Sour Cream
Shredded Cheese
Salsa
Rice

1. Soak your beans!  Actually, first you need to sort your beans and boil them.  I do not follow the package directions for this.  I sort my beans (see how HERE), rinse them, put them in a large stockpot, and then add 8 cups of water per pound of beans.  The good news is that black beans are much easier to sort than pintos - there is less debris to pick out it seems.  Once they are in the stockpot, bring them to a boil over high heat for a full 5 minutes.  Then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for at least 2 hours.  I prefer to do this the day before and let them soak overnight, but 2 hours is usually enough to at least get them a little soft.  They might have a bit of a mealy texture, so if you are texture-sensitive, definitely soak overnight!

2. In one crock pot (or in the stock pot) combine soaked beans with water (if you are doing this in the stockpot, increase water to 6 cups) and bouillon cube (or broth if you don't have bouillon).  Cook on low 8 hours or on high 4-6 (if stockpot, medium or medium low - simmer - 4-6 hours). *This time I am low on cooking time, so I bumped it up to high and am checking it frequently for doneness.  Sometimes you have to improvise!*

3. In second crock pot combine remaining ingredients except chicken.  Stir well to combine. 

4. Add chicken.  Stir to coat.  Cook on low 4-6 hours or until beans are done.  *Again, this time I am cooking on high and checking frequently.*

*I forgot my Rotel, so I added it about an hour into cooking.  That accounts for the lack of red in the pictures above.  You will see the Rotel in the finished product.*

5. To serve, use a slotted spoon for the beans (you don't want it liquidy) and a serving spoon or ladle for the chicken (you want the sauce), wrap beans and chicken mix in tortilla shell, add cheese, salsa, and sour cream.  You may want to serve a side of rice (we used Knorr - formerly Lipton - Taco Rice), too.  *It took about 3 hours on high to get completely done.*