> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Healthy Recipes: Brazilian Chicken with Black Beans - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/healthy_recipes_0615130942/ - Published: 2013-06-15T10:41:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-22T18:40:06.000Z - Description: A lighter take on feijoada drawn from Letitia Moreinos Schwartz's The Brazilian Kitchen, swapping chicken for fatty pork and canned black beans for dried, scaled to serve four and seasoned with bay leaf and allspice. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Healthy Recipes from AICR, Recipes & Dining, #vivvo-import By Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research To look good in their infamously skimpy bikinis, food-loving Brazilians must watch what they eat. So it is no surprise that in her recent cookbook, *The Brazilian Kitchen*, Letitia Moreinos Schwartz, a Braziliera from Ipanama, offers lighter versions of popular Brazilian dishes while still giving them alluring flavor. Brazilian cooking remains one of the least known, and most interesting, cuisines thanks to its combination of Portuguese, African and native Indian influences. Its unfamiliarity comes from the lack of a significant Brazilian population in the United States. This also explains why unique ingredients that some dishes require are almost unavailable. “I fix the heaviness and use simple-to-find ingredients,” Schwartz says. The way she does this with one of Brazil’s elemental dishes, a stew called *feijoada*(fey-zhoo-ah-dah), is a perfect example. Instead of the fatty pork Brazilians normally use, Schwartz uses chicken. Skinless thighs are ideal, but I find that bone-in breast works well, too. I also streamlined the cooking time in my version of Brazilian Chicken and Black Beans by using canned beans rather than dried. In addition to saving time, this lets me prepare the dish to serve four rather than the huge potful that Schwartz cooks up to feed a crowd. A perfect dish for a convivial summer supper, see how the bay leaf and allspice used in the stew, and fresh oranges served with it, make this *feijoada* samba with Brazilian flavor. [](http://www.aicr.org/assets/images/publications/HealthFeatures/brazilian-chicken.jpg?ref=foodconsumer.org) ## **Brazilian Chicken with Black Beans** - 2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided - 2 lb. skinless chicken thighs with bone or skinless breast with ribs or combination - 1/2 cup fat-free, reduced-sodium chicken broth - 1¼ cups chopped onion - 3/4 cup chopped celery - 3/4 cup chopped green bell pepper - 3/4 cup chopped scallions, green and white parts - 3 garlic cloves, chopped - 2 bay leaves - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg - 2 (15 oz. cans) black beans, rinsed and drained - Salt and freshly ground black pepper - 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper, or to taste - 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley - 1 large navel orange, cut in 6 wedges In large Dutch oven, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until golden brown, 4 minutes on each side. Using tongs, transfer chicken to large bowl. Cover bowl with foil. Add broth and scrap bottom of pot while it boils, gathering up all browned bits. Add broth to chicken. Seal foil tightly over bowl and set chicken aside. Using paper towel, wipe out pot. Return pot to medium-high heat and add remaining oil. Add onion, celery, green pepper and scallions to pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add bay leaves and sprinkle nutmeg over vegetables. Arrange chicken pieces over vegetables, reserving liquid in bowl. Spread beans over the chicken. Pour liquid from bowl over beans. Cover and simmer until chicken thighs are falling-apart tender, 30-35 minutes. If using breast, cook until white in center at thickest part, 20-25 minutes. To serve, divide chicken among six dinner plates. Remove bay leaf. Mix to combine beans and vegetables, and season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne. Spoon two-thirds cup of beans and vegetables alongside chicken and liquid from pot over chicken. Garnish with parsley and orange wedges. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Leftovers keep in tightly covered container in refrigerator for 4 days. **Makes 6 servings.** **Per serving:** 330 calories, 10 g total fat, (1.5 g saturated fat), 28 g carbohydrates, 32 g protein, 9 g dietary fiber, 180 mg sodium. **Something Different** *is written by Dana Jacobi, author of 12 Best Foods Cookbook and contributor to AICR’s* **[New American Plate Cookbook: Recipes for a Healthy Weight and a Healthy Life](http://preventcancer.aicr.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reduce%5Fdiet%5Fnew%5Famerican%5Fplate%5Fcookbook&ref=foodconsumer.org).** \*\*\* The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer charity that fosters research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management to cancer risk, interprets the scientific literature and educates the public about the results. It has contributed more than $96 million for innovative research conducted at universities, hospitals and research centers across the country. AICR has published two landmark reports that interpret the accumulated research in the field, and is committed to a process of continuous review. AICR also provides a wide range of educational programs to help millions of Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk. Its award-winning New American Plate program is presented in brochures, seminars and on its website, www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the World Cancer Research Fund International.