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Costa Rican · Central American

Casado

Non-vegetarian

Costa Rica's everyday lunch plate: rice and black beans side by side with garlic-seared chicken, sweet fried plantain, a fresh cabbage salad and a fried egg.

Casado is a Costa Rican main course, ready in about 45 minutes and made with long-grain white rice, black beans (cooked or canned) and chicken breast. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

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Costa Rican casado: rice, black beans, fried plantain, meat, egg and salad
Photo: Richie Diesterheft from Chicago, IL, USA / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
748

Ingredients

4 servings

Rice

Beans

Chicken

Salad

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Fry a little of the garlic (opens in a new tab) in a splash of the oil, add the rice, salt and 500 ml water, bring to the boil, then cover and cook over low heat until the water is absorbed, about 18 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Soften the onion (opens in a new tab) in 1 tbsp oil, add the beans and their liquid and simmer until slightly thickened.

    • 10 min
    • medium heat
    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Season the chicken with salt, cumin (opens in a new tab) and the remaining garlic (opens in a new tab) and pan-fry in 1 tbsp oil for 4–5 minutes per side until cooked through.

    Food safety: Chicken must reach 74 °C.

  4. Step 4

    Fry the plantain (opens in a new tab) slices in the remaining oil until caramelised. Fry the eggs (opens in a new tab), if using.

    • 8 min
    • medium heat

  5. Step 5

    Toss the cabbage (opens in a new tab) and tomato (opens in a new tab) with lime juice (opens in a new tab) and salt. Arrange everything side by side on plates and sprinkle with cilantro (opens in a new tab).

    • 3 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Costa Rica · Well documentedMore food from Costa Rica
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses · Rice dishes
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Boiled, Simmered
Taste
savoury, balanced, mild, sweet & savoury
Diet
No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein
Without the optional extras: Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · Meal-prep friendly · Child-friendly
Cook more with
Long-grain white rice · Black beans (cooked or canned) · Chicken breast · Onion · Garlic · Cumin
Techniques
Pan-frying · Boiling · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

748 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 477 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 19%
  • Carbohydrate 60%
  • Fat 21%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy748 kcal157 kcal
Protein36.7 g7.7 g
Carbohydrate113.9 g23.9 g
Net carbohydrate99.1 g20.8 g
Sugars19.3 g4.1 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre14.8 g3.1 g
Fat17.4 g3.6 g
Saturated fat1.8 g0.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol62 mg13 mg
Sodium933 mg196 mg
Salt equivalent2.3 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1428 mg
Calcium
92 mg
Iron
6.6 mg
Magnesium
169 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
82 µg
Vitamin C
43 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
479 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: egg.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Serve with

  • A few drops of Salsa Lizano (a tangy Costa Rican table sauce) are the classic finishing touch.

Storage

  • Pack components separately for lunches; keep 3 days refrigerated.

Variations

  • Casado con bistec: With pan-fried beef steak and onions instead of chicken.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Chicken

Used in steps 1, 3

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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