Cuban recipe

Cuban Completa with Chicken Fricassee, White Rice, Black Beans and Fried Ripe Plantains

Name: Cuban Completa with Chicken Fricassee, White Rice, Black Beans and Fried Ripe Plantains
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 120 min
Total time: 160 min
Ingredients: 250 g black beans, soaked from the night before; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 green pepper, chopped; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 bay leaf; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 tablespoon vinegar; Salt to taste; 1.2 kg chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks and breast); Juice of 2 limes; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 teaspoon dried oregano; 1 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste; 3 tablespoons oil; 1 large onion, chopped; 1 green pepper, chopped; 3 tablespoons tomato purée; ½ cup dry wine; 1 cup water or chicken broth; 1 bay leaf; 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks; ½ cup olives; 2 cups rice; 4 cups water; 2 tablespoons oil; 2 garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 very ripe plantains

Chicken fricassee with potatoes and olives, fluffy white rice, black beans and fried ripe plantains: the full Cuban lunch plate for four.

CiberCubaNovember 11, 2026

AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Preparation40 min
Cooking2 h
Total time2 h 40 min
Servings4 servings
DifficultyMedium

The Cuban Completa is the Sunday lunch plate where nothing is missing: white rice, black beans, a meat stew and the fried ripe plantains that bring a sweet note. This combination plate stars chicken fricassee, in a Creole sauce with tomato, dry wine, potatoes and olives.

Each component is cooked separately and served together, so the trick is organizing your timing well: the beans take the longest, the chicken stews in the meantime, and the rice and plantains are left for the end so they reach the table hot.

Method

The night before

Put the 250 g of dry black beans to soak in plenty of cold water for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator.
Marinate the chicken with the lime juice, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover it and leave it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.

Black beans

Drain and rinse the beans. Put them in a pot with about 5 cups of fresh water, bring to a boil and continue at a gentle simmer for about 60-90 minutes, until tender. Add hot water if needed to keep them covered.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba
Meanwhile, sauté the onion, pepper and garlic in the oil in a skillet until soft. Add the cumin and bay leaf.
Add the sofrito to the beans, adjust the salt and cook 20 minutes more over low heat until the broth thickens. Finish with the vinegar and remove the bay leaf.

Chicken fricassee

Drain the chicken from the marinade and discard the leftover liquid. Heat the oil in a wide casserole and brown the pieces on all sides, without crowding them. Set them aside on a plate that has not held raw chicken.
In the same fat, sauté the onion and pepper until tender; add the tomato purée and cook a couple of minutes.
Pour in the dry wine and let it boil for a few minutes to reduce. Return the chicken, add the cup of water or broth and the bay leaf, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
Add the potatoes and cook about 20 minutes more, until tender. Add the olives for the last 5-10 minutes. Check that the chicken reaches at least 74 °C in the center of the thickest pieces, without touching the bone; extend the cooking if needed. Adjust the salt and remove the bay leaf.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

White rice

Gently warm the garlic in the oil, add the rice and stir for a minute. Pour in the water with the salt and let it boil until the liquid has almost been absorbed, without letting the bottom burn. Reduce to the lowest heat, cover and cook 15-18 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let it rest 5 minutes and fluff the grains with a fork.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Fried ripe plantains

Peel the plantains and cut them into 1 cm diagonal slices. Fry them in batches in hot oil, without letting it smoke, over medium heat, about 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Drain them on paper towels and sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
AI-generated image.CiberCuba

Assembly

Serve on each plate the white rice, the black beans alongside, the fricassee with its sauce, the potatoes and olives, and the fried ripe plantains.

Tips and variations

Cooking the chicken: check for at least 74 °C with a thermometer in the thickest part of the pieces, without touching the bone. The color of the meat or its juices is no substitute for this check. Wash your hands, board and utensils after handling raw chicken; do not wash raw chicken or reuse its marinade without cooking it.

Dry wine: cooking does not guarantee that all the alcohol is removed. To omit it, replace the ½ cup of wine with the same amount of broth; a few drops of vinegar are optional.

Organization and amounts: the 250 g of beans are weighed dry, before soaking. Use about 5 cups of fresh water to cook them, separate from the soaking water, and top up with hot water if needed. Soak for 8-12 hours in the refrigerator and marinate the chicken for at least 2 hours, also refrigerated; both tasks can be done the day before. The 160 minutes indicated do not include these prior rests. Cook the beans and chicken in parallel and leave the rice and plantains for the end.

Storage: refrigerate the cooked components promptly in shallow containers and eat them preferably within 1-2 days. Reheat until 74 °C in the center. The plantains are best freshly fried.