🇨🇷🍗 Costa Rican Chicken Casado
Casado is one of Costa Rica’s most iconic everyday meals—a balanced plate that usually includes rice, beans, salad, plantains, and a protein like chicken, beef, or fish. A chicken casado is the most common version and a great example of traditional Costa Rican home-style cooking.
🍽️ What’s on a Chicken Casado plate?
A typical Costa Rican chicken casado includes:
- 🍗 Grilled or sautéed chicken (often seasoned with garlic, onion, and spices)
- 🍚 White rice
- 🫘 Black beans or red beans (gallo pinto-style base sometimes)
- 🥗 Fresh salad (lettuce, tomato, cabbage, cucumber)
- 🍌 Sweet fried plantains (plátanos maduros)
- 🌶️ Optional: salsa or chimichurri-style sauce
- 🥑 Sometimes avocado slices
👩🍳 Simple homemade version
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 cups cooked rice
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 1–2 ripe plantains
- Mixed salad vegetables
- Salt, pepper, garlic, lime juice
- Oil for cooking
Instructions
🍗 1. Cook the chicken
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and lime juice
- Pan-fry or grill until golden and fully cooked
- Slice into strips
🍌 2. Fry plantains
- Slice ripe plantains diagonally
- Fry in oil until golden brown and caramelized
🫘 3. Prepare beans
- Heat cooked beans with onion, garlic, salt, and a little oil
🥗 4. Make salad
- Mix fresh vegetables with a light lime dressing
🍽️ 5. Assemble plate
- Rice + beans + chicken + salad + plantains side-by-side on one plate
🧠 Why it’s called “Casado”
“Casado” means “married” in Spanish—referring to how everything is served together in a balanced “marriage” of foods on one plate.
🇨🇷 Fun fact
In Costa Rica, casado is a daily lunch staple—you’ll find it in sodas (local diners) everywhere, often customized based on the cook and region.
If you want, I can also give you:
- a healthier low-calorie casado version
- or a vegetarian casado
- or a street-food style Costa Rican menu 👍
