What's a good way to build muscle while burning fat?

I want to start building muscle, but I noticed I had some body fat I'd like to get rid of. Is there an easy way to do both at the same time, or should I begin with losing the body fat then building muscle? I am not trying to body build, just simply put on some muscle mass and lose this body fat. I was told that you can use heavy cardio to burn fat, and as long as you get enough protein, it will not deplete muscle growth, is this true? Thanks