A classic Cuban comfort food dish made with layers of yellow rice, shredded chicken, mayonnaise, and melted cheese. Perfect for parties, large crowds, and any time of year!
This post is sponsored by Riceland. All opinions are my own.
Have you ever heard of Arroz Imperial? IT’S SO GOOD! This is one of those recipes that always reminds me of my childhood. Not only is it the best comfort food dish, but it’s also the perfect recipe to make for a large crowd. We still enjoy it all the time at house parties to this day!
Think of this rice dish as a Cuban lasagna. You have layers of delicious chicken, yellow rice, mayo, and melty cheese. YUM! With the help of my friends at Riceland, I’ve recreated this Cuban classic just for you!
Growing up, Riceland rice was always a versatile and delicious staple in my house. It was my mom’s go-to brand of long grain rice! Riceland rice is wholesome, non-GMO and nutritious, and works with so many specialized diets (it’s even gluten-free!).
Here’s how to bring this dish to life using Riceland rice.
How To Make The Ingredients For the Arroz Imperial
In a Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes. Add sliced pimentos and tomato sauce. Sauté for 1 minute. Add Riceland long-grain rice, water, bouillon cube, achiote, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. The steam is what cooks the rice. After 15 minutes, remove from heat. Keep the lid on for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
Next, we’re going to flavor up that chicken! PRO TIP: you can shred up a rotisserie chicken to save time. ;)
In a skillet, add olive oil, onions, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauté onions with spices for 5 minutes at medium-high heat. Add garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock to deglaze the pan then add the shredded chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
How To Make the Arroz Imperial
Now here comes the fun part!
In an 8×8 baking dish, you will begin layering your ingredients. Remember, this is similar to a lasagna.
Ok so first thing, make sure to preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Now, begin by spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise at the bottom of the baking dish. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom.
Next, add a layer of rice, then a layer of shredded chicken, then a layer of shredded cheese, another layer of rice, a thicker layer of mayonnaise, a layer of shredded chicken, and top it off with a thick layer of shredded cheese. Now we’re ready to bake!
Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes to melt the cheese. Garnish with sliced olives and pimentos, if desired. That’s all folks!
You can serve this with a side of sweet plantains or by itself.
How good does that look!
Can’t wait for you to make this recipe! I know it will become a favorite just like it is in mine! :)
Ingredients
YELLOW RICE
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can sliced pimentos, 4 oz, drained (plus more for garnish, optional)
- 1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz
- 2 cups uncooked Riceland Long Grain Rice, washed and drained
- 3 cups water
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- Pinch of achiote, annatto or turmeric powder to color the rice
- 1 bay leaf
SHREDDED CHICKEN
- 3 cups cooked and shredded chicken breast, (you can use a rotisserie chicken to save time)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken stock to deglaze the pan
FOR THE LAYERS
- 2 cups shredded cheese, Gouda, Cheddar, any melty cheese will work!
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, plain Greek yogurt, or sour cream
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add sliced pimentos and tomato sauce. Sauté for 1 minute. Add rice, water, bouillon cube, achiote and bay leaf. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE LID. The steam is what cooks the rice. After 15 minutes, remove from heat. Keep the lid on for another 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- In a skillet, add olive oil, onions, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. Sauté onions with spices for 5 minutes at medium-high heat. Add garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken stock to deglaze the pan then add the shredded chicken and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In an 8x8 baking dish, you will begin layering your ingredients. First, start by spreading a thin layer of mayonnaise at the bottom. This will prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the dish.
- Next, add a layer of rice, then a layer of shredded chicken, then a layer of shredded cheese, another layer of rice, a thicker layer of mayonnaise, a layer of shredded chicken, and top it off with a thick layer of shredded cheese.
- Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes to melt the cheese. Garnish with sliced olives and pimentos, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Thank you Riceland for sponsoring this post and a HUGE thank you to all the readers of this blog for all your support! xo
I added some olives for extra flavor. Left out the pimentos. Didn’t have Gouda cheese so I used mozzarella and white cheddar on top. Hubby approved!