Cuban Imperial Rice
The ultimate traditional Cuban dish, this imperial rice is made with flavorful yellow rice, shredded chicken, mayonnaise and cheese for the ultimate in comfort foods!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 544kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 8 ounce bag
Rice:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ green pepper diced
- 4 ounce can diced pimentos drained
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup water
- 2 cups long grain white rice uncooked and rinsed
Chicken:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chicken stock
Instructions
Rice:
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the onion, garlic, and green pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce, bay leaf, salt, pimentos and turmeric. Sauté 1 minute.
- Add the stock, water, and rice and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for 15-18 minutes, until all liquid is absorbed. Set aside.
Chicken:
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cumin seeds and salt and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken and stock and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
Assembly:
- Heat the oven to 350F degrees. Place a tablespoon of the mayonnaise in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and spread.
- Press the rice down into the pan.
- Add half the chicken on top of the rice and top with half the cheese.
- Add the remaining mayonnaise on top.
- Add the second half of the chicken and the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and starting to brown.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.
Notes
- The recipe can be easily double or tripled to make it for a larger crowd.
- Use leftover instant pot mexican rice, or any leftover rice infused with flavor, in place of the homemade rice here to make this recipe ultra easy.
- Leftover rotisserie chicken, or any baked chicken, is the best to use for the shredded chicken.
- It can be assembled ahead of time, stored in the fridge for a couple days, and baked when ready to serve it.
- If using leftover chicken, shred the chicken in advance so you can add it when ready to cook it with the seasonings.
Nutrition
Serving: 4ounces | Calories: 544kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 74mg | Sodium: 768mg | Potassium: 411mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 845IU | Vitamin C: 24mg | Calcium: 237mg | Iron: 2mg