Arroz Imperial con Pollo. Photo by Amy Eddie
RECIPE BY ONDINE QUINN
Featured in Lexington writer and community organizer Ondine Quinn’s cookbook “Creating Community Through Cuban Cuisine,” this cheesy chicken and rice casserole is a classic Cuban comfort dish sometimes referred to as “Cuban lasagna.”
Click here to read more about author Ondine Quinn and her book!
Recipe serves 4-6. (Editor’s note: This recipe utilizes half the ingredients that the recipe in the book calls for – double these ingredients if serving a large group. The leftovers are divine!)
Imperial Rice con Pollo (with chicken)
Scroll down for the vegan version
Ingredients:
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• ½ medium onion, coarsely chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ red bell pepper, finely chopped
• 5-6 asparagus spears, chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoons of white wine
• 2 cups of medium grain rice
• 1 cups of mayonnaise
• 1 cups of parmesan cheese
• 3 ½ cups of chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon of cumin
• ½ tablespoon oregano
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ teaspoon of bijol, for yellow color (Note: Bijol is a less expensive alternative to saffron, which can also be used.)
• 1 ½ teaspoons of smoked Spanish paprika
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/4 cup of chopped pimento stuffed green olives
Method:
Sauté the chicken until golden brown, then cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces and set aside.
In a deep pan or dish, sauté your onion and peppers in vegetable oil until the onions are translucent. Add in your garlic and sauté for an additional couple of minutes until the garlic is soft (but not brown). Add in the chicken, asparagus, wine and herbs. Cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
While your chicken is cooking, cook your rice in the chicken stock with the bijol.
Mix the smoked paprika into your mayonnaise.
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and grab a small casserole dish. Lightly grease it with olive oil and add a layer of rice, smashing it down with a fork. Then add a layer of chicken, a layer of rice, half the mayonnaise, cheese, the chicken, the rest of the mayonnaise and then the rest of the cheese.
Bake for approximately 20 minutes and add your green olives as a garnish.
Arroz Imperial con Pollo is a classic Cuban comfort dish sometimes referred to as “Cuban lasagna.” Photo by Amy Eddie
Arroz Imperial Sin Carne (Imperial Rice - Vegan Style)
Same rules as above -- this recipe uses half the ingredients of the original recipe, to serve 4 people.
- 1/2 package of chopped portabella mushrooms
- 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch of asparagus spears, chopped
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 2 cups of medium grain rice
- 1 cup of vegan mayonnaise (I prefer Veggenaise)
- 1 cup of vegan parmesan cheese (recipe below)
- 1/2 tablespoon of cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon of bijol (for yellow color)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of smoked Spanish paprika
- 2 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1/4 cup of chopped pimento stuffed green olives
You’re first going to make the vegan parmesan. For this you’ll need:
- 1 cups of cashews
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
Add all four of these ingredients to a blender or food processor until it’s a mealy consistency (like cornmeal). Then set aside.
Next, cook your rice with the bijol. Once the rice is cooked, mix in the vegan mayonnaise and paprika. Cover and set aside.
Sauté the portabellas in a pan with olive oil for approximately three minutes or until tender. Set aside.
Next, sauté the bell pepper in olive oil for about three minutes. Add your onion, garlic cloves, asparagus, cumin, oregano, and bay leaf and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the wine and your mushrooms and turn the heat up until the alcohol burns off (couple of minutes).
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a small casserole dish with olive oil and add about 1/3 of the rice mixture. Then, spread all your mushrooms and sauteed veggies on top of the rice. Add another layer of rice over that and then a layer of the vegan parmesan ix. Finally, add one more layer of rice and finish with a top layer of vegan parmesan mix.
Bake for 15-20minutes and add the green olives to the top as garnish.