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This Imperial rice recipe is the special of the day. Imperial rice is a Cuban chicken and rice dish in casserole form and it has a surprising secret ingredient. It makes a perfect dish to serve during family dinners, holiday meals, or when you need to make food for leftovers. It provides the best blend of Cuban restaurant cuisine with the comforting taste of home cooking.
Chicken and rice is a classic combination that never gets old. Every cuisine has its own version of this harmonious fusion of flavors. Take, for instance, our skillet chicken and rice bake. It is decidedly American comfort food.
Today we are making a Cuban version of chicken with yellow rice. Imperial rice is also known as Arroz Imperial and it is made in a casserole dish with alternating layers, similar to how lasagna gets constructed. We adapted this recipe from The Versailles Restaurant Cookbook, written by restaurant owners based out of Miami.
We have several tips and suggestions to add your own spin to this classic Cuban recipe.
The Ingredients:
Since Imperial rice is a layered casserole dish, I will break the ingredients down by the layers.
The Chicken Layer:
- Onion. One yellow or white onion.
- Bell pepper. We used green bell pepper but red or yellow bell pepper will work as well.
- Garlic.
- White wine. The alcohol in the wine will get cooked off but if you don’t want to use any wine then substitute it with some chicken broth.
- Crushed tomatoes.
- Bay leaf.
- Shredded chicken. You can purchase a rotisserie chicken or use some leftover grilled chicken breasts. If you have an Instant Pot, you can cook some frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot.
- Green peas. The peas are an extra addition we made to give the Imperial Rice an extra pop of color.
The Rice Layer:
- Chicken broth. Cooking the rice with chicken broth will give the rice some extra flavor.
- Rice. We used uncooked, long-grain rice.
- Bijol or Cumin. Bijol is the traditional spice used in Cuba that gives the rice its yellow color but no flavor. Cumin makes a great substitute and gives the rice some yellow color and a bit more flavor. If you want the rice more yellow, you can use a dash of turmeric.
- Salt and pepper.
You Will Also Need:
- Mayonnaise. While mayonnaise may sound like a strange ingredient, it is authentic to an Arroz Imperial recipe.
- Cheese. Any type of cheese will work. We used a mixture of Muenster and Mozzarella. The cheese was not included in the original recipe from the Miami restaurant but you can’t go wrong with the cheese.
- Pimientos. The pimientos are strictly for garnish and do not add anything to the flavor of this Imperial rice recipe. Skip them if you don’t have them on hand.
How to Make Imperial Rice:
Here is a quick overview of the process for this Imperial rice recipe. Make sure you read the tips for success below and scroll down to the recipe card for all the details.
- Cook the chicken mixture in a skillet and set it aside.
- Make the rice in a saucepan and set it aside.
- Grease a 13×9 casserole dish and spread 1/3 of the rice into the dish.
- Cover the rice with a layer of mayonnaise then top it with a bit of cheese and some of the chicken mixture.
- Repeat the layers with more rice, mayonnaise, cheese, and chicken.
- Top it off with a final layer of rice, mayonnaise, and cheese.
- Bake until the edges are bubbly.
Tips for Success:
Make it fun. Don’t worry if you get the layers out of order or miss a step. This is a pretty versatile recipe.
Substitute the mayonnaise. If you don’t like mayonnaise, substitute with some garlic butter sauce or white garlic sauce. Actually, any kind of fat-based sauce will work. It is the fat in the mayonnaise that makes this Imperial rice recipe authentic and flavorful. The fat melts down into the rice and gives it a creamy, rich flavor.
Add some spice. There isn’t a lot of spice and heat to a traditional Imperial rice recipe. If you are partial to spicy foods then we recommend adding a chipotle pepper and a few tablespoons of adobo sauce to the chicken mixture. You could also make our quick chipotle aioli and use that instead of the regular mayonnaise.
Substitute the Bijol. As mentioned above, I am not impressed with the flavor in Bijol. The good news is that Bijol isn’t used as much for flavor as it is used for color. It is kind of like a poor mans saffron except saffron is so much better. You can certainly use a pinch of saffron but we liked the flavor and color that cumin adds.
Add extras. Some recipes for Imperial rice will include ham. If you have some leftover ham, dice it up and add it with the chicken. Other additions could include sausage, olives, or a chipotle pepper as mentioned above.
Some More Recipes We Are Sure You Will Love:
Our recipe for pork fried rice is an easy meal that takes advantage of leftover pork. You can turn a small amount of pork that may only be enough for one person into a large dinner that will feed a family.
This Instant Pot Spanish rice makes a fantastic side dish and the Instant Pot makes it easy and clears space on your stove for other items.
Our chicken tortilla chip casserole makes use of leftover chicken and it makes a large portion. It is great for potlucks and it is easy to make.
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Ingredients
Make the chicken mixture:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 to 5 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 can, 15 ounces crushed tomatoes (1-1/2 cups)
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat (see notes)
- 1 cup frozen green peas
Cook the rice:
- 4-¾ cups chicken broth
- 2-½ cups long-grain white rice, uncooked
- 2 teaspoons bijol, or substitute with cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For constructing the layers:
- ⅔ to 1 cup mayonnaise
- 2-½ cups shredded Muenster or Mozzarella cheese
Garnish:
- pimientos
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
The Chicken Mixture
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper. Sauté for 4 to 6 minutes until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the wine and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the wine is reduced by half. Scrape the bottom of the saucepan to remove any cooked on onion bits.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf and shredded chicken. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the peas. Taste, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
The Yellow Rice
- In a separate pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil over high heat. Add the rice, bijol (or cumin), salt and pepper. Bring to a boil again then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 18 to 20 minutes.
Assemble and Bake
- Grease a 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Spread ⅓ of the rice mixture into the bottom of the dish. Spread 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons of mayonnaise over the rice. Sprinkle a layer of cheese over the mayonnaise. Top with half of the chicken mixture. Spread ½ of the remaining rice over the chicken. Spread 3 more tablespoons of mayonnaise over the rice then sprinkle more cheese over that.
- Next, spread the rest of the chicken on top. Spread the rest of the rice over the chicken and top with 3 more tablespoons of mayonnaise.
- Top with more shredded cheese and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the edges are brown and the cheese looks bubbly.
Notes
- You can use a little over half of a whole roasted chicken or three large chicken breasts cooked and shredded.
- Traditional Cuban food is not spicy but if you like spicy food, add a chipotle pepper and a few tablespoons of adobo sauce to the chicken mixture. You could also make our quick chipotle aioli and use that instead of the regular mayonnaise.
- Substitute the mayonnaise. If you don’t like mayonnaise, substitute with some garlic butter sauce or white garlic sauce.
- Add extras. Some recipes for Imperial rice will include ham. If you have some leftover ham, dice it up and add it with the chicken. Other additions could include sausage and olives.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!
Mine is in the oven as we speak, but I added diced hardboiled egg as an additional topper — the first time I had this dish it was served that way and so I do it too, lol!
Thank you for the comments, Bobby! I love the idea of the hard boiled egg, it sounds delicious!
Made an expanded tray version for Mother’s day. With three different cheese layers. Perfection. Just have to bake covered for longer.
What a great idea, thanks for the comment.
So I used to make another layered (pasta) dish that was a pain. Finally just started mixing it all together. Same great taste, 1/2 the work. Do you think that would work with this recipe, or is the layering part of the magic?
I haven’t tried it all mixed together. The layering is traditional but I think it should still be pretty tasty if you just mix it all together.
Any thoughts on leaving out the chicken part entirely and just layering the rice/mayo/cheese and cooking for a side dish? Would this still be tasty? Looking for a cheesy rice side dish.
I’m sure it would be tasty without the chicken. You will miss out on some of that savory, umami flavor from the chicken, but that may be what you are going for. You could also add some diced ham but if you want to keep it completely meatless then perhaps a bit extra cheese.
I eas wondering if I can break it down into 2 8 or 9 inch square pans, then cook one, but freeze the otber BEFORE cooking. Then thae and cook when ready. I made the 9X13. But there was So much left over. But OMG it was so good!
Yes, you can. If you freeze the casserole before you cook it then let it thaw in the fridge overnight and cook it as directed in the recipe card.
You also most def need to add sliced ham to each layer to make it ??
Ham would definitely be delish
Traditional arroz imperial does not have cheese between the layers, only the top.
Thanks, Dani. We never hear anyone complain about extra cheese 😉
Bijol is flavorless and is meant as a coloring agent for the rice you can’t skip that or replace it with cumin. Cumin is a strong flavor that makes no sense in the rice at all and add no yellow color. In a pinch if you have no bijol you can use turmeric. Also the pimientos albeit a a garnish have quite a bit of flavor that cuts through the richness of the dish quite nicely; a burst of brightness if you will.
Thanks for the comment. I did mention the use of Bijol as a coloring agent in the narrative and why I prefer cumin. I personally like the flavor that cumin brings to the dish but you can certainly leave it out if you want a more traditional choice.
@Oliver, you’re absolutely right. I didn’t have time to read through the recipe & figure out for myself that bijol is just “yellow food coloring” sold by the Badia brand. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of cumin (slightly less than the recipe calls for) and it’s over powering. I’ll definitely try it again without any cumin because the chicken was tasty.
How come my casserole never turned out this beautiful??? I have never had any Cuban food…can’t wait to try this one!
Oh, thanks Angie. I hope you enjoy it