Imperial rice~ creamy comfort food

This is one of my favorite dishes. On occasion, my Cuban neighbor will bring me some… and I graciously thank her and run to my kitchen to devour it.  Of course I have begged her for the recipe, but she says she doesn’t use one. That’s the secret, folks. Don’t use a recipe.  Except with baking. You gotta get those baking soda and baking powder measurements exact. 😉

So, my hubby is eating this and says “This one’s a keeper” and, I’m like, “Man, I should have written it down!”  But… I did take pictures, so I am pretty sure I can relay the recipe that way.   The recipe uses Saffron rice, Saffron is very expensive, and I’m not going to tell you to run out and buy something expensive for one recipe- you can use the yellow rice mix they sell in stores, or better yet, there is a brand that doesn’t have any artifical coloring in it as well. Use that one if you can. 😉

If you want me to describe what’s in it so you don’t have to scroll all the way to the recipe, I will. It’s a yellow rice casserole with layers of vegetables, chicken, olives and cheese. BUT~ what makes it creamy-melty-yummy is the cream and (yes!) mayonnaise that goes in it. Even mayo haters love it. (Because they don’t know it’s mayo) 😉

So, you cook up your rice. To save time, cook your chicken while you’re cooking the rice…

Place a portion of the rice in a casserole dish and top with veggies. I used peas n carrots, because that’s what I had- my neigbor puts some corn in hers. Add a few seasonings and Mexican cream on the veggies, then top with your cooked chicken.

Now, add some olives….

You can use whole or sliced… I had sliced on hand.

Now, top with the remaining rice and add a thin layer of mayonnaise.

See, it’s not that much.

Now, top with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Tent the foil so your cheese doesn’t stick to it.

Note: Mexican cream is similar to sour cream, but not as tangy. It can be substituted with sour cream.

I use this one  ↑