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.ย 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.ย Except with baking. You gotta get those baking soda and baking powder measurements exact. ๐
So, my hubby is eating this and says “This one’s a keeper” and, I’m like, “Man, I should have written it down!”ย But… I did take pictures, so I am pretty sure I can relay the recipe that way.ย ย 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. ๐
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) ๐
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.
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.
imperial rice |
- 1 package 10 oz yellow rice OR 6 cups cooked, saffron rice
- 1 cup mixed veggies, corn, peas, carrots (frozen/cooked)
- 1/4 cup Mexican cream OR sour cream
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup cheese, Mexican style, shredded
- handful of Spanish style olives
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp Spanish style seasoning seasoning (optional)
- 1/3 cup mayonaise
- Cook the rice according to package directions.
- Place a portion of the rice in a 9 x 13 greased casserole dish
- Place the vegetables on top, and dot the vegetables with the cream and sprinkle a portion of cheese
- Place the chicken and olives on top of that, and sprinkle with seasonings
- Top with remaining rice, and smooth on the mayo
- Top with remaining cheese
- Tent with foil and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.