Arroz Imperial Cubano (Imperial Rice) Miami Style!

Howdy, welcome to the Cuban Redneck Kitchen. My name is JC, and I am the YouTube channel host (The Cuban Redneck DIY Channel). Yes, what started as a place for me to share DIY projects and woodworking tips turned into a full-blown cooking channel.

How did this come about? As a teen, I worked in the kitchen of several well-known Cuban restaurants in the South Florida area. Over the years, I have been an unofficial, designated cook of every party my friends put together. Since retiring and moving to Southwest Florida, I have been getting requests for some of the crowds’ favorite dishes I have made over the years. After given my friend Laz a recipe over the phone and finding out days later that it was a complete failure, I agreed to do a video. Well, as they say, the rest is history, and we now do cooking and grilling videos on Tuesdays and DIY projects on Friday. Today, I am bringing you a crowd favorite without question! I am talking about Arroz Imperial! For those of you not familiar with this dish, Arroz Imperial is a classic Cuban comfort food dish made with layers of yellow rice, shredded chicken, mayonnaise, and melted cheese. That may sound complex, but trust me, this is very easy to make.

• 2 lbs of Chicken Breast
• 2 Cups of White Rice
• ½ of an Onion
• ½ of a Bell Pepper
• 2~3 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 tsp of Salt
• 1 tsp of Black Pepper
• 1 tsp of Cumin
• 1 tbsp of Tomato Paste
• 1 tbsp of Dry Cooking Wine
• 5 Cups of Tomato Sauce (Pasta Sauce is ok!)
• 1 Cup of Water
• 1 Pack of Sazon Goya con Azafran
• 16 oz of shredded cheese (Mexican Mix is my Favorite)
• 5 Cups of Mayo
• 5 Cups of Mix Vegies

This Arroz Imperial recipe is a two-part that we’ll assemble at the end into one dish. And even though Arroz Imperial is usually served as a side dish, it is hearty enough to be the main dish with a side of Maduro’s or Tostones.

Let’s start by making some Arros Amarillo, a classic Cuban or Spanish yellow rice, to which we’ll add about 1.5 cups of mixed veggies at the last minute. Everyone has their way of making rice, and I will share how I do it, but please feel free to do as you usually do.

Bring equal parts rice and water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add about ¼ tsp of salt, 1 tsp of oil, along with the pack of Sazon Goya con Azafran. Once at a full boil, lower the temp to medium-low and let it simmer until the water reaches the rice. Lower the temp to the lowest setting your stove has, cover it, and DON’T touch it for 12 minutes! At which time, we will fluff it with a fork, add the veggies, cover it back up and move it away from the heat!

As to the chicken! Season your chicken breast fillets with salt and pepper. In some cases, depending on my mood, I would add additional flavoring like Mccormick Grill Mates Mesquite Seasoning, but this is 100% optional and not part of the traditional Arroz Imperial recipe. We are going to search the chicken fillets and cook them just enough so that we can shred them with a fork. On my stove, this is about 3-minutes per side on medium heat, and it is essential to the chicken rest for 4-5 minutes after searing it.

Next, we are going to shred it like if you are shredding pork. Because the chicken is not fully cooked, I think the best way to do this is to pull it with a fork. With that done, we can now finish cooking it. Let put about a teaspoon of oil in a skillet and bring it to temperature. Add the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and the shredded chicken, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of Dry Cooking Wine,  1 tbsp of Tomato Paste, 1.5 Cups of Tomato Sauce (Pasta Sauce is ok!), 1 Cup of Water, and a teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and cumin. Cook for 2-3 minutes while stirring it. Then set it aside and allow it to cool off.

Think of this rice dish as a Cuban lasagna! For this particular recipe, I will be using a 5X9 loaf mold which will serve about four people or two Cubans. For 4 cups of rice, you will need a 13X9 and about 3-4 lbs of chicken. After you have allowed your rice and chicken to rest and cool off a little, spray your mold with cooking spray. I guess you can use butter and even oil, but unless you are going to eat it all on the same day, it may taste a little funny the next day. I strongly recommend cooking spray!

Spray the mold and deposit about half of your rice. Then with a silicone spatula, spread a liberal layer of mayonnaise, followed by a layer of cheese, the chicken, more cheese, and then the rest of the rice. Pack it down firmly, add another liberal layer of mayo, the rest of the cheese, and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for 20 minutes.

Allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes, cut into equal parts, and serve! If you have never done this before, this may sound like a lot of work but trust me; It is 100% worth it! I hope you try my Arroz Imperial recipe soon, and when you do, share it at our Facebook group, Cuban Food Nation!