Arroz Imperial Recipe featuring Red Gold Tomatoes

I’m proud to be partnering with Red Gold Tomatoes to bring you this Arroz Imperial sponsored post. 

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. The things we miss most from “home” and being around our family are the delicious family recipes and home cooked Cuban food that we just can’t seem to get anywhere the military sends us.

So many of my favorite Cuban recipes come from watching my Abuela in the kitchen as I was growing up. I hope to someday pass these recipes along to my own children for them to cherish and make for their own families when they move away from home.

One of my all-time favorite Cuban recipes to make at home is Arroz Imperial, also known as Imperial Rice. Imperial Rice is a layered chicken and rice dish with yellow rice on the top and bottom and shredded chicken and veggies with Red Gold Tomato sauce in between. In my opinion, this is THE way to eat yellow rice and chicken.

Arroz Imperial is a fabulous recipe for family meals. It can be made in well advance and in big freezable batches, so that when it’s time to cook, it just needs to be heated in the oven. This recipe is also great for entertaining when the whole extended family comes over. You know, eventually. 

While I usually cook up Imperial Rice from scratch, there are a few shortcuts to help save some time:

• Shred a rotisserie chicken instead of boiling chicken breasts
• Cook rice in store-bought chicken broth, instead of using the liquid from boiling the chicken.

One thing you absolutely don’t want to skip is using Red Gold Tomatoes! Family meals taste best when you use high-quality ingredients, which is why I love using Red Gold Tomatoes. You can truly taste the difference versus other canned tomatoes. The high quality Red Gold family of products helps us create delicious and authentic flavors from home wherever we may live.

Red Gold started as a father/daughter business and continues to be family-owned with tomatoes that are sourced from family farms right here in the midwest. They use the highest quality tomatoes and packing methods to ensure that the taste of the tomatoes is what shines through. 

Red Gold continues to honor military families by donating a portion of proceeds from their Ketchup with a Cause program to the Fold of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to the children and spouses of fallen and disabled service members.

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Yield: 6 servings

Arroz Imperial

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Arroz Imperial is a delicious layered chicken and rice dish that makes a wonderful meal for the entire family!

Ingredients

• 1 pound skinless chicken breast
• 2 cups uncooked rice
• 1 teaspoon sazon seasoning
• 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
• 1 15 ounce can Red Gold Tomato Sauce
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• Salt
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Add chicken breast to a large pot and fill with enough water to cover completely. Salt the water liberally, and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Boil until the chicken is tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Remove the chicken from the water, reserving 4 cups in the same pot. Add uncooked rice and yellow rice seasoning into the pot with water. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Once rice starts to boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer over low heat, until the water is completely absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350º F. While the rice cooks, shred chicken breast.
4. Drizzle olive oil into a large pan over medium heat. Sauté diced onion until soft, about 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and peas and carrots to the pan, stirring to combine. Stir in Red Gold Tomato Sauce, and mix until heated through.
5. When rice has finished cooking, remove from heat. Mix mayonnaise into cooked yellow rice. Place one half of the rice mixture into the bottom of a 9x9 baking dish. Top rice with chicken mixture, followed by remaining rice.
6. Cover baking dish with foil. Bake for 30 minutes in preheated oven.
7. Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove foil. Sprinkle cheese over rice and return to oven uncovered. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Red Gold Tomatoes are available in grocery stores and you can find their Ketchup for a Cause in commissaries nationwide. Use the Red Gold Store Locator to find them near you!