Arroz Imperial is a Cuban casserole made by layering yellow rice, chicken fricassee, mayonnaise and cheese into a hearty, fatty, flavourful dish that is usually made for celebrations! This labor-intensive dish got a simple and low-carb makeover. No dairy? No problem! This recipe makes a simple nut cheese so you can enjoy this Cuban classic too!
Ingredients
Chicken
475 ml fully cooked, shredded chicken breasts
60 ml tomato sauce or pumpkin puree
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
Mayonnaise
60 ml mayonnaise
Cauliflower rice
475 ml riced cauliflower
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp fine salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
Cashew cheese
125 ml soaked raw cashew nuts
1 tsp granulated garlic
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ tsp ground black pepper
½ lemon, juiced
60 ml avocado oil
Nutrition
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Mix the shredded chicken with the tomato or pumpkin puree, and seasonings and set aside.
Mix the cauliflower rice with the turmeric, salt and pepper, and set aside.
Make the cheese. Combine all of the cashew cheese ingredients in the bowl of your food processor and blend until smooth.
To assemble the casserole, use an 6 x 6 inch (15 x 15 cm) glass casserole dish. Spoon half of the cauliflower rice into it and flatten it down to the bottom of the dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of mayo over the cauliflower rice.
Add half of the chicken over the mayo and spread it out evenly.
Spoon half of the cashew cheese over the chicken evenly. Repeat again, rice, mayo, chicken, cheese.
Place the casserole in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until the top is golden and browned along the edges.
Make it with dairy
If you can do dairy, feel free to use 4-6 slices of part skim mozzarella instead of the cashew cheese.