La Bandera — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Rice, stewed beans, and braised chicken — the 'flag' meal that every Dominican eats for lunch. Simple, complete, essential.

Ingredients

For the rice: 2 cups long-grain white rice, 3 cups water, 2 tbsp vegetable oil, 1 tsp salt
For the beans: 400g canned red kidney beans with liquid, 1/2 onion diced, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt to taste
For the chicken: 4 chicken thighs bone-in, 1 onion sliced, 1 green bell pepper diced, 4 cloves garlic minced, 400g canned crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper
Sliced avocado and fried sweet plantains for serving
Fresh lime wedges

Instructions

1 Start the stewed beans first. Heat the olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat, add the diced onion and cook for four minutes. Add the garlic and oregano, stir for one minute. Add the kidney beans with their liquid and the tomato paste. Simmer on low for twenty minutes until thick and saucy, mashing a few beans against the pot side to thicken the sauce.
2 Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for four minutes per side until golden brown. Remove the chicken temporarily and set aside on a plate.
3 In the same skillet, saute the sliced onion and diced green bell pepper for five minutes. Add the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the crushed tomatoes, stir well, and return the chicken to the skillet. Cover and simmer on low heat for thirty minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce has thickened.
4 While the chicken braises, prepare the rice. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the rice and stir for two minutes to toast lightly. Add the water and salt, bring to a rapid boil, then immediately cover tightly and reduce heat to the lowest setting. Cook for twenty minutes undisturbed.
5 Remove the rice from heat and let rest covered for ten minutes. The grains should be fluffy, separate, and dry. Fluff with a fork. Check the chicken, which should be falling off the bone with the sauce reduced to a glossy consistency. Adjust seasoning in both the beans and chicken.
6 To plate La Bandera in the traditional Dominican style, mound the white rice in the centre of a plate, spoon the red stewed beans alongside, and place the braised chicken with its sauce on the other side. Add sliced avocado, fried sweet plantains, and a lime wedge to complete the flag-inspired presentation.