La Bandera

This Dominican dish may seem complicated at first, but once you get used to making it, it’s very simple and easy to make. La Bandera, which means “The Flag”, is a very common Dominican dish. It is comprised of three main things: beans, rice, and meat (usually chicken or beef). You can add platanos fritos/tostones (fried plantains) on the side and top it off with sliced avocado. This picture shows the dish made with beef, but I'm going to tell you how to make it with chicken. 

Meat:

2 Chicken breasts, sliced into strips

¼ Yellow Onion, sliced julienne style

¼ - ½ Green Bell Pepper, sliced into thin strips

2 ½ large spoonful’s of Tomato Sauce

2 large spoonful’s of Sazón Líquido

Olive Oil for the pan

Directions:

Turn heat up to medium. Put the olive oil in the pan. Add the chicken, tomato sauce, and sazón líquido.

When chicken is cooked thoroughly, add the onion and bell pepper and cover. Do not let the onion or pepper get soggy. Heat it just enough so that it is cooked but still firm.

Beans:

1 can of pinto beans

½ cup water

1 spoonful Olive Oil

1 large spoonful of Sazón Líquido

1 large spoonful of Tomato Sauce

½ tsp. gluten-free Chicken Boullion

1/8 tsp. Oregano

Directions:

Pour all the beans with the liquid into a small pot. Save ¼ of the beans in the can. In the can, add ½ cup of water. Blend the water and the beans together until there are no bean chunks left. Add the blended beans into the pot.

Turn the heat on medium.

Add the sazón líquido, tomato sauce, chicken bouillon, and oregano. Let simmer for a few minutes. Turn the heat down to low and add the olive oil.

Rice:

2 cups rice

3 ½ cups water

2 spoonful’s Olive Oil

½ tbsp. Salt

Directions:

In a rice cooker, combine rice, water, olive oil, and salt. Turn rice cooker on and let it cook. 

***On a side note, this is the olive oil I use. It has a very distinct flavor, different than all the other olive oils you find here in the states. If you can find this olive oil, then use this kind. If you can't find it, then use any olive oil you can. It will definitely taste different if you can use this olive oil, though.