Puerto Rican FoodZucchini Boats Stuffed with Puerto Rican Orange-Sofrito Chicken Rice, Bacon, and Casabe Almond Crunch
An original Puerto Rican-inspired recipe featuring zucchini halves filled with fluffy rice mixed with seasoned chicken, sofrito, orange, crispy bacon, peppers, and a touch of olives. It is finished in the oven with queso del país and a crunchy topping of crushed casabe, almonds, and recao.
Ingredients
- 4 approx. 800 g medium zucchini (cut a lo largo and ahuecados; reservar the pulpa chopped)
- 450 g boneless skinless chicken breast (cut en cubitos small)
- 450 g cooked long-grain white rice (preferiblemente cold or of the día anterior)
- 120 g bacon (chopped)
- 120 ml Puerto Rican sofrito (casero or preparado)
- 120 g yellow onion (chopped en cubitos)
- 100 g red bell pepper (chopped en cubitos)
- 12 g garlic (chopped)
- 150 g reserved zucchini flesh (chopped)
- 80 ml orange juice (fresh)
- 4 g orange zest (finely grated)
- 45 g green olives stuffed with pimento (slices)
- 16 g capers (escurridas)
- 2 g dried oregano
- 1 g ground cumin
- 2 g sweet paprika
- 6 g salt (or to taste, divided)
- 1 g black pepper (or to taste)
- 30 ml olive oil (divided)
- 100 g queso del país or semi-firm mozzarella (grated)
- 40 g cassava flatbread (crushed a mano)
- 35 g toasted almonds (chopped)
- 8 g culantro leaves (chopped)
- 60 ml chicken broth (for humedecer the relleno)
- 14 g butter (for the cobertura crujiente)
Nutrition facts
per serving
Approximate nutritional information. Estimated from the recipe’s ingredients and amounts, using standard reference nutrition values. It may vary with brands, sizes and cooking method. For guidance only; not a substitute for medical or dietary advice.
Allergens
Instructions
- 1
1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F / 200 °C. Grease a baking tray with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cut the zucchini lengthwise, scoop out the centers with a spoon, and reserve the chopped flesh. Season the zucchini boats with a pinch of salt and pepper, place them on the tray, and bake for 10 minutes at 400 °F / 200 °C so they soften slightly.
- 2
2. Meanwhile, place the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned and crisp. Remove and drain on paper towels, leaving 1 tablespoon of the rendered fat in the skillet.
- 3
3. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet along with the onion, red bell pepper, and garlic. Sauté for 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved zucchini flesh and cook 2 minutes more until some of its moisture cooks off.
- 4
4. Add the diced chicken and season it with oregano, cumin, sweet paprika, half of the salt, and black pepper. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until the chicken is no longer pink.
- 5
5. Stir in the sofrito, orange juice, and orange zest. Cook for 2 minutes so the liquid reduces slightly. Add the olives, capers, chicken broth, and cooked rice. Mix well and cook 3 more minutes until the filling is moist but not wet. Adjust with the remaining salt. Turn off the heat and fold in half of the crispy bacon.
- 6
6. In a small bowl, combine the crushed casabe, toasted almonds, chopped culantro, and melted butter to make the crunchy topping.
- 7
7. Generously fill each zucchini half with the chicken-rice mixture. Top with the queso del país, then the casabe-almond topping. Finish with the remaining bacon.
- 8
8. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes at 400 °F / 200 °C, until the cheese melts, the top is golden, and the zucchini is tender but still holds its shape.
- 9
9. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve hot so the orange aroma, sofrito, and crunchy casabe-almond topping stand out.
Chef tips
If the rice seems too dry, add 1 to 2 extra tablespoons of broth before filling. For a deeper golden finish, place the tray under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes at the end, watching closely.
Substitutions
You can use boneless chicken thigh instead of breast. If queso del país is unavailable, use low-moisture mozzarella. Almonds can be replaced with sunflower seeds to avoid tree nuts, and culantro can be swapped for fresh cilantro if needed.
What I used to make it
Generic kitchen tools that work for this recipe. You don’t need to buy anything to make it.
Illustrative imageNinja Professional BL610 Blender
Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Smoothies, sauces and soups
- Easy-to-wash jar
- Check the power and jar size
Illustrative imageCosori Pro LE 5 Qt Air Fryer
Browning and baking with little oil
- Browns food with very little oil
- Handy for vegetables, chicken and reheating
- Check the basket capacity
Illustrative imageTempPro TP19H Digital Thermometer
Checking doneness of meat and chicken
- Checks doneness of meat and chicken
- Quick reading
- Clean the probe after each use
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