Create a deliciously flavorful Chicken Rubens dish with pastrami, Swiss cheese, and Russian dressing over saffron-flavored rice.
What are Chicken Rubens?
A very long time ago, John Farion was the chef at the Hollywood location of Gorky’s Russian Cafe. John was Ukrainian, maybe that was why they hired him. He used to make a dish with chicken, pastrami, swiss cheese, and Russian dressing that he called Chicken Rubens. I loved it and recreated it.
Preparing the Chicken
One of the great things about this dish is you can prepare part of it ahead. You can keep the Chicken Rubens in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 3 three days. To freeze it, prepare the chickens with the toothpicks and let them freeze uncovered. Just before they are completely frozen, remove the toothpicks and wrap them well or vacuum seal them. They will last about 5 months if they are vacuum-sealed.
How to Make Skinless Boneless Chicken Thighs
Sometimes, the market only has thighs with bones. Don’t hesitate to make this recipe because of that. Deboning chicken thighs is very easy to do. All you need is a sharp knife and a pair of gloves. I recommend gloves because I don’t to touch chicken. Simply make a cut near the bone and keep scraping the meat away from the bone. It will come out very easily. Then, take a paper towel and remove the skin. Give the skin to your pet, cook it if you wish, and save the bones for soup.
What to serve with Chicken Rubens
You could serve these with a light salad or with vegetables of your choice. If you want to take advantage of your oven, you could use another shelf in your oven for Roasted Vegetables with Balsamic Butter Sauce.
A dry white wine would go very well with this.
Chicken Rubens with Saffron Rice Recipe
Email Me the Recipe
Chicken Rubens with Saffron Rice
Equipment
If you purchase any of the products through these affiliate links, I get a few pennies that help keep The Good Plate open. I use these products myself and want you to be able to easily find them.
Ingredients
Rubens
- 4 Chicken Thighs, skinned and boned
- 8 slices Pastrami
- 4 slices Swiss cheese
Saffron Rice
- 1 cup Rice, uncooked long or medium grain
- 1 teaspoon *Chicken Base
- ½ teaspoon Tuscan Sunset
- 2 pinches *Saffron Threads
- 2 cups Water, Boiling
Russian Dressing
1 cup Mayonnaise- 2 tablespoons Plain Yogurt
- 2 tablespoons Ketchup
- 1 teaspoon Horseradish
- ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Rubens
- 4 Chicken Thighs, 8 slices Pastrami, 4 slices Swiss cheeseIf you did not get thighs that were skinned and boned, do so now. Place the pastrami and cheese in the area where the bone was, roll it up, and secure it with two toothpicks. Set aside.
- At this point, if you want, you can refrigerate or freeze the chicken if desired.
Saffron Rice
- 1 cup Rice, 1 teaspoon Chicken Base, 1/2 teaspoon Tuscan Sunset, 2 pinches Saffron Threads, 2 cups WaterPut the rice in an 8 x 8-inch casserole. Mix the chicken base and Tuscan Sunset in the boiling water and stir to dissolve the chicken base. Add the saffron threads. Carefully pour this mixture over the rice in the casserole.
- Finally, put the chicken on top of the rice, place it in a 350 °F (177 °C) oven, and cook until the rice has absorbed all the water or the chicken has reached 165 °F (74 °C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Russian Dressing
- 1 cup Mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Plain Yogurt, 2 tablespoons Ketchup, 1 teaspoon Horseradish, 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauceMix all the ingredients together and serve as a side with the chicken.
I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! I definitely enjoying every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff you post.
We are a group of volunteers and starting a new scheme in our community. Your site offered us with valuable info to work on. You’ve done a formidable job and our entire community will be thankful to you.