La bandera is the kind of dish that you can eat every single day without ever getting tired of it.

Kinda like los tres golpes, la bandera Dominicana is made up of several components; white rice, Dominican beans, chicken or beef, salad, plantain, and avocado.

La Bandera Dominicana (Dominican Republic's National Dish) Arroz habichuelas pollo carne ensalada tostones maduros platano rice beans chicken meat salad plantain avocado

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1. White rice

Arroz blanco is the base of the plate, and it needs to be made a specific way. Dominican white rice is made differently, so make sure you’re using the right rice and following the steps—it’ll really make a difference.

2. Beans

Habichuelas are a crucial part of this dish. Dominican beans have a unique, sweet taste to them that you just cannot resist, and leaving them out of la bandera is considered a crime in my book.

Whether you use habichuelas rojas guisadas or habichuelas negras guisadas you’ll have a delicious meal.

3. Chicken or meat

There’s lots of debates on whether la bandera should be made with chicken or beef. I say, as long as you have all the components on the plate, it doesn’t really matter if you choose chicken or beef.

My favorite chicken recipes for la bandera are pollo guisado, pechuga al caldero, and pollo al caldero.

My favorite beef recipes for la bandera are carne guisada, bistec guisado, and bistec encebollado.

4. Salad

I love a classic Dominican ensalada verde with lettice, tomatoes, and beets with la bandera, and it’s also the most traditioanl option.

You could also use ensalada de coditos or ensalada rusa.

5. Tostones or maduros

If you’re making la bandera Dominican, then plantain needs to be on plate!

I love crispy, salty tostones fritos with this dish, but sweet platano maduros are just equally as good. You could also go a little crazy and make both.

6. Avocado

If you’re Dominican, you already know que el aguacate no puede faltar! You just cannot skip the avocado in this dish!

It’s the fresh, creamy component that ties the whole thing together.