A perfect side dish or addition to burrito bowls, salads or burritos, this Cilantro Lime Rice recipe is fresh and flavorful.
This Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect side dish for any Mexican inspired meal. Serve it with some Refried Beans, Homemade Salsa and some Tres Leches Cake for dessert!
This is the perfect side dish for when you are looking for something a little bit different than plain rice. The cilantro and lime add the perfect kick of flavor. This is especially good served alongside a Mexican or Tex-Mex meal. Very little effort for a lot of flavor!
It’s also perfect if you are making a Cafe Rio inspired salad or Chipotle inspired burrito bowl. Or it’s great to serve alongside Grilled Pork Chops or White Chicken Enchiladas.
What You’ll Need
- Long Grain Rice – you’ll start with uncooked rice. This recipe was tested with long grain rice. If you want to substitute in another type (brown rice, minute rice, etc), then the amount of liquid and the cook time will change.
- Butter – I use unsalted butter, but salted would work as well. You could also use your favorite cooking oil instead, as well.
- Garlic – I am always surprised how much flavor this adds. It can be left out, but I like that extra layer of flavor.
- Lime Zest and Juice – You’ll cook the rice with the zest but make sure to save the lime so you can use the juice once the rice has cooked.
- Chicken Broth – Cooking your rice in chicken broth adds so much flavor! Feel free to sub in vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian. Or if you want a more muted flavor, you can use water.
- Cilantro – For flavor and freshness!
How to Make It
- Rinse your rice. This is an important step – the rinsing will remove the starches on the outside of the rice. If you skip this step, your rice will stick together.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. I think a 1.5 quart saucepan is the perfect size.
- Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. You don’t want to burn your garlic.
- Stir in your rice. Cook for a couple of minutes to lightly toast the rice.
- Add the lime zest and stir to combine.
- Add your chicken broth. Bring it to a boil, cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Set a timer for 15 minutes, then turn the heat off and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork then add the juice from the lime.
- Lastly, stir in your cilantro.
Other Cooking Methods
Rice Cooker
I *love* my rice cooker, but I don’t use it for this recipe, simply because I am cooking the garlic and toasting the rice beforehand. You can transfer it at that point, but it’s more dishes to do, and I find it is easiest to just cook it in the saucepan. If you do want to use the rice cooker, follow steps 1-4 in the recipe card, then transfer to the rice cooker and cook on the white rice setting. You could also skip cooking the garlic and toasting the rice, and just add it all to your cooker.
Instant Pot
To cook this in the Instant Pot, use the saute feature to cook the garlic and toast the rice. Cut the chicken broth back to 1 1/4 cups. Cook the rice on high pressure for 3 minutes, then let it naturally release for 10 minutes before releasing the rest of the pressure. Then stir in your lime juice and cilantro.
More Mexican Inspired Favorites
This Queso Blanco would be a great side dish to go alongside any Mexican meal.
Definitely more of a Baja California type meal, but these Fried Fish Tacos are some of the best!
When I think of the perfect Smothered Burrito Recipe, this is it!
This one is more unconventional, but I seriously crave these Frito Pie Burritos. Don’t knock them until you try them.
This Taco Casserole is not your typical taco casserole – and the whole family loves it!
If you are a fan of green salsa, this Tomatillo Salsa needs to be at the top of your list.
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Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Zest of 1 lime
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rinse the rice well in water. Set aside.1 cup uncooked long grain rice
- Place the butter in a 1.5 quart saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 clove garlic
- Add the rinsed rice and stir to coat with the butter and garlic. Cook until the rice is lightly toasted, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the lime zest, followed by the chicken broth.Zest of 1 lime, 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer.
- Cook for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and fluff the rice gently with a fork. Add the lime juice and the cilantro and gently stir to combine.Juice of 1 lime, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
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