Cilantro Lime Rice

Top view of a bowl of rice with cilantro and a spoon in it.

Cilantro lime rice is the perfect side dish, for burritos, nachos, or even a taco salad. So many options! Delicious toasted rice is cooked to perfection in a flavorful chicken broth full of spices, cilantro and lime. This is the best cilantro lime rice and turns out perfect every single time.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Mexican

Keyword cilantro lime rice

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 25

Total Time 30

Servings

Calories 180kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
1 ¼ cups basmati rice
2 ¼ cups chicken broth
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon cumin
zest and juice of 1 lime

Instructions

In a medium saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the butter and the dry basmati rice. Toast the rice, while stirring frequently to prevent it from burning, until it's lightly golden brown, very fragrant, and the butter has melted.
2 tablespoons butter, 1 ¼ cups basmati rice
Add the chicken broth, chopped cilantro, salt, cumin, lime zest, and lime juice. Stir. Bring to a boil.
2 ¼ cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon cumin, zest and juice of 1 lime
Once boiling, cover the pan with a lid and reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Once the rice is soft and all the liquid is absorbed, remove the lid, and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.

Notes

Should I Rinse The Rice? : Yes, you can rinse the dry rice inside a colander, with cool water running over it, until the water is draining clear. Rinsing the rice first removes excess starch, by removing that, the rice turns out much fluffier and cooks separated instead of clumping together and getting mushy/gummy. Rinsing rice also removes any dirt, debris, or impurities from the rice. Make sure to drain the rinsed rice really well, possibly even blotting it dry with a paper towel, before adding it into the saucepan. But I will say that I prefer toasting the rice when it's completely dry so I normally just toast the rice without rinsing it first.... it works for me!

Rice : I have been making this recipe for years and experimented with all the different varieties of rice - I have found that basmati rice yields the best fluffy rice but it's still sturdy enough to hold up to the zesty and bright lime flavors. Long-grain rice is another alternative but I have found that it turns softer and mushier in this recipe once fluffed, and I much prefer drier rice when it comes to cilantro lime rice; similar to what they serve in the Mexican restaurants. You would probably be fine using any type of rice, or whatever you prefer, as long as you rinse the rice first to remove the excess starch and then toast it until golden brown in the butter. Doing both those steps should help any rice cook up life and fluffy, and not mushy and clumpy.

Salt Tip : I use salted butter, 33% reduced-sodium chicken broth, and the kosher salt when I make this rice.

Nutrition