Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect side to tacos or enchiladas and is a great addition to burritos or burrito bowls. Serve this flavorful rice with your next Mexican or Southwest meal!
Everyone loves a warm cheesy enchilada but you’ve got to have a side to go with it like this Cilantro Lime Rice! This rice is the perfect side to Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, Black Bean and Sweet Potato Enchiladas or in Sweet Pulled Pork Salad {Cafe Rio Copycat} It’s also great with Thai food!
Cilantro Lime Rice
If you’ve ever dined at Chipotle, Qudoba, or Cafe Rio, I’m sure you’ve tried their yummy rice. Well, you can make your own at home and it tastes just like what you get at the restaurant. We’re not just adding lime and cilantro to white rice. The process and a few additional ingredients are what takes the rice to the next level.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice:
- Heat olive oil in a sauce pan. Add the rice and stir so that all the grains are coated. Cook while stirring for about 2 minutes and then add the onion. Continue to saute until the rice starts to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add in the chicken broth (or water and bouillon), salt, and lime zest. Bring it to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Cook for 18 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat but leave the lid on for 10 minutes.
- Fluff rice with a fork and then add in the lime and cilantro and mix until evenly dispersed.
Why Saute Rice?
Browning the rice helps to the grains to absorb the fruity flavor from the olive oil (it will have a nutty flavor if you use butter like in my Orzo Rice). It also helps the grains maintain their integrity so that you have distinct rice kernels rather than being mushed together.
What kind of rice should I use?
Basmati or regular long-grain white rice. Basmati rice is more aromatic and a little longer. It is more expensive so if you don’t want to spend the money and already have long-grain white rice, just use that.
What Should I Serve Cilantro Lime Rice With?
You can serve it with tacos, enchiladas, Baked Chicken Taquitos, in burritos, burrito bowls, salads… Let me know what you like to eat it with!
Looking for more Mexican Recipes? Check out these:
- Mexican Layered Dip
- Crock-Pot Mexican Chicken
- 3-Ingredient Salsa Chicken Tacos
- The BEST Homemade Salsa
- Easiest Burrito
- Mexican Lasagna
TOOLS USED TO MAKE CILANTRO LIME RICE:
Pot & Skillet Set– These are the skillets and pots I use. They have a heavy bottom making them sturdy and cook the food evenly. I use these multiple times a day.
Garlic Press– Fresh garlic is the best! Use a garlic press to quickly mince it.
Lemon and Lime Juicer– This makes getting all the juice out of your lemons and limes a cinch! It’s durable, requires little effort, and gets every last drop of juice out of your fruit.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup Basmati or long-grain white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped, loosely packed
- 1 lime, juice and zest
Instructions
- Heat oil over medium-high heat in a 1.5 quart sauce pan. Add the rice and stir so that all the grains are coated. Cook while stirring for about 2 minutes and then add the onion. Continue to saute until the rice starts to brown. Stir in the garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, salt, and lime zest. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and cook 18 minutes. Take pot off element and let it sit for 10 minutes. (Do NOT remove the lid.)
- Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in lime juice and cilantro. Mix until evenly dispersed.
I’m thinking of trying this tomorrow. I hope I’ll do it right though. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Love the simplicity of this side dish that really could be combined nicely with almost every main. Thank you so much !
It goes well with so many dishes! Enjoy! 🙂
I tried this recipe and my spouse really loved it. Thanks a lot, keep posting amazing recipes.
So glad to hear you guys enjoyed it! I hope you find more recipes here that you like.
It’s crazy how much food prices are going up! Avocados in Provo were always 10 for $10 most weeks, and now we pay $2.29 a piece for them! … Which means we don’t really buy them nearly as much anymore either!
Wow! That is insane! I have never seen them for more than $1 a piece. That is a real bummer because avocados are so good! Maybe check to see they are cheaper in bulk at Costco. I get them there sometimes for 5 or 6 in a bag for like $5.