My Homemade Cilantro-Lime Rice Recipe Is A Perfect Side Dish
You know that super-delicious, fluffy white rice with lime and cilantro that fills Chipotle burritos? Well, it is SO easy to replicate at home! My easy cilantro-lime rice recipe proves it. If you can cook white rice (and you can!) you can make this simple, flavorful cilantro-lime rice.
Tender and herby, it’s a great side dish for any Mexican meal, and a truly perfect partner for cilantro-lime chicken thighs. Add guacamole, a Mexican street corn salad and homemade salsa and you have a company-worth feast! For more easy, tasty rice recipes, check out coconut rice, lemon rice and fragrant jeweled rice.
The Best Cilantro-Lime Rice, In Just 5 Ingredients
- Rice: Long-grain white or jasmine rice are my favorite varieties.
- Vegetable oil: Keep it neutral, so that the lime and cilantro shine.
- A lime: It must be fresh lime because you’ll need the zest AND the juice.
- Cilantro: If you’re a person for whom cilantro tastes soapy (it’s a genetic thing, apparently) don’t substitute anything. Since this rice only has two main ingredients, it’s tough to sub in alternative ingredients. Coconut rice pairs beautifully with a lot of the same dishes as this rice, like carnitas or carne asada.
How To Make Cilantro-Lime Rice
- Rinse the rice, and seriously don’t skip this step! Rinsing the rice removes the starch (as well as any residual dust from processing) from the grains, which is the secret to fluffy, non-clumpy rice. A fine-mesh strainer is helpful.
- Pour the rinsed and drained rice into a saucepan or small pot with a lid that fits well along with salted water—we’re working with a ratio that’s nearly 1:1 water : rice—and a bit of oil for richness.
- Simmer time! Simmer, without peeking, for a full 20 minutes.
- Lift the cover and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Gently stir in the lime zest (the easiest way to zest a lime is with a microplane grater), juice and cilantro and stir until it is herby and delicious.
What Do You Eat Cilantro-Lime Rice With?
It goes with so many things! It makes a terrific base for rice bowls of all kinds, but I particularly love it with these four dishes:
Chipotle At Home Has Never Been Easier!
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