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Cilantro lime rice is a delicious and eye-catching recipe that can brighten up any dinner. You can serve it as a side dish with seafood or as the base for a tasty chicken burrito bowl. This dish is really simple to prepare, has readily available ingredients, and makes rice cooking a bit more enjoyable. In terms of nutrition, calories in this recipe are only at 114, making lime-cilantro rice ideal for people trying to cut down their calorie intake.
If you’ve ever come across cilantro rice at a restaurant or want your own homemade version of Chipotle’s rice, now’s your chance! Read below to learn how to make your very own copycat recipe.
In this cilantro lime rice recipe, the perfect rice to use is basmati rice or any long-grain white rice. Aside from basmati, you can also use jasmine rice for a more fragrant cilantro rice dish. Brown basmati rice is also a good substitute. Note that you’ll have to adjust the cooking time accordingly to properly cook brown rice.
If you wish to experiment, you can also try using short-grain rice varieties. However, that isn’t recommended if you’re planning on using the cooked cilantro lime rice for another recipe, like burrito bowls or tacos.
With simple ingredients, plain rice is transformed into a vibrant cilantro-lime side dish that goes well with most Mexican recipes. In this rice dish recipe, cilantro, lime, rice, and other ingredients are very much accessible and easy to find in your local grocery stores.
There are three variations you can choose from below:
This copycat of the Chipotle cilantro lime rice can add a touch of summer to any meal.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings
In this version of the cilantro lime rice, the grains used are first browned to add more flavor to the entire dish.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4-5 servings
Cooking rice in an Instant Pot is super easy, and so is making this cilantro rice.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 3-4 servings
This absolutely delicious and easy-to-make recipe can be prepared in advance or served hot. Unlike the more robust Mexican green rice, the cilantro lime rice is the ideal light meal. It can pair well with a lot of delicious recipes, making it perfect for any gathering and holiday.
For other free recipes like Spanish rice, you can read our blog.
This lime-cilantro rice recipe would pair nicely with fish tacos or shrimp tacos and would fit in nicely at your taco night. Chicken curry and burrito bowls are also ideal main dishes. You can make the lime-cilantro rice as a base for your Mexican meal or simply serve it as a side dish along with other Mexican food. Slow cooker recipes like stews and pulled pork can also be paired with this great recipe.
If you have any leftover lime cilantro rice, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. If you wish to freeze it, put it in freezer-safe containers and keep it for up to three months. When you’re ready to eat, microwave on high for 2 minutes and stir before serving.
Although both brown and white rice are heavy in carbohydrates, brown rice has less carbs overall and more fiber than white rice. Brown rice has a lower calorie content than white rice per serving. Because white rice is a refined grain, it naturally contains less vitamins and minerals than brown rice. However, most white rice varieties are supplemented with vitamins and minerals, which means the plain rice has been given extra nutrients during processing.
If you prefer a more substantial meal packed with nutrients, you can use brown rice in this cilantro lime rice dish.
Definitely! When using a rice cooker, you can cook the cilantro lime rice the same way you’d cook it in an Instant Pot. A measuring cup comes with every rice cooker, so be sure to use it as you’re adding the rice to the inner pot to ensure you won’t exceed the unit’s capacity. Note, however, that cooking cilantro lime rice in a rice cooker might more or less have the same cooking time as the stovetop method.
As the name suggests, lime is a main ingredient in cilantro lime rice. However, while lime juice is necessary to bring that citrus flavor in the cooked rice, you can use lemon juice instead if the former is unavailable.
If the rice isn’t rinsed, the lime-cilantro rice would have a stickier consistency. Regardless of the long-grain rice variety, you need to rinse it first to remove excess starch. Place the rice in a fine-mesh sieve or rice washer and rinse it under cool water until the water runs clear. Add rice to the pot afterward. Alternatively, you may soak the rice for up to 30 minutes in a big bowl. This step is particularly ideal if you’re using brown rice.
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