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Cilantro lime rice is an incredibly versatile and outrageously delicious side dish to have in your kitchen repertoire. It tastes exactly like Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice recipe and it’s super easy to make at home!
Raise your hand if Chipotle is a dangerous experience for you? Are you with me??
Sometimes there’s nothing that makes my week better than a quick random email from my friend Joan around 11:30, when I’m already starving for lunch and counting the minutes until noon, that asks if I’m free for lunch. Chipotle is usually our go-to since it’s quick and central to both of our offices. And it always always always hits the spot.
I’ve made my own burrito bowls at home over the past couple of years, sometimes with rice and others with quinoa, but I always feel like the rice gets a little lost. And if I’m going to eat rice, I really do want to taste it!
Enter this cilantro lime rice. It’s a recipe that’s been kicking around my consciousness for years and with it sounding exactly like the Chipotle cilantro lime rice recipe, I finally put it to good use a couple weeks ago with our most recent round of bowls. And honestly, it was the first thing Kyle commented on after he dug into his bowl.
How to Make Cilantro Lime Rice
We both loved it equally though; he was just the first one with the fork in his mouth. Ha! With just enough tang from the lime juice and freshness from the cilantro, this cilantro lime rice is definitely the way to go for any Tex-Mex meal.
It’s so easy to make too! First, you’ll make the rice according to the package instructions.
While the rice is cooking, you’ll blend fresh cilantro leaves, fresh garlic, chicken broth, lime juice, and olive oil in a food processor until everything is smooth.
Once the rice has finished cooking, you’ll fluff it with a fork and mix in the cilantro-lime mixture. Serve it up with some extra cilantro sprinkled on top for an extra punch of flavor!
More Ways to Use this Rice
If burrito bowls aren’t your thing, that’s totally fine! This cilantro lime rice recipe would also be great served with shredded taco chicken and refried black beans, the best chicken enchiladas ever, or inside a burrito. Or maybe underneath a bed of chicken tikka masala, warm and cozy chili con carne, this Indian butter chicken, or the classic baked eggs in tomato sauce dish: shakshuka!
If you want to make this rice with tacos, my favorite recipes are these healthy turkey tacos, these crispy baked fish tacos, and the ultimate beefy brisket tacos. However, you basically can’t go wrong with any kind of taco with this rice!
Cilantro Lime Rice
Yield: 3 cups of rice
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Inactive Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
Cilantro lime rice is a super easy and incredibly versatile recipe to make at home. It tastes exactly like Chipolte's cilantro lime rice recipe and it's a fantastic way to boost your side dish game for tacos and enchiladas, or as a base for chili, tikka masala, or shakshuka.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long grain rice (see note below)
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth (or water), divided
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, chopped
Instructions
- Combine the rice, 2 cups broth, and salt in a small saucepan. Bring the broth to a boil, stir once then turn the heat to low, cover the pot and cook according to package directions. (White rice will take about 15 minutes; brown rice will take about 40 minutes.)
- Towards the end of the cooking time, add the remaining 2 tablespoons broth, cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and garlic to the bowl of a food processor (with the steel blade) and pulse the ingredients until well blended.
- When the rice has finished cooking, fluff it up with a fork then stir the cilantro-lime mixture into the rice until well-combined. Serve the rice hot.
Notes
I used brown rice in this recipe since we very rarely eat white rice. It takes about 40 minutes to cook but since it's a healthier option to white rice, I don't mind the extra time it takes.
adapted from Everyday Food, April 2008 via Annie's Eats
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FAQs
Every morning, we make our cilantro-lime white rice from scratch in each of our restaurants. We steam it with bay leaves to impart their herbal fragrance, then season it with lime and lemon juices and toss it with cilantro for its fresh, slightly tart flavor.
What is a substitute for cilantro in cilantro-lime rice? ›
Best Cilantro Substitutes
- Parsley. This bright green leaf likely already has a permanent home in your fridge – maybe even right next to the cilantro. ...
- Oregano. Oregano, especially when fresh instead of chopped and dried, is herbaceous and peppery with a pungent scent. ...
- Dried Cilantro Or Other Dried Herbs. ...
- Lemon Or Lime Juice.
Every morning in each of our restaurants, we make our cilantro-lime brown rice from scratch. We simmer the whole-grain rice with bay leaves to add savory flavors, then season it with lemon and lime juices and toss it with cilantro for a slightly tart, fresh taste.
What oil does Chipotle use in their rice? ›
Rice bran oil is our primary cooking oil at Chipotle.
Why is Chipotle's rice so good? ›
After the rice is cooked, it's tossed in the smallest amount of olive oil to keep the grains separated (according to their website, Chipotle uses rice bran oil, although it's much more likely you have olive oil in your pantry). There's also the balance that's found in tossing the rice in both lime and lemon juice.
What is cilantro lime seasoning? ›
Fresh, crisp cilantro and bright lime flavors, plus onion and garlic. Perfect for seasoning rice or creating a quick and easy chimichurri sauce to use on meat, seafood, and vegetables.
What spice is closest to cilantro? ›
Coriander is great in recipes that use cilantro, but if you're looking for a replacement for the cilantro flavor, you're better off using parsley or basil.
What spice is the same as cilantro? ›
Both cilantro and coriander come from the Coriandrum sativum plant. In the US, cilantro is the name for the plant's leaves and stem, while coriander is the name for its dried seeds. Internationally, the leaves and stems are called coriander, while its dried seeds are called coriander seeds.
What leaf is in Chipotle rice? ›
We use bay leaves to add a subtle depth of flavor to dishes like our beans, rice, Barbacoa, and Carnitas. We remove the leaves from our rice before serving, though we've been known to miss one here and there.
What kind of lettuce does Chipotle use? ›
Your choice of meat or sofritas served with our fresh supergreens lettuce blend made of Romaine, Baby Kale, and Baby Spinach.
The shredded white cheese that Chipotle uses is commonly known as Monterey Jack. It is a semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk that melts well when exposed to heat. Chipotle's Monterey Jack cheese is used to make quesadillas and queso dip, and it's happily added to any menu item when asked.
What rice is healthiest at Chipotle? ›
Choose your rice
The brown rice contains less sodium and more fiber than the white rice. If you did choose the burrito or tacos, you might want to skip the rice (210 calories) altogether since you're getting your grains in your shell. That said, white rice can also be a healthy choice if that's what you prefer.
What cut of steak is used at Chipotle? ›
Our steak, meanwhile, comes from all over: bottom rounds, top rounds, eye of rounds, inside round, outside round, sirloin, knuckle, ball tip, and sirloin top. You get the picture. Lots of rounds. These cuts hold up to the heat of the grill, giving each bite a nicely charred outside and a perfect medium-rare inside.
How much rice per person? ›
How much rice do you need per person? It depends on the recipe really, whether it is a side dish or part of a dish with lots of other ingredients such as paella. As a general guide we recommend 50-75g of uncooked rice per person.
What are the green leaves in Chipotle rice? ›
We use bay leaves to add a subtle depth of flavor to dishes like our beans, rice, Barbacoa, and Carnitas. We remove the leaves from our rice before serving, though we've been known to miss one here and there.
Is Chipotle rice Vegetarian? ›
VEGAN & VEGETARIAN OPTIONS
Our Sofritas is vegan and vegetarian approved. Vegans should avoid our meats, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, queso, sour cream, and chipotle-honey vinaigrette. Our tortillas, vegetables, rice, beans, salsas, chips and guacamole, are vegetarian and vegan.
Does Chipotle rice have MSG? ›
In addition to being Non-GMO Project Verified and free of MSG, Mahatma® Ready To Serve Chipotle Rice is also vegetarian and vegan.
What does Chipotle put in the bowl? ›
What is in a burrito bowl at Chipotle? Cilantro lime rice, pinto beans, grilled chicken, charred corn, pico de gallo, guacamole, and shredded cheese.
