Better Than Chipotle's Cilantro Lime Rice (Copycat Recipe) (2024)

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Cilantro lime rice is packed with fresh herbs and zesty flavors. Better than Chipotle’s, because it’s homemade and you get to adjust the flavors. A filling side dish to any Mexican meal (or Tex-Mex) especially in burritos.

Why should you try this rice

1. It’s very easy to upgrade plain steamed rice. This cilantro and lime recipe is a perfect fit and it takes almost the same amount of time to cook as steamed rice.
2. The subtle flavors added to the rice are amazing, it’s fresh, light and so wonderful.
3. A must-have accompaniment for taco nights! It’s great with tacos and burrito bowls.
4. Serves great with any meal, not just Mexican. It’s great with any American and Asian meals too. Think BBQ or roasted meat and lime cilantro rice on the side, or with chicken wings.
5. Very easy and simple to make. It involves little prep work.
6. Get perfectly cooked rice in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

Ingredients notes

1. Long grain rice (basmati rice) – Long grain rice cooks fast and the texture is better for this recipe. However you can use short-grain normal rice too, cooking time may vary for short-grain rice. Check here to learn how to cook rice.
2. Water or chicken stock or vegetable stock – I recommend stock (chicken stock or vegetable stock). Stock enhances the flavors of the rice.
3. Olive oil – use the best quality olive oil for the best taste. You can also use vegetable oil or any other flavorless oil for the recipe.
4. Butter – optional, I highly recommend you don’t skip butter. Butter enriches the taste and texture of rice.
5. Lime juice – use only freshly squeezed lime juice. I wouldn’t recommend bottled lime juice.
6. Lime zest – freshly grated lime zest.
7. Cilantro – feel free to adjust the amount of cilantro you want to use in the rice as per your taste preference. For those who aren’t a cilantro fan, reduce the amount than mentioned. Sorry, I can’t recommend any other alternatives for cilantro, as the recipe is all about cilantro (parsley doesn’t do justice to the rice). And come on cilantro is so flavorful and tasty herb (sorry haters).
8. Pinch of salt (optional)

Step-by-step instructions

Rinse rice: The debate here is whether to rinse or not to rinse rice. I ALWAYS rinse rice. Rinsing by gently scrubbing rice with your fingertips not just removes dirt but also the excess starch. The cloudy water you see when you rinse rice is starch and we want to remove the excess starch which will prevent the rice from becoming gluggy. Rinsing also helps get rid of any dirt. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer or a bowl and rinse it several times. Rinse by scrubbing rice gently with your fingertips.

Step 1: Heat olive oil. Sauté rinsed rice in a heavy bottom saucepan on medium heat. Keep stirring until rice begins to brown. This step will ensure rice is cooked perfectly and also every grain remains separated. Do not brown the rice.

Step 2: Once the rice is sautéed, add the liquid of your choice – water or chicken stock to pack in more flavors. Use a 1:2 rice-to-water ratio. For every 1 cup long grain rice, add 2 cups of liquids. Scrape rice sticking to the side of the pan into the liquid.

Step 3: Simmer stove to medium-low heat and bring water to boil. Pro-tip: it’s important to cook rice at the correct temperatures. If cooked on high heat, water will evaporate very quickly preventing the rice from absorbing the liquids, thus rice won’t get fully cooked. Cook uncovered until the water level drops below the surface of the rice.

Step 4: Reduce heat to low. Cover the pan with a lid (when almost 90% of water is absorbed) and simmer cook for about 12 minutes.

Note: Heat should be at its lowest temperature. Else rice will begin to burn at the bottom. DO NOT Stir the rice in between. Leave it untouched.

Step 5: Once cooked remove the saucepan from heat and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes undisturbed. Do not open the lid. This helps the rice to cook through. Rice absorbs moisture from steam and makes it fluffy and perfect.

Step 6: Open the lid. Add butter, lime juice, cilantro, and lime zest and gently fluff it with a fork or using a silicon spatula. If needed add salt as per taste.

Useful tips

1. Use long-grain rice for best results. I don’t recommend sticky rice types.
2. I suggest you rinse the rice before cooking. This helps remove excess starch and when cooked each grain of rice is separate and perfectly cooked.
3. Use chicken stock (or vegetable stock) to add more flavor to rice instead of water.
4. Sautéing rice first in oil helps bring out flavors from the rice. It also prevents rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Begin with a 1:2 ratio. It works perfectly for me all the time. In case the ratio doesn’t work for you, reduce the water level the next time you cook to 1 ¾ cup instead of 2 cups for every 1 cup long grain rice.
6. Always cook rice on low heat.
7. Allow rice to rest once cooking is done, without opening the lid. Rice will absorb all the moisture from the steam and cook perfectly.
8. Use a heavy bottom saucepan with a glass lid, you can peep into the pan to check the rice without opening the lid repeatedly.

Storage and reheating

Any leftover cilantro lime rice can be stored. Make sure the rice is cooled completely. Then store in airtight containers or air-tight zip lock bags and store in the fridge for about 3 days.

Freeze (longer storage) -freezer rice in air-tight bags for up to 3 months.

Reheat – thaw frozen rice in the fridge for a couple of hours. Then transfer into a microwave-safe bowl and reheat in the microwave for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add a splash of water before reheating if you feel the rice is too dry. This will help rice stay moist even after reheating.

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