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Cilantro lime rice is a total staple at my house. I love to serve it alongside tacos or inside of burritos.
I mentioned last week that I have a bit of a thing for Mexican food. I wasn’t lying. I love it. I love cooking it and I love eating it and I love thinking about it.
I also love going to Chipotle, but the closest one to me is a good 45 minutes away. I don’t cry about it too much though. I just recreate my favorite dishes from there at home. Take, for example, this cilantro lime rice. It’s a Chipotle favorite of mine.
Or how about Qdoba?? Have you been to Qdoba? Their rice is good too.
Anyway, this rice is perfect served as a side with tacos, but it’s really good served inside the taco. Or inside the burrito. Or in a burrito bowl. Or on chocolate cake. Wait. What?
Just making sure you were paying attention.
Anyway, if you’re looking for a side dish for Mexican food, I think you’ll enjoy this lime cilantro rice. It’s super easy to prepare and it’s always a hit!
Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra long grain white rice
- 2 cups water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lime
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or more, to taste
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Pour the rice, water, and 1 tbsp of the olive oil into a small sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil and continue boiling over medium heat until the water just skims the top of the rice.
- Reduce heat to low, cover the pan, and continue cooking for 15 minutes.
- Turn the heat off after 15 minutes and keep covered for 5 more minutes.
- Remove lid and transfer the rice to a large bowl. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the juice of the lime, and the finely chopped cilantro to the rice.
- Mix well and salt to taste.
mary says
^ i make the rice plain in the rice cooker, let it sit for five minutes then add a small pat of butter, chopped cilantro and lime juice with a pinch of salt. comes out just like chipotle!!
Pat Campbell says
Do you think you could make this in a rice cooker?
Barbara says
Well, the rice probably would be OK with chocolate, but cilantro? LOL
Great photo!!
megan says
your picture is beautiful! And the rice sounds incredible. like everyone else who commented, my husband and I LOVE chipotle. i’ll be making this!
Talita says
I’ve never heard about this dish. I also never tried Mexican food. But looks great I’d love to try it.
Your blog is amazing! I read all the posts and copied many recipes that I’m crazy to bake.
Alanna says
oh nom, nom, nom!
Simone (junglefrog) says
The rice sounds perfect to me and hey, maybe you should just try it inside a chocolate cake…lol
shelly (cookies and cups) says
haha! never been to chipotle, but I really want to..there are none near me, so it’s off my radar. this rice sounds yuummmm!! I love all food mexican too, it’s my thing 😉
grace says
i LOVE chipotle. i do not, however, love rice. i’m not sure why it bothers me so, but it does. i will say, though, that if i were ever going to love it, it would contain cilantro and lime. 🙂
the wicked noodle says
I adore Chipotle, we just ate there yesterday in fact 😉 Thanks for this yummy recipe!
Memoria says
What a beautiful bowl of rice! I love the cilantro lime rice at Chipotle, too. Thanks for a great recipe.
amy2boys says
And also, why is it so hard? It’s FOOD. It doesn’t like, move or anything. But getting good pictures takes talent.
amy2boys says
This picture is gorgeous – pretty rice! Food photography is so freaking hard and you are great at it.
Stephanie says
Um, I think my husband is in love you now. He is OBSESSED with everything Chipotle! Thanks for the recipe!
katie says
I made cilantro lime rice last week too! I like mine mixed into chipotle chicken salad, yum. Sadly I lost my photos. Luckily that means I get to make some more!