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Cilantro lime rice topped with cilantro and lime wedges.

Cilantro Lime Rice

Print Recipe
A savory and flavorful side dish, Cilantro Lime Rice is easy to make either on the stovetop or in the instant pot and pairs well with any of your favorite Mexican entrees from fish tacos to chicken fajitas.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Mexican
Diet Gluten Free, Vegetarian
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 8 (1/2 cup) servings
Calories 219
Author Kim

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter or cooking oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 (3 ounce) can diced green chilies
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups chicken stock or broth (2.5 cups if using instant pot)
  • 2 cups Uncle Ben's parboiled long-grain white rice
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
  • juice of one lime
  • 2 green onions chopped

Instructions

Stovetop directions:

  • In a medium pot over medium high heat, melt butter and add onion. Sauté about 5 minutes and until onion is soft, add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
  • Add green chilies, salt, broth and rice. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook for 18 minutes.
  • Once cooked, remove from heat and uncover. Fluff rice with a fork, and add cilantro, lime juice, and green onion.

Instant pot directions:

  • Push “sauté”, add butter/oil and onion. Cook, stirring until onion is soft, then add garlic and cook for another minute. Add green chilies, salt, 2.5 cups broth, and rice. Seal the lid (make sure steam valve is sealed) and push “cancel” (To get it off the “sauté” function) then cook on manual/high pressure for 3 minutes. Let cook, and when the cooking cycle is complete, let the pressure release naturally (which means, when it’s done and it beeps, don’t twist the pressure valve to vent) for at least ten minutes, then you can release the pressure after ten minutes.
  • Turn the instant pot “off”, remove the lid, and fluff with fork. Add cilantro, squeeze the lime juice in, and green onion and give it a final stir.

Notes

*This recipe makes 4 cups of rice. You can easily cut the recipe in half, if you don't need that much.
**Feel free to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to keep this dish vegan.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5cup | Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 209mg | Potassium: 183mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 155IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1mg