Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect copycat recipe for all Chipotle lovers! With fresh cilantro, bright lime juice, and zesty garlic, you'll want to eat it with everything!
To boiling water, add rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and bay leaf (or leaves). Stir and return to a boil.
Boil uncovered for about 12 minutes, until tender.
Using a fine mesh strainer, drain rice and rinse with hot water. Remove bay leaf as well.
Transfer rice to a large mixing bowl. Add cilantro, lime juice, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt (or salt to taste). Stir to combine.
Serve warm.
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Notes
My favorite (and in my opinion easiest) way to cook rice is right on the stove-top. However, I have included Instant Pot and rice cooker instructions in the post above.
This recipe is naturally vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and dairy free.
If you want to get really fancy and make the rice just like Chipotle, add the lime and lemon juice to a small spray bottle and spray it on while stirring. This keeps it from being to concentrated in any one spot.
Store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.
To freeze, allow rice to cool. Place in a freezer bag. Rice can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat rice after storing or freezing: sprinkle a teaspoon of water over rice to help loosen stuck or dried grains. Reheat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds until rice is hot. OR reheat in a pot over medium heat on the stovetop. Stir constantly, but be careful not to mash them.
If using long grain white or brown rice, rinse before cooking to remove excess starch. To rinse: place rice in a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Run under cool water until the water runs clear.
To substitute long grain white rice: Boil 2 cups water, and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Simmer 1 cup white rice covered on low heat for 15 minutes, until tender. No need to drain or rinse. Then continue to step 4.To substitute brown rice: follow the same directions as for white rice, except adjust the cook time to 40 minutes for brown basmati rice and 45 minutes for long grain brown rice. This will also yield more servings that white long grain or basmati. 1 cup brown rice will yield about eight ½-cup servings.Nutrition facts are for one (1) ½-cup serving.