Cilantro Lime Rice is the perfect compliment to any Southwestern or Mexican dish but my favorite way is to serve it with Grilled Margarita Chicken. It is light, fluffy, and full of flavor.
I shared my favorite recipe for grilled margarita chicken topped with avocado mango salsa with you and it just wouldn’t be complete without my cilantro lime rice! This rice isn’t over-powering but perfectly balances the delicate flavors of cilantro and lime and serves as the perfect compliment to finish off your meal.
I like to make this with many southwestern and Mexican dishes because where regular rice can be kind of boring and blah, this rice is absolutely something to look forward to! My kids love it and although they are definitely messy, I can’t stop them from gobbling it up every time I put a scoop on their plate. It is tender, fluffy and just a tad sticky in the best way!
To make the rice, bring the water, salt, butter and rice to a boil in a good sized pot. Once it is boiling, cover, reduce the heat to simmer, and follow the package instructions for cook time. After about 20 minutes, my rice was done. Uncover the rice and stir in the juice of 1/2 lime and 1/2 cup finely diced cilantro. Stir well and let the flavors set together at least 5 minutes before serving.
Scroll to the bottom for a full printable recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice. You can find the recipe for the Grilled Margarita Chicken here and the Avocado Mango Salsa here.
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Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 Tbsp Butter
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 lime juiced
- 1/2 cup cilantro diced
Instructions
- Bring the water, rice, butter and salt to a boil.
- Cover and reduce heat.
- Follow package directions for cooking time.
- Once done, uncover stir in the lime juice ad cilantro and mix well.
- Allow flavors to set for 5 minutes.
- Serve with grilled margarita chicken
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Seana Turner says
This is a perfect summer side dish, when we can grow the cilantro on the cheap. It just has a little extra “kick” over plain rice. The rest of the dish looks yummy too:) It just feels bright and fresh!
Kimber says
I’ve always wanted to grow cilantro! I hear it is way better fresh from the garden. Right now my hands are too full to keep much else alive though haha