Cilantro Mexican Rice

A wonderful and flavorful rice dish, Cilantro Mexican Rice is perfect for a summer barbecue. Not your typical Mexican rice, this one is filled with flavors of pepper and garlic and cilantro!

Course Pasta, Potatoes, Rice & Grains

Cuisine American, Mexican

Keyword cilantro, rice, serrano, side dish

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 25

Total Time 40

Servings Servings

Calories 364kcal

Author Barb

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1 ¼ cups packed coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
⅔ cup olive oil
5 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic peeled
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Serrano chile seeded, minced

For the Rice

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large white onion chopped
4 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon Serrano chile seeded, minced
2 cups white rice long-grain
3 ¼ cups chicken broth
¾ teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place all dressing ingredients into food processor and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add onion, garlic, and Serrano chile and sauté until the onion is translucent, 7-9 minutes.
Add rice and stir 2 minutes.
Mix in broth and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until rice is just tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
Transfer rice to bowl; cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally, about 1/2 hour.
Add Cilantro Dressing to rice and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead; let stand at room temperature.)

Notes

When I originally made this dish I used a cup of olive oil but too often that has meant having some oil at the bottom of the serving bowl so I've cut it down...if you feel your dish could use a bit more, drizzle it as needed after adding the dressing.

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