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This bright Lemon Rice is the perfect addition to any meal. It’s quick and delicious and always a crowd pleaser.
This easy Lemon Rice is the perfect addition to any meal. It can be served under any meat including Lemon Pepper Chicken, steak, Lemon & Thyme Smothered Pork Chops or fish or as a side with any dinner. It’s quick and delicious!
Easy Lemon Rice
We make this lemon rice ALL the time. It literally goes with everything. Chicken, steak, pork, fish, you name it (thinking it would be perfect with our Creamy Swiss Chicken Bake, Fried Pork Chops or Smothered Pork Chops)! It’s my favorite go-to rice recipe when I can’t think of a side dish to go with my dinner. The lemon flavor makes it SUPER delicious and refreshing. It’s also perfect for big dinner gatherings- everyone loves it. The flavor of this rice is nothing crazy but also isn’t totally plain, which makes its go great with so many meals.
There is lemon juice, lemon pepper seasoning, and lemon zest in this recipe. All of those mixed with some butter and chicken broth make one tasty side dish. Make it alongside any dinner recipe because it only takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
You’ve got to give this zesty lemon rice recipe a try. Print it out and file it in with your other recipes so you always have it on hand. It will probably become one of your favorite side dishes to make. Easy, yummy, and pairs with everything- a perfect recipe!!
How to Make Lemon Rice
This recipe is SO easy!
COMBINE. Put all the ingredients (except the lemon pepper) into saucepan and mix around to combine.
SIMMER. Cook on high heat until it begins to boil. Then turn the heat down a bit, cover with a lid, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. This will be about 20 minutes, give or take.
SERVE! After all the liquid is absorbed, transfer the rice to a serving dish and sprinkle with the lemon pepper.
I told you it was so simple!! I like to serve mine with a few slices of lemon for garnish and color.
Tips + Storing Info
Use a small or medium sized lemon, a medium sized lemon makes about a tablespoon of zest.
A Meyer lemon is sweeter than a normal lemon, so if you want that type of flavor go ahead and find a few Meyer lemons, otherwise a typical lemon will work just fine.
Use brown rice, low sodium chicken broth, and a healthier alternative to butter.
If your rice is crunchy then you probably cooked it too quickly and the liquid evaporated, rather than being soaked up by the rice. Add more liquid and cook it for a little bit longer on low while keeping it covered. Hopefully this can revive your rice! If not, the next time I recommend taking more time to cook it on low to prevent the rice not gaining enough moisture.
STORE rice in an airtight container, it should last 4-6 days in the fridge.
A lot of the time REHEATED rice becomes dry and not as appealing as fresh rice. I would suggest sprinkling a little bit of water on top of the rice before reheating so that it keeps some of its moisture. Microwave for 1-2 minutes.
For more rice recipes, check out:
- Spanish Rice
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Homemade Fried Rice
- Cheesy Chicken Rice
- Sour Cream Rice
- Coconut Rice
Lemon Rice recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 tsp butter
- 1 cup long grain rice uncooked
- 1/4 tsp dried basil
- 1/8-1/4 tsp lemon zest
- 1 1/4 tsp lemon pepper seasonings
Instructions
- In a saucepan on high heat, add all ingredients, except lemon pepper, and stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
- Sprinkle with lemon pepper before serving.
Notes
- DIFFICULTY: easy
- HOW MANY DOES IT FEED: 4
- ANY CHANGES MADE: none
- ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR NEXT TIME: none
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe from Genius Kitchen.
The Bright lemOn flavor is great to pair with a heavier protein. Makes the overall meal seem lighter.
The Flavor of this rice is delicious! It makes the perfect side dish or added to an Entree, is amazing too!
I love how light & lemony this is! It’s definitely better than normal white rice.
You will love this simply made rice with a hint of lemon!
Love lemon rice. The taste isn’t too powerful, it’s just enough & it’s great with so many main dishes!
This was a good rice. I paired it with lemon chicken.fluffy with a hint of lemon.
Sounds perfect! Thank you so much for letting me know 🙂