Mexican Rice is probably one of the most important side dishes you need to master if you make a lot of Mexican food (along with refried beans). But if you already eat a lot of Mexican food you already know that.
While not terribly difficult to make, there is a technique to get the rice just right. I’ve experimented with many different variations of ingredients (with many fails) and this combination seems to work the best.
Just make sure you don’t burn the rice while browning it. Just remember to use long grain rice to get the proper texture. Short Grain rice will yield very sticky rice.
While Mexican Rice is often used as a side with many Mexican dishes, it is also often used when making burritos. I love a good chicken burrito stuffed with Mexican rice, sour cream and some pico de gallo. Yummy!
An alternative to using chicken broth is Better Than Bouillon. I often use it when I don’t have broth on hand.
Recipe Variation
You can add a few finely diced jalapenos to the tomato mixture for those of you who want a little kick.
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Gather your Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this Mexican Rice recipe. For ingredient amounts please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Yellow Onion – white onion also works well
- Tomato Sauce
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth – you can use full sodium but reduce the amount of additional salt you add to the rice
- Garlic Clove
- Salt – a must for most recipes
- Ground Black Pepper – Freshly Ground as much as possible
- Ground Cumin – Brings a warm, earthy, and slightly nutty flavor to this recipe
- Canola Oil – you can also use vegetable oil
- Long Grain Rice
- Fresh Cilantro – Also optional as I know many people can’t stand the taste of cilantro
How to Make Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
- Cut onion into quarters and puree using a food processor. Place the tomato sauce, onion puree, chicken broth, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Heat oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add rice and cook until golden brown.
- Once the rice is golden brown, add the tomato mixture and stir well. Cover the pan and let simmer for 40 minutes stirring once at the 20-minute mark.
- Once the rice is cooked and there is no liquid left, add cilantro and fluff before serving.
Printable Recipe Card
Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice
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Ingredients
- ½ Yellow Onion
- 2 Cups Tomato Sauce
- 2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 Garlic Clove, Minced
- 1 Tsp Salt
- â…› Tsp Ground Black Pepper
- â…› Tsp Ground Cumin
- 2 Tbsp Canola Oil
- 2 Cups Long Grain Rice
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Cut onion into quarters and puree using a food processor. Place the tomato sauce, onion puree, chicken broth, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Heat oil in large frying pan on medium heat. Add rice and cook until golden brown.
- Once rice is golden brown, add tomato mixture and stir well. Cover pan and let simmer for 40 minutes stirring once at the 20 minute mark.
- Once rice is cooked and there is no liquid left, add cilantro and fluff before serving.
Notes
This Restaurant Style Mexican Rice is very tasty. The chicken broth gives it that extra flavour that makes it tasty. A recipe to keep.