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A close-up of a bowl of cooked rice garnished with fresh parsley, served in a red and white dish. The rice appears fluffy and lightly seasoned.
Melissa Jo

Lemon Rice

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Lemon Rice is a cozy main course made with long grain rice, better than bouillon chicken base, and juice of 1/2 a lemon—simple and delicious.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 38 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup of long grain rice washed thoroughly
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3/4 tbsp. of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base
  • juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 1/4 tsp of lemon zest more lemon zest for garnish
  • 1/2 tbsp. of lemon pepper seasoning https://amzn.to/3fCLFqb
  • 1 yellow onion chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic minced
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • Fats: 1 tbsp. of vegetable oil and 1 tbsp. of butter

Method
 

  1. soak the rice in water; place in a bowl and cover completely with water. Then, rinse the rice 3-5 times and pour out the water. I use a strainer/colander over a bowl when doing this.
  2. at medium heat add the oil and butter to the pan
  3. sauté the onion until it's translucent (add salt & pepper)
  4. add the garlic and sauté a couple more minutes (DO NOT BURN the garlic)
  5. add the rice and sauté about 5 minutes at medium heat
  6. add the Better than Bouillon chicken base and sauté for about 1-2 minutes
  7. add the lemon pepper seasoning; sauté another minute or so
  8. add the lemon juice and a 1/4 tsp of lemon zest
  9. add 2 cups of water to the pan (or chicken stock if you do not have Better than Bouillon)
  10. crank up the heat to high and bring to a boil
  11. check the juice in the pan and taste it for proper seasoning (if it needs a little more of anything add it now)
  12. cover the pot/pan with a tight fitting lid and reduce the heat to low
  13. cook covered at low for about 20-25 minutes
  14. remove lid and let the rice sit in pan with heat turned off for about 5-10 minutes
  15. Then, fluff up the rice with a fork and add to serving dish
  16. garnish with lemon zest and a little parsley
  17. ENJOY THE best lemon rice EVER!

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Notes

  • Rice: I used long grain rice, but you can use medium or jasmine rice.

  • Wash the Rice:

    In order for the rice to come out beautiful and fluffy, not sticky and goopy you will have to soak and rinse your rice several times.
    • Add the rice to a bowl. Let it soak for 10-15 minutes. Then rinse and drain the rice a few times. I do this about 3-5 times. Don't skip this step!

  • Lemon: I used the juice of half a lemon and I zested half the lemon. Use about 1/4 tsp of lemon zest in the rice, the rest of the zest can be used for garnish.

  • Better Than Bouillon:

    Bouillon base is amazing in this dish, however if you can't find it you can substitute chicken stock in place of the water.

  • Cookware: Make sure you have a pot or pan with a tight fitting lid. Here is what I use: https://amzn.to/3yrZbFG

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