Greek Rice

This Greek rice recipe combines fluffy rice, garlic, lemon, dill, and parsley for a bright Mediterranean side dish that's perfect with chicken, seafood, lamb, and more.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Greek

Keyword Greek Rice, Greek Rice Recipe., How Do I Make Greek Rice Recipe, How to make Greek Rice Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings -6 servings

Calories 425kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base
2 cups long-grain rice, rinsed and drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (2-3 lemons)
zest of 1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons dried dill
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons butter
salt to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat chicken broth (2 cups) to a boil. Add better than bouillon (1 tablespoon) and stir until dissolved; set aside.
Heat olive oil (2 tablespoons) in a pot with a tight-fitting lid, uncovered, over medium-low heat.
Saute onion (1 cup) and garlic (4 cloves), uncovered, until soft and translucent.
Add rice (2 cups) to the pot and continue to saute, stirring constantly, until rice is slightly toasted.
Stir in chicken broth with dissolved better than bouillon, lemon juice (1/2 cup), and black pepper (1/2 teaspoon). Bring to a roiling boil, stir, reduce the heat to low, and cover tightly. Cook until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.
When rice is tender, remove from heat, stir in lemon zest, dried dill (1 1/2 teaspoons), fresh parsley (3 tablespoons), and butter (2 tablespoons) and allow to sit, covered for 10 minutes. Stir again, adjust seasonings as needed. Serve.

Notes

Peas: Peas are a nice addition. Add 1/2 cup to 1 cup. When I add them, I add frozen petite peas straight from the freezer for the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Dill: If you’re not a big fan of dill or if you just don’t have any on hand, you can omit it from the recipe. The rice is, honestly, really delicious with or without it! You can add fresh parsley in place of the dill. Fresh herbs really make this extra delicious.
Mint: Many recipes add fresh or dried mint. I prefer it without, but feel free to add it if you’d like.
Salt: For my taste, the chicken stock adds enough salt to this recipe. Wait until the end of the recipe to taste the finished dish and adjust the salt.
Add Feta cheese: Adding some Feta is just a natural. Add it when you add the lemon zest. The rice will still be hot, so the Feta will melt a bit. If you don’t want the Feta to melt, simply add it when the rice has cooled down or sprinkle it on right before you serve the rice.
Add turmeric powder or saffron. Up that flavor with Greek-inspired spices! Adding turmeric or saffron gives you Mediterranean rice, which is very similar to the famous yellow Greek rice.
Greek Rice Pilaf: If you’d like to convert this recipe to a pilaf, begin by sautéing 1/2 cup to 1 cup of vermicelli in the pot, stirring constantly in 1 tablespoon of olive oil just until it becomes golden brown..When it begins to color, watch it very closely as it can go from beautifully golden to badly burnt in the blink of an eye! You can also add slivered almonds or pine nuts to the pilaf. Then continue on with the recipe as directed, adding more chicken broth to cook the vermicelli through.

Nutrition