Lemon Rice

Lemon rice is an exotic way to dress up rice that infuses big fragrant flavors and aromas to create a tasty side dish.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Lemon Rice Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 320kcal

In a medium saucepan, on medium-high heat, add the unsalted butter and allow it to melt before adding the jasmine rice. Gently toss the rice in the melted butter and allow the rice to lightly toast for 1 to 2 minutes. You are not looking to brown the rice.
To the saucepan, add the low-sodium chicken broth, freshly squeezed lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme leaves, salt, and black pepper. Bring the rice and chicken broth to a boil, stirring as needed to prevent the rice from clumping.
Once the chicken broth comes to a boil, cover the saucepan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer the lemon rice for 20 to 22 minutes, without opening the lid during that time, until all the liquids have been absorbed by the jasmine rice.
Remove the saucepan from the heat, and gently fluff the cooked rice with a fork.
Garnish the lemon rice with an additional sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves.

If you use full-sodium chicken broth, you may want to omit the added salt. I like using low-sodium and adding my own salt because some brands are much saltier than others.
Keep an eye when toasting the rice as you don’t want to brown it too much, or it will alter the flavor of this dish.
Be sure to rinse your lemons under cool water to remove any film on the lemon skin before zesting them. You will also want to zest your lemons before squeezing them for the juice. It is very tricky to zest an already squeezed lemon.