Easy Lemon Herb Rice Recipe

If you are looking for a simple but tasty side dish try this easy lemon herb rice recipe. Just add a few extra ingredients will turn plain rice into a super flavorful side dish. Lemon, garlic and herbs flavors along with the yellow color will complement just about any meat main dish.

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We eat rice a lot in my house, mostly because I grew up with it and my family seems to like it as much as I do. Today I made this easy lemon herb rice recipe because I was looking for something to go with breaded chicken to round out the meal.

Sometimes I just get sick of potatoes and pasta and there is so much you can do to rice to dress it up.

This flavorful rice recipe is full of lemon flavor and the added turmeric gives it the beautiful yellow color. The fresh herbs and garlic more layers of flavor to make this an excellent side dish for many chicken, seafood, beef or pork dinners.

Recipe ingredients I used.

You only need a few ingredients to make this lemon rice and they are white long grain rice, chicken broth, fresh garlic, fresh herbs, fresh lemon juice and lemon zest, turmeric, salt and black pepper.

Note if you are vegetarian you can just use vegetable broth instead of chicken. I really like mixing Better than Bouillon bases with water for my broth but regular broth from a can works too.

You can even use just water but these simple additions to the rice are adding the flavor.

As for the turmeric you can skip it if you don’t have any as it just adds the color. The herbs you use in this recipe are totally up to you. I switch them up all the time. Today I used fresh parsley and lemon thyme.

Basically I would recommend using parsley, lemon thyme, chives, basil, tarragon, oregano, cilantro, rosemary or a combination of any of them.

The fresh herbs I used for cooking.

I got a great standing planter for my birthday this year so this is now my herb garden. I keep it conveniently out near the back door and snip a few whenever I need it. I love that you don’t have to bend down to get to the herbs.

Below you can see an aerial view of my herb garden. Next time I will not plant the mint because it takes over everything. But other than that this was an awesome present for some one who loves herbs. I’ll write a post soon about all the things I do with them.

How to make this lemon herb rice recipe.

Step 1: Heat up a medium sized pot to medium heat. Add the olive oil and rice. Mix well and let cook for a minute or so.

Step 2: Pour in the chicken broth, then add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, zest, turmeric, salt and black pepper. Mix well and bring to a boil. (Note if you want even more lemon flavor, add the grated lemon zest at the end when you add the herbs.)

Step 3: Once it comes to a boil, put on the lid and turn down the heat to low heat. Cook rice for 15-20 minutes until the rice is nice and fluffy. (Cooking time may vary depending on your stove.)

Step 4: Once it’s done, add the chopped herbs and mix through to fluff rice and you are ready to serve! Store leftover in an airtight container in the refrigerator. (Please scroll down to view and print the recipe card.)

Note if you were using a rice cooker with this recipe but I find it’s just as easy to make it on the stove. 

What to serve with this rice dish.

This lemony rice side dish recipe will go with just about any type of meaty main dish. I often eat this with my easy breaded chicken recipe. Other main dishes to try this with are:

• parmesan baked tilapia
• Tuscan chicken
• grilled pork kebabs
• shrimp scampi
• bbq salmon
• pork romano

Ways to change this up and additions to try.

You can change the flavor by the herbs you use and other things you can add to the rice to add flavor. Try one of these.

• use chili powder, cumin, cilantro and lime juice and zest in stead of the lemon for Mexican flavors
• use ginger paste, garlic and cilantro for Asian flavors
• try parsley, oregano, lemon and add crumbled feta at the end for Greek flavors
• other things to try are toasted almond or other nuts, dried fruit, cheeses like parmesan and asiago, spices like seasoning blends, toasted seeds like sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, etc.

This is another simple recipe but one that goes with so much and the striking yellow color adds to the look of the plate! Enjoy.