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+ servings
2 wooden bowls of lemon pepper r
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5 from 6 votes

Lemon Pepper Rice

Lemon PepperRice is a fresh, easy, less than 30-minute, Greek side dish tossed with garbanzo beans (chickpeas), parsley, bright lemon zest and pairs perfectly with our Mediterranean chicken kabobs.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Rest Time10 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: Sides
Cuisine: Greek
Servings: 8
Calories: 278kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

  • rice colander
  • medium pot with tight fitting lid
  • rice paddle or wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 2 cups jasmine rice long grain white rice
  • 3 cups broth chicken or vegetable (gluten-free if needed)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ cup onion (approximately ½ small onion) peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic
    peeled and minced (or 1 teaspoon dried ground garlic)
  • salt and pepper
    to taste. We like to use LOTS of fresh ground pepper to give this recipe a little kick.
  • 1.5 tablespoons lemon zest
  • 15 oz garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
  • 2 tablespoons parsley garnish, finely chopped - optional

Instructions

  • Place jasmine long grained white rice in a rice colander or a pan and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Drain well and set aside.
  • Place a medium pot on the stove burner and set to medium low heat. Add in olive oil and onions and garlic and sauté just until aromatic.
  • Add the rice to the pot and mix well so that each grain of rice is covered in the oil.
  • Next, add either chicken or vegetable broth to the pot and stir. Once you see a couple of small bubbles, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and turn burner down to simmer. Steam rice at a simmer for 12 minutes. Do not take the lid off the pot. No peeking as you will let all the steam out. The steam is cooking the rice.
    At this point the rice should be cooked and no broth should be remaining in the pot. (If you still have broth left in the pot, maybe your heat was not high enough and you need to cook a little bit longer. If your rice is dry but still not cooked, your heat may have been too high. No worries just add a couple of tablespoon of water and cook for a couple of minutes longer.)
    Remove the pot from the burner and keep the lid on and leave it rest for 10 minutes.
  • Add garbanzo beans (chickpeas), lemon zest, salt and pepper to taste and parsley and stir well.
  • Serve Lemon Pepper Rice while hot. Garnish with parsley and fresh lemon slices. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

There are 4 really important rules to make the BEST Lemon Pepper Rice pilaf.
  1. Rinse the rice under cold water until it's clear. The white powder residue on the rice is starch. This starch can make the rice stick together. A rice colander is great for any kitchen. Place the rice in the colander in the kitchen sink and use your fingers to mix the rice until the water runs clear. Alternatively, you can rinse your rice in any pot or large bowl. Drain the water out carefully with the lid to capture any escaped rice. Be careful! Raw rice and plumbing do not go well together. In addition, don’t put rice in the garbage disposal as this can harm it. 
  2. Coat the rice well in the olive oil before adding the broth. This procedure keeps the rice separated and gives the lemon pepper rice a delicious toasted nutty flavor. We used the same technique on our Creamy Parmesan Risotto with Saffron.
  3. Make sure you have a tight-fitting lid without any vent holes to steam the rice. Now, don’t you be peeking whilst the rice is steaming. If you open the lid, you let all the steam out.
  4. Jasmine long grain rice to broth/water ratio is 1 cup of rice to 1.5 cups of broth/water. After you add the broth to the rice, put on the lid, bring to a very light boil and then simmer gently for 12 minutes. Do not peek. Then, remove from heat and let it rest for 10 minutes with the lid on before fluffing with a fork or rice paddle.
To keep this lemon rice recipe vegan, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Use gluten free broth if celiac. 
If you are using brown rice, basmati rice or short grain rice, be sure to follow the specific water to rice ratios on the package. Directions for this recipe are for using jasmine long grain white rice. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 278kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 218mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 287IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg