Rice Pilaf · Classic Buttery
Buttery Rice Pilaf
Toasting the rice in butter with onion before simmering it in broth gives every grain a nutty flavor and keeps them fluffy and separate. A side for almost anything.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Easy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups long-grain white rice
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ½ cups chicken broth
- ½ tsp kosher salt, use less if your broth is salty
- ¼ tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
Steps
- Put the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it under cold water, shaking, until the water runs mostly clear. Let it drain well.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic and stir until fragrant.
- Add the drained rice and stir until the grains are coated in butter, look partly see-through at the edges and smell toasty.
- Pour in the broth, add the salt, thyme and bay leaf, and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Turn the heat to low, cover the pan tightly and simmer without lifting the lid.
- Turn off the heat and let the rice rest, still covered, so it finishes steaming.
- Remove the bay leaf, fluff the rice with a fork, stir in the parsley and serve.
Tip: Lifting the lid lets the steam escape and can leave the rice crunchy. Trust the timer.
Tip: Use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian.
Storage: Refrigerate within 2 hours and keep up to 4 days. Reheat with a splash of water, covered, until steaming hot.
Estimated nutrition per serving: 220 calories · protein 4 g · carbohydrates 39 g · fiber <1 g · sugars 1 g · fat 4.5 g (saturated 2.5 g) · sodium 530 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 9 of 9 ingredients.