Herb Rice

Our easy herb rice is made with jasmine rice, dried herbs, and broth. It’s flavorful, buttery, and perfect with chicken or fish.

You may also like my coconut jasmine rice and yellow rice.

Why You’ll Love It

This herb rice is buttery, flavorful, and way more exciting than plain white rice. It’s cooked in chicken broth with garlic, onion, and dried herbs with some fresh herbs added just before serving.

The texture is soft and not mushy, and the flavor works with just about everything. It’s one of those easy side dishes that fits right in on a weeknight dinner table or alongside your holiday favorites.

We love pairing it with lighter proteins like our blackened snapper, but it also holds its own next to mashed potatoes and stuffing if you’re planning out a Thanksgiving menu.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Unsalted butter: Adds a lovely flavor and helps toast the rice.
• Jasmine rice: The star of the show. Basmati works if you don’t have jasmine handy.
• Chicken broth: Low-sodium is best so you can control the salt level.
• Garlic powder + onion powder: Common pantry staples for seasoning.
• Dried parsley, chives, and thyme: Herbs to flavor the rice.
• Salt and black pepper: Adjust these to taste.
• Fresh herbs: Optional, but great for a garnish.

How to Make Herb Rice

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the rice, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to lightly toast it.

Pour in the broth. Stir in the garlic powder, onion powder, dried herbs, salt, and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a low boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Take it off the heat. Keep the lid on and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in fresh herbs (if using), and serve warm.

Fresh Herb to Dried Herb Conversion

You can use fresh herbs instead of dried in this rice. Just remember that dried herbs are stronger, so you’ll need to use more if you’re swapping in fresh.

The basic rule is:

1 tablespoon fresh herbs = 1 teaspoon dried herbs

If you’re adding fresh herbs while the rice cooks, toss them in near the end so the flavor doesn’t cook off.

You can also skip adding them during cooking and stir them in right before serving.

Brown Rice vs. White Rice

You can use brown rice for the recipe, but keep these things in mind:

• Brown rice takes longer to cook, usually about 40 to 45 minutes.
• You’ll probably need to adjust the broth amount and cooking time.
• Sometimes the flavor of brown rice can overpower the herbs. You may need to adjust those, too.

How to Season Rice

Rice is one of those blank canvas ingredients that needs a little help to taste great. Here are some ways to make adjustments to add even more flavor to the rice:

• Use stock instead of broth and definitely don’t use water.
• Try using fresh garlic and onion.
• Add fresh herbs in addition for dried herbs.
• Stir in a little butter once the rice is done.
• Add a spritz of lemon juice if serving with fish or chicken.

How to Store Leftovers

Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3 to 4 days.

More Side Dish Recipes

• Southern Tomatoes and Rice
• Mushroom Quinoa