Green Chile Rice
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Spice up your next Tex-Mex meal with Green Chile Rice! This simple side dish combines long-grain white rice with a puree of sautéed green chiles, onions, and jalapeños for a huge flavor boost. Add this to all your tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and more!
Green Rice
Move over Cilantro Lime Rice! This new side dish has taken over our Mexican meals. For another option, make sure you try the amazing Spanish Rice and Beans and let me know your favorite!
When in doubt, go for a side of Green Rice. It makes an excellent addition to anything Tex-Mex, including my Grilled Chicken Burrito Bowls, these amazing Shredded Beef Enchiladas, and some Blackened Salmon Tacos.
Mexican is my favorite cuisine, and while I will never claim to create the most authentic dishes, I can promise you that they’ll be delicious. We’re lucky to live in a state that has amazing Tex-Mex (yup…Texas!), so I never run out of ideas for creating all the things.
Why This Recipe Works:
- SIMPLE INGREDIENTS – You’ll need just eight simple ingredients plus seasonings and a squeeze of lime juice. We keep these items stocked in our kitchen at all times for a quick weeknight dinner.
- FULL OF AMAZING FLAVOR – The green Chile mixture that includes sautéed veggies and cilantro adds the most delicious flavor and a bit of a kick. WAY better than plain old rice. Try it, you’ll like it!
- AN EXCELLENT SIDE DISH – We’ve got a pretty large variety of Tex-Mex meals and this easy recipe makes the perfect side dish. Don’t forget a tasty margarita too!
- CROWD PLEASER – This easy side dish recipe gets five star reviews from family members. Dare I say it’s as good (or better) than what you’d find at your favorite Mexican restaurant? The perfect rice!
Ingredients Used:
These basic ingredients are easy to find at your local grocery store.
- Olive Oil – Used to sauté the veggies.
- Onion – I almost always use yellow diced onion, but any will work here.
- Jalapeño – The jalapeño adds flavor and spiciness to this rice. If you aren’t a huge fan of heat, remove the seeds and ribs before chopping.
- Garlic – Nothing better than fresh garlic.
- Green Chilies – The key ingredient. I used the *HOT version of canned green chiles. Feel free to tone it down with a mild version.
- Fresh Cilantro – If you aren’t a fan of cilantro, you can leave it out. Thank goodness, I happen to love it!
- Long Grain Rice – We use white uncooked rice for this side.
- Chicken Broth (or chicken stock) – I always keep a lower-sodium chicken broth handy.
- Seasonings – Just kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to make this Green Chile Rice Recipe:
Step 1
Sauté the veggies. In a stock pot or medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Then add the chopped onions and jalapeños, and cook until just softened, approximately 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper – and stir for 30 seconds.
Step 2
Add to food processor. In a food processor, add the sautéed veggies, the green chiles (do not strain), and the cilantro.
Step 3
Puree. Puree the ingredients until everything is very fine. The mixture should be almost liquid.
Step 4
Brown the rice. Place stock pot back on the stove over medium high heat. Add the rice and toast until somewhat browned, approximately 5-6 minutes.
Step 5
Add green puree and the broth. Then add the liquid ingredients to the rice – the green puree from the food processor and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
Step 6
Cook rice. Turn down temperature to a simmer and place the lid on the pan. Cook rice until the liquid is fully absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.
Step 7
Fluff. When rice is done, remove pot and the lid. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then fluff with a fork. Dig in!
Store leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
What to serve with Green Chile Rice:
These are some of our favorite Mexican dishes. There are so many delicious recipes to choose from!
- TACOS – Try some Taco Crunch Wraps, Crispy Black Bean Tacos, or Walking Taco Casserole.
- ENCHILADAS – Pair with Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Red Sauce, Healthy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole, or Skillet Beef Enchiladas.
- OTHER – Make our Crunchy Shrimp Tostadas, Carne Asada Quesadillas, Corn Dip with Cream Cheese, or Creamy Jalapeño Chicken.
Recipe Variations:
- Use a different kind of rice. You can use brown rice here, as long as it is long-grain. You want the kind that requires cooking for awhile to avoid it turning mushy.
- Make it less spicy. Remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeños and use a mild type of green chiles to make this rice less spicy. Or if you love spicy recipes (like me!), add more jalapeño!
- Leave out the cilantro. I know there are some people who dislike cilantro. So if that is you, you can leave it out. But trust me – it adds great flavor.
- Adjust size of batch. If you’re making this for a larger group (like a big fiesta of sorts!), then you can easily adjust the servings in the recipe card below. Want it for just you? Then decrease servings.
How to make this in the instant pot?
If you make this in the instant pot, you’ll have to do a simple math equation.
1. Take two cups and subtract the amount of the green puree. So if the puree is equal to 1 cup, use one cup of chicken broth.
2. Combine rice, puree, and chicken broth in the instant pot. Select pressure cook for one minute.
3. After the one minute of cooking, then do a 10 minute natural release.
4. Remove lid and let the rice sit for 10 minutes.
5. Fluff with a fork.
Recipe FAQs:
While long-grain white rice is recommended, you can experiment with other varieties, including brown rice. However, keep in mind that something different might affect the texture and flavor.
You can control the spice by adjusting the quantity of jalapeños, omitting the seeds and rinds, or opting for mild or hot green chiles based on your preference.
You can prepare the green chile mixture in advance and then finish the rice right before meal time. You can also prep the entire dish and reheat.
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Green Chile Rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 8 oz. green chiles (undrained) – canned
- 1/2 medium onion – chopped
- 1 medium jalapeno – chopped, seeds optional
- 2 cloves garlic – minced
- 1/2 cup cilantro – chopped
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 2 1/4 cups lower sodium chicken broth
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- extra chiles, jalapeno slices, and cilantro – for serving
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. In a stock pot or medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Then add the chopped onions and jalapeños, and cook until just softened, approximately 3 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper – and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add to food processor. In a food processor, add the sautéed veggies, the green chiles (do not strain), and the cilantro.
- Puree. Puree the ingredients until everything is very fine. The mixture should be almost liquid.
- Brown the rice. Place stock pot back on the stove over medium high heat. Add the rice and toast until somewhat browned, approximately 5-6 minutes.
- Add green puree and the broth. Then add the liquid ingredients to the rice – the green puree from the food processor and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Cook rice. Turn down temperature to a simmer and place the lid on the pan. Cook rice until the liquid is fully absorbed, approximately 15 minutes.
- Fluff. When rice is done, remove pot and the lid. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, and then fluff with a fork. Dig in!
Notes
- While long-grain white rice is recommended, you can experiment with other varieties, including brown rice. However, keep in mind that something different might affect the texture and flavor.
- Remove seeds and ribs from the jalapeños and use a mild type of green chiles to make this rice less spicy. Or if you love spicy recipes (like me!), add more jalapeño!
- You can prepare the green chile mixture in advance and then finish the rice right before meal time. You can also prep the entire dish and reheat.
- Store leftover rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
The perfect side dish that tastes amazing!