My Favorite Green Rice

Name: My Favorite Green Rice
Cook time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 cups white rice (or jasmine white rice); 2 poblano chiles (seeded and cut into chunks); 1/2 cup water (plus 2 tablespoons more if needed); 2/3 cup cilantro leaves; 2 garlic cloves; 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt; 2 1/2-3 cups homemade chicken broth (or store bought); 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 1/3 cup coarsely chopped white onion; 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice (or more to taste); 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco (Cotija, farmer cheese, or mild feta (optional))

Arroz Verde

Recipe Yield

6 to 8 servings

Cooking time

25 minutes

Rate this recipe

4.17 from 6 votes

Ingredients

2 cups white rice or jasmine white rice
2 poblano chiles seeded and cut into chunks
1/2 cup water plus 2 tablespoons more if needed
2/3 cup cilantro leaves
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt
2 1/2-3 cups homemade chicken broth or store bought
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup coarsely chopped white onion
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice or more to taste
1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco Cotija, farmer cheese, or mild feta (optional)

To Prepare

Soak the rice in a bowl of hot water to cover for about 5 minutes. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold water until the water runs clear; drain well.
In a blender or food processor, puree the chiles with the 1/2 cup water, cilantro, garlic, and salt until smooth. Pass the puree through a ﬁne sieve into a large liquid measuring cup; note the amount and set aside. Pour enough of the chicken broth into another liquid measuring cup to make 4 cups liquid total—you want to keep the two liquids separate, since you will add the puree ﬁrst.
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the rice and cook, stirring often, until the color changes to a milky white, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and sauté until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour in the poblano puree and cook until it darkens, thickens, and has mostly been absorbed by the rice, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and lime juice, bring to a rolling boil, cover, and reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting. Cook until most of the liquid has been absorbed but there is still some moisture in the pan, about 15 minutes. The rice should be cooked and tender; if it is not but all the liquid has been absorbed, add 2 tablespoons water, cover again, and cook for a couple more minutes. Let the rice rest, covered, for at least 5 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork and serve with the crumbled cheese on top, if using.

Comments

45comments inMy Favorite Green Rice

Peter Morelli

Apr 05

Have you ever scaled this up for a crowd? 20-30 people? Any tips on how to cook that, if it’s different?

Thanks!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Apr 10
  
  Just always be very careful with your measurements and try to stick to very close to 2 cups of liquid for every cup of rice Peter 🙂
  
  1. Anonymous
    
    Apr 13
    
    Thanks.
    
Charlene

Sep 16

After I rinse the rice it says cook rice in oil…do I cook the raw rice. or do I cook the rice before frying in

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 20
  
  You fry the raw rice and then it cooks when you add the liquids Charlene 🙂
  
Sarahanne

Jul 10

If I would like to make this for a vegetarian friend of mine, what would you recommend substituting the chicken broth with, besides for boring plain water?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 05
  
  Veggie broth would be your best bet Sarahanne 😉
  
Rosa Lopez

Jun 04

Hola Pati,
What main dish would this go nicely with? I was thinking Molé.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 25
  
  Absolutely! Any mole would be great Rosa, check out this collection of recipes I have 🙂 https://patijinich.com/collection/moles-from-all-around-mexico/
  
Angelina

Nov 01

Thank you Pati for the recipe! It was delicious and made the whole house smell amazing!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Nov 02
  
  So happy to hear Angelina, un abrazo!
  
Stephan Adams

Sep 29

I can’t wait to try this recipe. I really enjoy you, your program and your enthusiasm! Thank you.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Oct 11
  
  My pleasure Stephan, un abrazo!
  
Jennifer

Sep 19

I’m going to try this in my instapot a ver como me sale. I never get rice right on the stove. This looks amazing and I love poblano peppers!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 26
  
  Great idea Jennifer, cuentame como te salio 🙂
  
Quiqui

Jul 29

Pati,
For this particular recipe, do the poblanos need to be charred and peeled?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 09
  
  Not for this recipe Quiqui, but to be honest, charring them first always adds tons of flavor 😉
  
Katie C.

Sep 25

I just made this recipe (half recipe, because I’m just cooking for two of us) and it is ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!! Pati, I love your recipes, and I REALLY love your zest for life! However, I didn’t quite understand if I was supposed to use the liquid that I drained from the puree. Here is what your recipe, above, says: “In a blender or food processor, puree the chiles with the 1/2 cup water, cilantro, garlic, and salt until smooth. Pass the puree through a ﬁne sieve into a large liquid measuring cup; note the amount and set aside. Pour enough of the chicken broth into another liquid measuring cup to make 4 cups liquid total—you want to keep the two liquids separate, since you will add the puree ﬁrst.” Note the amount of WHAT — the puree or the drained liquid? I added the puree when you said, but then since I knew I had 1/3 cup of reserved liquid from the puree, I added that along with 1-2/3 cups chicken stock (and the lime juice) later on. (Don’t forget, I did a half recipe.) Is that what you meant, or did I goof up? Either way, it really is a wonderful recipe! Delicioso!!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Oct 05
  
  I am sorry it sounds confusing Katie, you note the amount of what goes in the measuring cup, which is actually both puree and liquid, right? The secret to the perfect fluffy rice is to have 2 cups liquid per cup of rice, so you did perfect in your measurements 🙂
  
Kathy Gonzalez

Sep 22

I made this recipe last week. We loved it. Today I wasn’t feeling well and didn’t feel like cooking. I found the leftover rice and warmed it in the microwave, added some pineapple tidbits, coconut milk, a spoonful of sugar and a dash of salt. OMG, the perfect light dinner for my poor body. It tasted so good! Thank you for two meals for two people with this recipe.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Oct 05
  
  So glad you loved this rice and that the left overs felt so comforting Kathy, un abrazo and hope you are feeling better!
  
Terri R.

Aug 21

Pati, this rice is delicious! Damn it’s so good!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Sep 12
  
  SO very happy you liked it Terri, it is one of my all time favorites!
  
Debbie

Aug 17

You make this look so good and easy to prepare. I love watching you cook and wish I could travel to Mexico with you as the tour guide.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 17
  
  Thanks so much Debbie, you are very kind 😉
  
BrigitteCox

Aug 08

please tell me how to make a mild. slightly sweet tomatillo salsa usually served with sweet corn tamales…thank you

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 15
  
  Hello Brigitte, here is the basic salsa verde I use when I make tamales http://patijinich.com/salsa-verde/ and this is the full tamales recipe in case you want to give it a try, enjoy! http://patijinich.com/chicken-in-green-salsa-tamal/
  
Elena Duarte- Ladymom157@yahoo.com

Aug 06

Gracias Patis por la recetas. La voy hacer los incredientes son facil. Tambien se me hace facil poder ver otra recetas tuya. Eres muy amable lo agradesco. Espero que disfrute tus vacaciones en Peru con tu familia. Cuidate abrazo

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 15
  
  Muchas gracias a ti Elena, ojala que te guste el arroz. Un abrazo de regreso 🙂
  
Rosie Z

Aug 02

I made this tonight and it was so delicious. Followed the recipe almost exactly. For me the overwhelming taste was cilantro (I used the amount packed, perhaps this is why). Next time I wonder what I can do to make the poblano flavor come through more. Even so, it was amazing.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 15
  
  So glad you liked it Rosie, next time just add less cilantro to your taste 😉
  
Santos Chavez

Aug 02

patti’s mexican rice pudding

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 15
  
  Here is the recipe for you Santos, enjoy 🙂 http://patijinich.com/mexican-style-rice-pudding/
  
Irene

Jul 31

This dish looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 14
  
  Thanks Irene, hope you liked it 🙂
  
Lupita Paul Martinez

Jul 31

Gracias por la receta del arroz verde. La voy hacer pronto. Saludos 🤗

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 14
  
  Gracias a ti Lupita, ojala que te guste 🙂
  
Vicky Ramirez

Jul 31

Paty con que otro chile se puede sustituir
El chile poblano ?
Me encantan tus recetas.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 14
  
  Hola Vicky! Puedes usar Anaheims, tambien queda muy bueno este arroz. Saludos 🙂
  
Angela G.

Jul 31

This sounds awesome, can’t wait to try it! Thanks!

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 14
  
  Gracias Angela! I hope you will like it 😉
  
Carolyn B

Jul 31

Can you substitute parsley for the cilantro?

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 11
  
  Yes Carolyn, you can do it if cilantro is really not your favorite; parsley is OK but the flavor will be different for sure.
  
TWW

Jul 31

Pati:

I really enjoy your recipes. One question re ‘My Favorite Green Rice’. Is it really necessary to pass the poblano puree through a fine sieve? In the instructions, you say to pour the poblano puree into the rice but at that point, it isn’t puree; it is the liquid residue of the puree.

1. Pati Jinich
  
  Aug 11
  
  Hi TWW, I pass the puree through a strainer to get the liquid from the poblano and complement it with chicken broth to make the right time of liquid for the recipe. Keep in mind that later in the process I do add the Poblano puree that stayed in the sieve for flavor, color and consistency. Enjoy the rice!

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