Servings: 15  
From Season 9, Mexico—One Plate At A Time

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 cups chicken broth or water
  • Salt
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 4 1/2 cups medium-grain white rice
  • 1 large white onion, diced
  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • Generous ½ cup chopped parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

Heat the broth or water in a small saucepan until steaming; stir in 2 ¼ teaspoons of salt if using unsalted broth, 1 ½ teaspoons if using salted broth. Cover and keep warm.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large (6-quart), heavy Dutch oven or saucepan with a tight fitting lid, heat the oil over medium. Add the rice and onion and stir almost continuously for a minute or so. Continue to fry the rice and onion, stirring occasionally, until the rice has turned milky-white, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chopped garlic.
Add the lime juice to the simmering broth and immediately add the broth to the rice. Scrape any stray kernels from the sides of the pot, cover and bake in the oven for 25 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven, and gently spread the rice out on a rimmed baking sheet. Cooling the rice completely will ensure that it doesn’t overcook. When it’s time to serve to your guests, cover the baking sheet with foil and reheat in a 325 degree oven until the rice is warm. Scoop the rice into a shallow serving dish, garnish with the chopped parsley and serve immediately.