This simple and easy rice pilaf is the perfect side dish for chicken, fish, or anything Mediterranean in flavor. It features long grain white rice and orzo pasta cooked in a mild yet delicious chicken and herb stock.
Tips, Tricks & Suggestions
- Flavor alternatives: While I personally enjoy the simple flavor of this dish you can easily change it up to your personal preference. For example, you can include extra dried herbs like marjoram, mint, thyme, sage, and even rosemary. Or give the dish a nice burst of citrus by squeezing some fresh lemon or lime juice after it’s finished cooking.
- Add some vegetables: You can easily turn this rice pilaf into a more filling and rounded dish by adding additional vegetables. Some of my favorites include carrots, zucchini, cauliflower, and even broccoli. Just make sure to cut them into bite-sized pieces and cook them with the onions during the second step.
- Vegan-friendly version: You can easily make this dish vegan by subbing out the chicken stock with either vegetable stock or just plain water.
- What’s the best type of rice to use?: Pretty much any type of long grain white rice will work for this recipe. This includes Basmati which will give you an even greater light and fluffy texture. Jasmin rice, which will give the dish a fantastic aroma. Or just regular old American long grain! You really can’t go wrong with any of those options.
- Can you make this in an Instant Pot?: You sure can! However, when making rice in an instant pot I have always found that a 1:1 ratio of rice to liquid works best. So instead of using 4 cups of stock, reduce it to 2 cups. And as for how long you should cook the rice I generally like to do 5 to 6 minutes on high pressure. Then I let the pressure naturally release (usually about 15 to 20 minutes).
- Serving Suggestions: This rice pilaf goes great with chicken dishes like Chicken Kebabs (Turkish Inspired) & Greek Chicken Cutlets, or fish dishes like Blackened Catfish, Shrimp Scampi & Trout Almondine. And to round out the meal I like to add a light salad of mixed greens tossed in our Greek Vinaigrette.
Other Great Rice Dishes You Might Like
Rice Pilaf with Orzo Recipe
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6
Ingredients
¼ Cup of butter or oil
1 Cup of orzo pasta
1 Medium onion, diced
2 to 3 Cloves of garlic, minced
1 Cup of white rice
4 Cup of chicken stock
¼ Teaspoon of turmeric powder (optional it’s for color)
½ Teaspoon of dried oregano
½ Teaspoon of dried parsley
½ Teaspoon of salt, plus more to taste
¼ Teaspoon of pepper, plus more to taste
Instructions
- Brown up the orzo: Melt the butter or heat up the oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add the orzo to the pot and saute it in the butter/oil until it turns golden brown in color. This should take roughly 5 minutes.
- Sautee onion & garlic: Add the diced onion to the same pot and saute it with the orzo pasta for 5 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Then add the minced garlic and continue to saute everything for another minute.
- Add the rice, stock, turmeric powder, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper to the pot. Give this a good stir so that everything is mixed together.
- Finish cooking the rice pilaf: Let the liquid in the pot come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it all simmer for 25 minutes. Make sure that you don’t take the lid off the pot during this step as we want to let the rice steam.
- After 25 minutes take the pot off the heat. Let it sit with the cover still on for another 5 minutes. Then take the lid off and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Taste some of the rice pilaf and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve the rice pilaf immediately and enjoy!
Rice Pilaf with Orzo Recipe
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- ¼ Cup of butter or oil
- 1 Cup of orzo pasta
- 1 Medium onion diced
- 2 to 3 Cloves of garlic minced
- 1 Cup of white rice
- 4 Cup of chicken stock
- ¼ Teaspoon of turmeric powder optional it’s for color
- ½ Teaspoon of dried oregano
- ½ Teaspoon of dried parsley
- ½ Teaspoon of salt plus more to taste
- ¼ Teaspoon of pepper plus more to taste
Instructions
- Brown up the orzo: Melt the butter or heat up the oil in a medium sized pot over medium high heat. Add the orzo to the pot and saute it in the butter/oil until it turns golden brown in color. This should take roughly 5 minutes.
- Sautee onion & garlic: Add the diced onion to the same pot and saute it with the orzo pasta for 5 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Then add the minced garlic and continue to saute everything for another minute.
- Add the rice, stock, turmeric powder, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper to the pot. Give this a good stir so that everything is mixed together.
- Finish cooking the rice pilaf: Let the liquid in the pot come to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and let it all simmer for 25 minutes. Make sure that you don’t take the lid off the pot during this step as we want to let the rice steam.
- After 25 minutes take the pot off the heat. Let it sit with the cover still on for another 5 minutes. Then take the lid off and fluff the rice with a fork.
- Taste some of the rice pilaf and add additional salt and pepper to your liking.
- Serve the rice pilaf immediately and enjoy!
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