This rice pilaf is made with orzo pasta, long grain white rice, onion, garlic, chicken broth, and just a little salt. It's a super easy recipe that makes a fantastic side dish for chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and more! Best of all, the rice turns out perfectly fluffy and flavorful in about 30 minutes!
Easy Rice Pilaf
Rice pilaf is an aromatic and flavorful rice and pasta blend that makes a great side dish for dinner any day of the week. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients and a little time on the stovetop.
The result is a fluffy and delicious rice that's perfect for pairing with chicken, fish, beef, and much more. It tastes much better than the boxed version - but is just as easy to make!
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🥘 Rice Pilaf Ingredients
Orzo pasta is the only thing on this list I don't regularly have. It should be easy to find on your grocery store's pasta aisle, or you can order it online!
- Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter or one of these butter substitutes.
- Orzo - ½ cup of uncooked orzo pasta.
- Onion - ½ cup of diced white or yellow onion.
- Garlic - 2 cloves of garlic, minced.
- White Rice - ½ cup long grain white rice
- Chicken Broth - 2 cups of chicken broth, chicken stock, or a chicken broth substitute.
- Salt - ½ teaspoon of salt.
- Parsley (optional) - 1 tablespoon of chopped parsley for garnish.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Rice Pilaf
Making rice pilaf is about as easy as making any rice, just with a few extra steps. You'll need a knife for dicing the onion and garlic, a fine mesh sieve for rinsing the rice, and a skillet.
This makes about 4 servings of rice pilaf, but you can always double all the ingredients if you need more. Just be sure to use a large skillet or Dutch oven!
- Rinse the rice. Rinse your rice under cold water for a few minutes until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- Brown the orzo. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add ½ a cup of orzo pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo turns golden brown.
- Saute onions and garlic. Add ½ cup of diced onion and saute for 3-5 minutes or until translucent, then add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add ½ cup of long-grain white rice, 2 cups of chicken broth, and ½ teaspoon of salt to the pan and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Let sit. After 10 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and let your rice pilaf sit covered for another 10 minutes as the pasta and rice continue to cook.
- Fluff. Use a fork to fluff the rice pilaf before serving. Garnish with 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Make a bed of rice pilaf on your plates and place your preferred protein on top for a simple, well-rounded dinner. Grilled swordfish, baked Panko chicken, or pan-seared pork chops would all be delicious! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Rinsing the rice is optional, but it yields the fluffiest, tastiest results.
- Add a bouillon cube to the boiling chicken broth for a robust chicken flavor. If you do, I recommend omitting the extra salt because there is plenty in the bouillon cube.
- Any long-grain white rice will do; my favorites are Jasmine and Basmati rice.
- Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, and even mint, make an excellent addition to this rice pilaf if you want to add a little extra flavor.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Cooled leftovers can be put into an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 3-4 days.
Freezing Rice Pilaf
Once the leftovers have cooled, transfer them into a shallow freezer storage container or heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze out the air. Seal it tightly, and your rice pilaf will keep well frozen for up to 3 months.
Reheating Rice Pilaf
Reheat your rice pilaf in the microwave or stovetop over medium-low heat until warm. Add a splash of broth to keep it from drying out.
❓ Recipe FAQs
While many different types of rice can be used to make pilaf, the most commonly used varieties are long-grain white rice, like basmati or jasmine rice. These types of rice have a firm texture and can hold up well when cooked in a broth or stock.
Rice pilaf is typically more flavorful and fragrant than plain rice because it is cooked in broth or stock and includes sautéed aromatic ingredients like onions and garlic.
Yes, rice pilaf can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, add a little bit of water or broth to the rice and heat in the microwave or stovetop.
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😋 More Easy Side Dishes
- Parmesan Orzo - Creamy Parmesan orzo pairs well with almost any protein and is super easy to make!
- Pan-Fried Asparagus - Pan-fried asparagus is a quick and easy vegetable side dish you can whip up in just 20 minutes!
- Instant Pot Cauliflower - Make perfectly tender cauliflower in your Instant Pot in minutes!
- Sauteed Sweet Potatoes - Sauteing sweet potatoes brings out their natural sweetness, and the outside gets slightly crisped and caramelized.
- Air Fryer Baked Potatoes - The easiest way to make perfectly cooked baked potatoes!
- Broccoli and Cheese - The rich and creamy cheese sauce on this broccoli will have even the kids excited to eat vegetables!
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📖 Recipe Card
Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup orzo pasta (uncooked)
- ½ cup onion (diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ½ cup long grain white rice
- 2 cup chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (optional garnish)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Rinse your rice under cold water for a few minutes until the water runs clear. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat and add the orzo pasta. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo turns golden brown.
- Add the onion and saute for 3-5 minutes or until translucent, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the white rice, chicken broth, and salt to the pan and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes have passed, turn off the heat and let your rice pilaf sit covered for another 10 minutes as the pasta and rice continue to cook.
- Use a fork to fluff the rice pilaf before serving. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.
Notes
- Rinsing the rice is optional, but it yields the fluffiest, tastiest results.
- Add a bouillon cube to the boiling chicken broth if you want a robust chicken flavor. If you do, I recommend omitting the extra salt because there is plenty in the bouillon cube.
- Any long-grain white rice will do; my favorites are Jasmine and Basmati rice.
- Fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, chives, and even mint, make an excellent addition to this rice pilaf if you want to add a little extra flavor.
- To store: Cooled leftovers can be put into an airtight container and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
- To freeze: Once the leftovers have cooled, place them in a heavy-duty freezer bag and squeeze the air. Seal it tightly, and your rice pilaf will keep well frozen for up to 3 months.
- To reheat: Reheat your rice pilaf in the microwave or stovetop over medium-low heat until warm. Add a splash of broth to keep it from drying out.
Anonymous says
Simple and quick to make. I was looking to replace buying rice pouches at the store with all the extra ingredients you can’t pronounce. This was very good. I will definitely make rice this way again.
Virginia says
My family and I absolutely love this rice pilaf! It has made it on our regular rotation menu. It’s so easy and delicious.
Angela Latimer says
Awesome! I love hearing this!
Shar says
The first time I made this Rice Pilaf my Grandson ate two helpings, we all loved it, it’s a great recipe, definitely try it!
I actually changed the recipe up a bit, I followed steps through 1-4 then, I transferred the Orzo, Garlic annd Onions along with all other ingredients into a rice cooker, came out perfect!
Thank You for this recipe 🙂
LindaHaertel says
Hi
Happy New Year!
Could this recipe be made with vegetable broth? I have to prepare a Lenten meatless Friday night dinner for a crowd....
Linda
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Yes, most definitely. The flavor will still be great, you may need to adjust your seasoning slightly. Thanks for asking!
Rick Davis says
This dish is “amazing”. I don’t like making dinner from a box, so I wanted to try this. I needed a side dish to go with spinach stuffed chicken breast. This rice pilaf did the trick. I added a teaspoon of “ better than chicken”. Thank you for the recipe.