Mexican Rice Restaurant Style

This recipe makes a dry, fluffy, orange/yellow, restaurant style, Mexican rice. It's important to rinse the rice prior to cooking in order to achieve the dry, fluffy, restaurant style Mexican Rice.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4-6
• Yields: 3 cups

Ingredients

• 2  cups long grain white rice, rinsed
• 1⁄3 cup canola oil
• 3⁄4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2  teaspoons garlic, minced
• 2  cups chicken broth
• 1  tablespoon tomato paste
• 2  tablespoons mild green chilies, canned
• 1⁄2 teaspoon table salt
• 1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 1⁄2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350-F. - Bake 30 minutes total, stirring after 15 minutes.
2. Place rice in strainer and rinse under running water until it runs clear. About 2-minutes. This is important to create a dry, non-sticky restaurant style rice.
3. Drain rice, making sure to shake out as much water as possible.
4. Heat canola oil to medium high in a dutch oven (3qt to 6qt) on the stove top. Drop a few rice grains in the oil. When they sizzle, add all remaining rice. Stir constantly and fry rice until it is light golden and translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Add onions and stir into rice. Cook while stirring about 2 more minutes. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
6. Stir in chicken broth, tomato paste, green chilies and diced tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a boil.
7. When rice reaches a boil, place lid on dutch oven and place in 350-F preheated oven. Bake 15-minutes then open oven and stir well. Replace dutch oven lid and bake another 15 to 20-minutes until done.
8. Remove from oven and stir in chopped cilantro. Cover and allow to rest about 5 minutes before serving to allow cilantro flavor to be absorbed by the rice.