Here’s a simple side dish recipe for Brown Butter Rice.
Please don’t let that word “simple” scare you off. I share that it’s simple… because it is. But to say that this dish screams simple-like-it’s-boring is completely misleading. This rice dish will have you wanting seconds. And thirds!
Have you ever browned butter? You just melt it in a pan and stir it until it literally turns brown. The key is to brown it and not burn it.
Butter consists of clear yellowish butterfat, water, and milk proteins. When browning butter, those proteins are what’s actually browning. During the process of heating and stirring, the butter will begin to foam in the pan. This is when the browning begins to take place– so just watch and stir until you get a nice brown color out of it. You’ll see little brown specks floating around that you’re lifting from the bottom of the pan as you stir.
If it’s properly browned, you might want to drink it with a straw. It’s really delicious when it gets to that perfectly browned state.
All you do in this recipe is pour the browned butter over the hot, cooked rice just as it’s finishing. Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir and serve. It’s fabulous!
Brown Butter Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter
- salt, to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken broth and rice in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- During the last 5 minutes of cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium high heat until it browns and the foam starts to clear. It will be a dark brown, similar to chocolate and there will be lots of brown bits floating around .(Don't let it burn!)
- After the rice has simmered for the 20 minutes, remove it from heat. Pour the brown butter over it, being careful not to splatter. Do not stir into the rice. Replace the lid, and let stand for 10 minutes (off the heat). Stir and season with salt to taste before serving.
Notes
- Cut this recipe in half for only 4 servings.
- If you are preparing this recipe as gluten-free, just be sure to use brands of chicken broth and rice that are known to be GF.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Here are a few more rice recipes you might enjoy:
- Cheesy Zucchini Rice by Buns in My Oven
- Cranberry Rice Pilaf by Recipe Girl
- Baked Parmesan Rice by Recipe Girl
- Lebanese Rice Pilaf by The Lemon Bowl
Is this good with brown rice?
I’ll bet it would be!
Do you think this would freeze successfully, or would the texture be compromised?