Spicy Mexican Rice

The perfect accompaniment to all of your favourite Mexican recipes is none other than a perfect pot of spicy Mexican rice! Cooked in a flavourful, spicy broth, this rice is nothing short of flavourful. After you start cooking your rice like this, plain rice will never be an option! Try this with air fried chicken taquitos, an easy Mexican-inspired salad, and of course a traditional Mexican michelada, and you'll be re-thinking your Taco Tuesday menu!

Jump to:

• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Recipe Overview
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Tips and Tricks
• Recipe FAQ's
• Spicy Mexican Rice
• 💬 Comments

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• This rice is flavourful! Rice is an extremely versatile side dish, but it's even better when it's full of flavour. With a few extra steps, this rice is packed with flavour!
• This will remind you of restaurant-style Mexican rice! Have you ever wondered how Mexican rice in restaurants tastes so good? We have cracked the code! This rice tastes just like it!
• The spice is completely adjustable! You can adjust the spice level of this rice based on your preference or tolerance.
• This is an authentic Mexican rice recipe! A lot of Mexican rice recipes call for using tomato sauces, etc., but traditionally, Mexican rice is made by simmering tomatoes and onions into a homemade flavourful cooking broth. This rice goes perfectly with one of my other Mexican favorites - Shredded chicken tinga!

Recipe Overview

• Flavour: This rice is the perfect balance of savoury and spicy flavours. The tomato and onion flavours are mellow by boiling them and blending them in the broth. Based on how spicy you like your food, this rice can either have a little kick, or pack a big punch!
• Ease: Compared to standard rice recipes (aka white rice), this rice does require a little more TLC. Don't let the extra steps scare you away - all you need are a sauce pan and a dutch oven or any other cooking vessel that is large and deep enough to hold the liquid. With a simple ratio of liquid to rice, your rice will turn out perfect every time.
• Time: This rice is ready in approximately 30 minutes, including making your own flavourful broth!

Ingredients

• Jasmine rice: The type of rice that people enjoy is quite honestly a matter of personal preference. Jasmine rice is a great option for this Mexican rice, because it keeps its texture and shape without getting overly mushy. I do not like using parboiled rice for this, as it does not hold its texture well with the tomato broth.
• Chicken broth: I always recommend using reduced sodium chicken broth, so you can control the salt content on your own.
• Chicken bouillon paste: Even though the recipe uses chicken broth, bouillon paste gives the rice a a nice, concentrated chicken flavour. Bouillon paste also adds a savoury depth of flavour, so I highly recommend keeping some on hand!
• Habanero hot sauce: This rice gets its spice from habanero hot sauce - I use this one. I recommend using one that you enjoy. You can, of course, adjust the spice to your taste, whether it's less or more.
• Roma Tomatoes: Instead of using tomato sauce, like many recipes use, this traditional Mexican rice recipe uses fresh tomatoes. When they are simmered in broth and blended up, they give the rice a delicious flavour!
• Onions and garlic: The onion gets blended up in the broth, and the garlic gets toasted with the rice. The result is the perfect balance of flavours!

Instructions

1. Prepare the broth: In a sauce pan over medium heat, simmer the tomato, onion, chicken bouillon and hot sauce, in the chicken broth. Simmer until the onion is tender, and the tomato skin is starting to pull off. Once done, blend in a blender (you may need to do this in batches, depending on your blender capacity).
2. Toast the rice and garlic: While the broth is simmering, toast the rice in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, with the garlic. You will want to stay near the rice, so it gets evenly toasted. The rice kernels will turn golden brown! Do this on medium-low heat so you do not run the risk of burning the rice.
3. Top with broth: Once the rice has browned, top with the blended tomato broth. Stir the rice once, and cook covered for 15 minutes on medium-low heat, or until the liquid has been absorbed by the rice.
4. Fluff the rice: DO NOT STIR THE RICE! Sorry for yelling, but always fluff with a fork, for perfectly fluffy rice!

Tips and Tricks

• Do not skip browning your rice! I know it seems like an optional step, but browning your rice not only adds a delicious flavour to the dish, but it also helps with ensuring the rice retains its shape and texture.
• Rinse your rice! Whenever cooking rice, always be sure to rinse it. This gets rid of not only extra dirt on the rice, but also extra starch on the outside.

Recipe FAQ's

Looking for more meal inspiration? Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly recipe roundups, straight to your inbox! Follow us on our socials, on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook! If you try one of our recipes, let us know how it was by rating and commenting!