The Best Rice Recipe, Straight From Grandma’s Kitchen

The best rice recipe, straight from my Grandma’s kitchen, will be one that you revisit over and over. Buttery sautéed onions are mixed with white rice before slowly simmering in beef broth. Finished off with a pat of butter and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, this decadent rice will have the whole family satisfied and asking for seconds. This was my grandmother’s way of making rice with her famous breaded chicken cutlets – a meal our entire family adored.

I guarantee this recipe will become a fast family favorite after your first helping.

It is rich, creamy, and full of flavor! – the same consistency and concept of risotto but done with half the time and none of the effort or intimidation. If you are looking for a healthy side dish, this is not the place to start. But who doesn’t deserve a little indulgence once in a while? Even picky eaters will be asking for seconds!

We have always referred to this as “Brown Rice” in my family for the beautiful golden hue it takes on in its finished state from beef broth and bouillon cubes. We looked forward to this side dish every time my grandmother made her irresistible breaded chicken cutlets. You’ll find it pairs well with just about any main dish and vegetable though.

It is SO delicious, SO creamy, SO worth it.

It has simple ingredients, most of which you probably have lying about in your pantry. You’ll need rice, one can of beef broth, bouillon cubes (chicken or beef), an onion and butter. How easy is that?

Not much can be guaranteed in life, but I can guarantee you will make this part of your weekly rotation if you give it a try. I hadn’t made this for my husband until Nov of 2023, but since then we have included it in at least one meal every other week. We have it most often as a side with baked chicken breast, salmon or bourbon sirloin tips.

Sprinkle a little Parmesan cheese on top before serving and I know you will love this as much as we do!

Why You’ll Love The Best Rice Recipe

• It is SO EASY and SO TASTY
• Creamy and Packed Full of Flavor
• 5 SIMPLE INGREDIENTS, that you most likely already have in your kitchen
• EASY SIDE DISH for any weeknight meal
• Minimal prep needed from start to finish
• Have the kids help! This is a great recipe to involve aspiring kid chefs.
  

Ingredients

FIVE Ingredients.

This recipe is that simple. I absolutely love that, don’t you?

Ingredients, too, that you will have on hand. If you don’t? There are always easy substitutions – especially in a recipe like this. 🙂

Butter – can be salted or unsalted, whichever you have on hand. I do, however, HIGHLY recommend unsalted if you have it. We’ll be using bouillon cubes or Better Than Bouillon, which both already have higher sodium contents

Onion – White onions add the right bit of sweetness to this flavorful dish.

Rice – We use simple white rice or Jasmine, which is what I keep in my pantry.

Beef Broth – Homemade is always best, but a low sodium option from the store is a great second choice.

Bouillon Cubes – I have used both chicken and beef bouillon cubes and both work just as well as the other. The chicken will impart a lighter flavor, while the beef leaves behind a bigger impression. Use whichever you have on hand. I have also used the Better Than Bouillon chicken and while I still prefer the cubes, it does work.

How To Make The Best Rice Recipe

In a large, shallow pan, begin melting 3 Tbsp of butter of medium heat.

While the butter is melting, mince one medium onion.

Add the onions to the pan with the melted butter and let them saute. I usually let my onions have their time to do their thing, nearly 10 minutes or so, but you can cut this time in half if you’re in a pinch.

Add the cup of rice to the onions. Stir to incorporate, coating the rice in the buttery onions. After a minute or two, add enough broth to cover the rice.

Let the rice, onions, and broth marry together, stirring often. When the liquid is nearly gone, add more broth and your bouillon cubes. Continue this process until the broth is gone. You might need to add a bit more broth until the rice is cooked through – you could make more simply with a bouillon cube and the correct measurement of water. One can is usually enough though.

Enjoy! Top with Parmesan and enjoy the deliciousness that is my Grandma’s Brown Rice. This seems to be even more scrumptious the next day, so simply reheat with any other leftovers. Or even enjoy it on its own, as I have many times. 🙂

Tips & Tricks

• This recipe calls for what seems like a lot of onion. If your family isn’t as onion crazy as ours, feel free to reduce the amount.
• I always use Jasmine rice for this dish – it’s what I keep in my pantry – but plain white rice or Basmati will work fine, too.
• I have made this recipe with both chicken broth and beef broth. The beef broth option will give you a deeper, richer flavor, and is what my mother always uses; my grandmother originally used chicken before eventually switching to beef. It really is interchangeable, so if you have one on the hand and not the other, this will still be delicious.
• The Parmesan cheese and extra butter at the end is not necessary, but how a majority of my family members choose to eat this. No one ever complains about Parmesan cheese in anything ’round here.
• This will reheat well the next day but will be a stickier bite of food. Add a little bit of your preferred broth to thin out, if desired.

Such a quick, delicious, decadent recipe that the whole family will start to request.

I love the creaminess that harkens back to a risotto-esque feeling without the stress of keeping broth warm and tending to pan that needs constant stirring.

It allows me to feel close to my Italian roots without feeling strapped by traditional steps for a dish.

But no matter what……. the Flavor. Is. On. Point.

Add a bit more butter at the very end of cooking for a more decadent and velvety finish, and top with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano for the best rice recipe ever.

My Grandma would be so thrilled to know you were cooking this in your kitchen!