Why I Love This Rice
This is one of those recipes that does a lot for something that requires very little effort.
First, we’re cooking the rice in bone broth instead of water, because water contributes absolutely nothing to the flavor situation and I have a freezer full of homemade bone broth that would like a job.
The broth gives the rice this rich, savory depth while also bringing along some of the nutrients and minerals extracted during the broth-making process. It’s such a simple swap, but it takes rice from fine, it’s rice to why am I eating this directly out of the casserole dish?
→ Get my Weekly Roast Bone Broth recipe
But here’s my other favorite part: I make a big batch specifically to freeze it.
Once it’s cooled, I portion the rice into freezer bags, press them into thin, flat layers, and freeze them. They stack beautifully, thaw quickly, and suddenly Future Me has homemade rice whenever I need it.
Need a side dish? Pull out a portion, microwave it covered with a damp paper towel, and the steam helps bring it right back to life.
Making fried rice? Toss it into the hot skillet.
Making soup? Add some toward the end.
Need the world’s fastest rice bowl because everyone is hungry and apparently dinner happens every single night? Done.
And there’s a fun little nutrition bonus to the whole cook-cool-reheat situation: cooling cooked rice can increase its resistant starch content, which means some of the starch becomes less readily digestible. Research shows that cooled and reheated rice can produce a lower post-meal blood-glucose response than freshly cooked rice.
So am I freezing my rice because I’m trying to biohack dinner?
No.
I’m freezing it because it’s ridiculously convenient.
But if cooling it happens to change some of the starch in an interesting direction while it’s hanging out in my freezer?
Love that for us.
Bone broth for flavor and nutrition. A freezer full of ready-to-go rice. Less food waste. One less thing to cook on a Wednesday night.
This is my kind of meal prep.
Bone Broth Garlic Butter Baked Rice
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Add the uncooked rice to your baking dish. Pour in the chicken bone broth, then add the butter, minced garlic, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Give everything a good stir.
- Cover the baking dish very tightly with foil. This matters—we want to trap the steam inside so the rice can absorb the broth evenly.
- Bake for approximately 40–45 minutes, or until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender.
- If the rice is still a little firm but the pan looks dry, add a small splash of hot broth or water, cover again, and give it another 5–10 minutes.
- Remove the rice from the oven but leave it covered for 10 minutes. That trapped steam finishes the rice and helps the texture.
- Remove the foil and fluff gently with a fork. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.
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