This yellow rice recipe is packed with flavor! A simple, vibrant side dish made with peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and chicken broth, it's perfect with any main course and reheats beautifully.
Rice is one of those side dishes that pairs well with just about anything. It's quick, healthy, and oh-so-delicious. Whether you're serving it with chicken, fish, or beef, rice never disappoints. I tend to keep it simple with a classic pilaf, maybe adding some garlic and parsley or a few sautéed veggies like carrots and onions. But when I’m in the mood for something a little more vibrant, yellow rice is my go-to!
Yellow rice is a staple in many Latin American, Spanish, and Mexican dishes, and it's easy to see why—it’s full of flavor, with a beautiful golden hue that’s as appetizing as it is delicious. For this recipe, I took my basic rice method of how to cook long grain white rice and added a little twist, inspired by the classic yellow rice dishes I've tried at local restaurants. I packed it with colorful bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a variety of spices and herbs. The real secret to the flavor here, though, is using chicken broth instead of water—trust me, it makes all the difference! It’s a simple, foolproof recipe that you’ll want to make again and again. Plus, it reheats beautifully, making it perfect for leftovers.
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
¼ green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeño, chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
1 dry bay leaf
½ - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 cups long grain white rice
3 cups chicken broth, boiling
salt, pepper to taste
fresh scallions, cilantro
How To Cook Yellow Rice
While you are sautéing all the vegetables, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan and keep it hot and ready to be added to the rice.
In a large skillet or a medium pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until it is tender and translucent. 
Add the chopped peppers, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. 
For the jalapeño, I like to charr it in the oven first, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and then finely chop it. 
You can simply chop up the jalapeño without charring it first. Also, you can use as much or as little of the green and red peppers as you like. I usually use one small bell pepper and only ¼-1/2 of a green pepper.
Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic to the skillet and cook for 2-3 more minutes. 
Add the tomato paste and the turmeric. The turmeric is what will give the rice it's gorgeous yellow color, so don't omit it, or you will not have yellow rice, you will have regular rice pilaf with vegetables. Mix to combine and cook for about a minute. 
Add the rice to the skillet, increase the heat to high and cook the rice for about 2 minutes, making sure to mix the the whole time and get it coated and throughly mixed with all the other ingredients in the skillet. 
Add the dry bay leaf to the skillet. Pour in the boiling chicken broth, the rice should come to a boil right away. 
Decrease the heat to low, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. 
Fluff the rice with a fork, discard the bay leaf and garnish the rice with fresh herbs.
Yellow Rice
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper chopped
- ¼ green bell pepper chopped
- 1 jalapeño chopped
- 2 tomatoes seeded and chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 dry bay leaf
- ½ - 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 cups chicken broth boiling
- salt pepper to taste
- fresh scallions cilantro
Instructions
- While you are sautéing all the vegetables, bring the chicken broth to a boil in a small saucepan and keep it hot and ready to be added to the rice.
- In a large skillet or a medium pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until it is tender and translucent.
- Add the chopped peppers, season with salt and pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes. For the jalapeño, I like to charr it in the oven first, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and then finely chop it. You can simply chop up the jalapeño without charring it first. Also, you can use as much or as little of the green and red peppers as you like. I usually use one small bell pepper and only ¼-1/2 of a green pepper.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and garlic to the skillet and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and the turmeric. The turmeric is what will give the rice it's gorgeous yellow color, so don't omit it, or you will not have yellow rice, you will have regular rice pilaf with vegetables. Mix to combine and cook for about a minute.
- Add the rice to the skillet, increase the heat to high and cook the rice for about 2 minutes, making sure to mix the the whole time and get it coated and throughly mixed with all the other ingredients in the skillet.
- Add the dry bay leaf to the skillet. Pour in the boiling chicken broth, the rice should come to a boil right away. Decrease the heat to low, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, discard the bay leaf and garnish the rice with fresh herbs.
Hi Olga,
Can I used day old rice and get the same results?
Yes, you can use leftover rice, Ash. I would recommend cooking it less, since it's already cooked, otherwise the rice will be overcooked.
Hi Olga,
I so enjoy your website, it’s full of lots of tips, tricks, idea and wonderful Russian recipes. Not to mention your sharing your beautiful family. Have you ever done a video on how to cook brown rice? Something I’d really like to see. I look forward to many more of your contributions.
Nancy 🇨🇦
Thank you for the kind words, Nancy. I'm so happy to hear that you are enjoying my website.
I haven't done a video on cooking brown rice yet, but I do have a detailed recipe with step by step photos of how I cook Brown Rice. RECIPE
This rice is under freezer friendly tab and wanted to see can it be frozen?
Yes! Rice freezes really well, Tabitha.
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! I have only had it pre-bagged. This is so much better.
You're welcome, Kel:). Thanks for taking the time to write.
Yum. I made this yesterday for dinner to go with my favorite Mexican dish and it turned out amazing. I've tried about 10 different Mexican style rice dishes at home and this one is by far my favorite.
Wow, that's awesome, Valentina! I've looked for the perfect recipe for this recipe for a while too:). I'm so glad you liked my recipe. Thanks for taking the time to write.
Olya, how do u "char" the jalapeño? Can u please explain how many degrees u her up the oven to, and how long u keep them in, thanks! I'm trying to make this rice right now :)) looks delish! <33
Just put in in the oven under the broiler until it's charred, Mariya. It's hard to tell you the timing, since it really depends on your oven and the size of the pepper.
Ok thank you so much! 😉
I made this rice without turmeric(we didn't have any) and it was delicious!! =)
I made it yesterday and we ate it all in 1 day 🙂
Thank You Olga for this wonderful recipe, I made it for my husband for lunch today and he loved it, said it was healthiest rice next to plain he has ever tried. God Bless you 🙂
That's great, Anya. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
Oh my. cilantroents gave me a laugh 🙂 looks like a mix of cilantro and ingredients. I was wondering why the ingredient list was so long. Love these kinds of typos
looks like you wrote the ingredients twice in the printer version 🙂
Sorry about that. My website was acting up when I was posting this recipe and gave me a really hard time. I'll get it fixed.
Hey Olga....thanks for the recipe. I m pregnant n was dying to have yellow rice after seeing ur Instagram pic... I have some complications n on bed rest .....I will ask my mom to cook the same for me...thanks for d post.
Want to make this one for dinner tonight along with some chicken. Yum and can't wait. For once I have all the fixings to make it.
Olya, I love rice too, this looks really good!
Mmm that looks mad good! I love yellow rice, this homemade version sounds fantastic!