A wonderful side dish, this Wild Rice Pilaf is loaded with sautéed onion, carrot, dried fruit and toasted pecans. The smoky pecans, sweet fruit and savory herbs and onion work perfectly with the wild rice combo. A sure hit, this need not only be served at holidays!
I mix cooked long grain white rice with wild rice steamed with bay leaves and thyme. This is super fluffy and even makes a complete meal if you add shredded, rotisserie chicken after it’s all cooked.
What is a Rice Pilaf?
Rice pilaf is a dish that originated from India where rice is cooked in a seasoned broth after first being sautéed in ghee, butter or oil.
For this rice pilaf I am steaming the wild rice separately. I find it works better to mix a long grain with the wild rice, but they need separate cooking times. This extra step makes all the difference. Trust.
Nobody has time for goopy, uncooked rice, am I right?
Long grain white rice is quickly sautéed with butter, onions and diced carrot. Boiling water goes in the skillet and it gets topped with the dried cranberries. Cover and steam away!
The key to this being really fluffy is to rinse the white rice prior to the sauté to remove excess starch.
Another incredible side dish that I would gladly make a complete meal out of myself.
If you enjoy the earthy, nutty flavor of wild rice, then this Wild Rice Pilaf will not disappoint. Enjoy!
Wild Rice Pilaf
Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 sprigs fresh thyme (See Note 1)
- 1 cup wild rice rinsed, (See Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion chopped fine (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1 large carrot chopped fine (about 1 cup)
- salt
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 3/4 cup pecans (See Note 3)
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley leaves minced
Instructions
- Bring chicken broth, bay leaves, and 1 bundle thyme to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rinsed wild rice, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer until rice is plump and tender and has absorbed most liquid, 40 minutes (See Note 4). Keep covered to keep warm and set aside.
- Rinse white rice in mesh strainer until water runs clear to remove excess starch and drain completely.
- Heat butter in medium saucepan over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add onion, carrot, and 1 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
- Add rinsed white rice and stir to coat grains with butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until grains begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 2 1/4 cups boiling water and second thyme bundle to rice and return to boil. Reduce heat to low, sprinkle cranberries evenly over rice, and cover. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed, 18 minutes. Fluff rice with fork off heat.
- Combine wild rice, white rice mixture, pecans, and parsley in large bowl. Toss with large spoon or rubber spatula and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Divide fresh thyme into 2 bundles, each tied together with kitchen twine.
- The wild rice packet I use had a blend of long grain brown rice, sweet brown rice, wild rice bits, wehani, black japonica.
- Toast pecans in small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant and lightly browned, about 6 minutes, then rough chop.
- If wild rice still has a little liquid on bottom of pan: Drain rice in mesh strainer to remove excess liquid. Return rice to now-empty saucepan. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.
Made it for Christmas dinner. It turned out very nice. Used walnuts instead of pecans and good quality raisins instead of cranberries.. every one liked it
I love that you enjoyed it! Thank you for trying it out! I hope you find more recipes to try!
Did you soak the wild rice overnight?
I did not. I rinse both of the rice.
Delicious! During COVID-19 I’ve been digging into the far reaches of my pantry closet. I found some superannuated wild rice, and Googled to find a recipe that would mix it with white rice. I had to make some substitutions. I didn’t have fresh parsley or fresh thyme, so I used dried, added to the white rice and the wild rice at the beginning of their cooking process. And I had only Calrose medium grain white rice instead of long grain. The recipe still turned out beautifully. Also, because this will be eaten over several days (in fact I’ve frozen about… Read more »
I am so glad you were able to find this recipe! Thank you for sharing! Sometimes you have to make substitutions! Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed it!
ONLY HAVE DRIED SPICES, WISH KEVIN WOULD ADD SUBS.HOW MUCH OF EACH?
I made this tonight and oh my is it good! Full of flavor and yummy deliciousness! The only addition I made was a little garlic. I will definitely be making this again. It’s a keeper! Thanks for sharing!
I am so glad you enjoyed it! I am glad you will try it again!
This looks perfect. Thanks for the excellent video and instructions. I’m so grateful for you to have made this available.
Thanks, much appreciated Libby!
Hi Kevin, I was looking for something other than just a plain wild rice recipe–and I found it!! I’m going to make your Wild Rice Pilaf to go with roasted game hens I am planning for my mother’s 90th birthday this weekend. Your photos are just GORGEOUS!!!— makes me want to make and eat everything I see!!! Guess I’ll have to pace myself!!! I am looking forward to making some Curry dishes. I live in Eugene,Oregon and have been cooking since I was ten (I’m 61 now),so have been cooking for a little bit. 😀 I am definitely going to… Read more »
Thanks Nancy, lots to try here! Hopefully we’ll be interacting again here real soon. Enjoy this rice recipe. 🙂
This is delicious! I chose it out of my ” wild rice recipe” Google search because I had all the ingredients. But did I ever luck out! My 1 year old loved it too! I recommend 😀
Excellent! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know Kadie!
Can this be made ahead?
Sure, just reheat covered with a little water to steam.
I added garlic and celery. Didn’t have pecans so I used almonds.
So glad you enjoyed this one Kathryn. 🙂
Was there a particular wild rice used, I can only find long grain and wild rice is this what is used in this recipe?
I use whatever is on hand at Sprouts or Whole Foods from the bins Barbara. Bob’s Red Mill has it as well. Google it or click the “Get Ingredients” Chickory link above in the recipe card to find the ingredients near you!
Love the dried fruit and toasted pecans in the side Kevin! Happy Thanksgiving my friend!
Oh the same to you Mary Ann. I love the toasted pecans in this one. 🙂
Such a delicious dish for the upcoming holidays, Kevin! Love the touch of sweetness from those cranberries.
Super tasty and easy side dishes always work for me. PLUS is that you can add shredded chicken or alongside fish, too.Thanks Dawn!