THE SPLIT PLATE / RECIPE

Bone Broth Rice

Swap water for bone broth: 8 meal-prep servings, about 9g protein each, with no extra cook time.

YIELD8 servings
TOTAL TIME5 min prep + 20 min cook + 10 min rest
COOK METHODSee method
EST. / SERVING~175 cal | ~9g protein

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 2 cups long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine — basmati separates better for fried rice)
  • 4 cups chicken bone broth (protein and sodium vary by brand)

You want to invest 35 minutes once and have 8 servings of better-than-plain rice sitting in the fridge. The bone broth swap costs nothing in time and quietly buys you ~9g protein per serving on top of the rice's normal macros. Once it's made, you don't think about rice for the rest of the week.

Method

  1. 1.RINSE. Rinse 2 cups rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Two minutes. This removes excess starch and is the single biggest factor between 'separate grains' and 'sticky mush.'
  2. 2.COMBINE. Add rinsed rice + 4 cups chicken bone broth to a heavy-bottom pot or rice cooker. Taste the broth before adding any salt.
  3. 3.COOK. Stovetop — bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and reduce to low. 18-20 minutes, lid stays on. Rice cooker — just hit the white rice button.
  4. 4.REST. 10 minutes off heat, lid on. Don't skip — this is when the steam finishes the inside of each grain.
  5. 5.FLUFF + COOL. Fork-fluff to break up clumps. For fried rice usage, spread on a sheet pan to cool fast, then fridge overnight (cold rice fries better than warm rice).
  6. 6.STORE. Cool promptly in shallow airtight containers within 2 hours; refrigerate. 3-4 days per USDA leftovers guidance. Reheats fine in the microwave with a splash of water.

SPLIT PLATE SERVING

Adult: Serve the adult portion as described above.

Kid: Serve the kid portion as described above.

If something fails

Rice is mushy: Skipped the rinse OR ratio is off. 1 part rice : 2 parts liquid is the rule. Rinse to translucent water, measure both.

Rice tastes salty: Bone broth varies in sodium. Don't add salt to this recipe — the broth handles it. If your broth is unsalted, add ½ tsp salt and you're fine.

Fried rice still comes out sticky: Used warm rice instead of cold. Fridge overnight (or spread on a sheet pan + freezer 30 min) before frying. Cold rice has firmer grain structure and won't gum up the wok.

Want to use brown rice instead: Same ratio works. Add 15 min to the cook time. Note the bone broth flavor reads a touch more strongly with brown rice (less starch to dilute it).

Rice still firm after 20 minutes: Add 2-4 tbsp of hot broth, cover, and cook on low for another 3-5 min.

Rice too wet after resting: Uncover and rest a few more minutes so excess steam can escape before fluffing.

Storage and reheating

Store: Cool promptly in shallow airtight containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Heat in a closed warm container creates condensation and sticky rice — shallow layer cools it fastest.

Reheat: Microwave 60-90 sec per cup with a splash of water and a damp paper towel on top. Or fork-fluff into a hot pan with 1 tsp oil for fried rice.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge per USDA leftovers guidance. Freeze individual portions for longer storage; thaw in the fridge or reheat from frozen.

Estimated nutrition

~175 cal | ~9g protein.

thesplitplate.com/cookbook/bone-broth-rice

Bone Broth Rice
Split Cook Method™Base

Bone Broth Rice

Swap water for bone broth: 8 meal-prep servings, about 9g protein each, with no extra cook time.

Make this when

You want to invest 35 minutes once and have 8 servings of better-than-plain rice sitting in the fridge. The bone broth swap costs nothing in time and quietly buys you ~9g protein per serving on top of the rice's normal macros. Once it's made, you don't think about rice for the rest of the week.

Total time
5 min prep + 20 min cook + 10 min rest
Yield
8 servings
Protein / serving
~9g
Cal / serving
~175
Flavor target

Same texture as good cooked rice (separate grains, not mushy), but with a clean savory backbone instead of nothing. Tastes balanced solo with a splash of soy + chives, AND disappears into fried rice / bowls without fighting the sauce.

Ingredients

Batch cookYields 8 servings — quantities below are the full batch.

Ingredients

Method

  1. 1
    RINSE

    Rinse 2 cups rice under cold water until the water runs mostly clear. Two minutes. This removes excess starch and is the single biggest factor between 'separate grains' and 'sticky mush.'

  2. 2
    COMBINE

    Add rinsed rice + 4 cups chicken bone broth to a heavy-bottom pot or rice cooker. Taste the broth before adding any salt.

  3. 3
    COOK

    Stovetop — bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and reduce to low. 18-20 minutes, lid stays on. Rice cooker — just hit the white rice button.

  4. 4
    REST

    10 minutes off heat, lid on. Don't skip — this is when the steam finishes the inside of each grain.

  5. 5
    FLUFF + COOL

    Fork-fluff to break up clumps. For fried rice usage, spread on a sheet pan to cool fast, then fridge overnight (cold rice fries better than warm rice).

  6. 6
    STORE

    Cool promptly in shallow airtight containers within 2 hours; refrigerate. 3-4 days per USDA leftovers guidance. Reheats fine in the microwave with a splash of water.

Adult plate | Kid plate

Adult plate

Adult

Use freely as a base for anything — fried rice, bowls, eaten solo with soy + chili oil + chives.

Kid plate

Kid

Kids eat half a serving plain — just reheat with a splash of water. Bone broth makes plain rice taste 'more real' to kids who normally find unseasoned rice boring. Pair with raw mini sweet peppers on the side for the freshness/crunch.

Go deeper

Storage and nutrition

Storage: Cool promptly in shallow airtight containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Heat in a closed warm container creates condensation and sticky rice — shallow layer cools it fastest.

Reheat: Microwave 60-90 sec per cup with a splash of water and a damp paper towel on top. Or fork-fluff into a hot pan with 1 tsp oil for fried rice.

Lasts: 3-4 days fridge per USDA leftovers guidance. Freeze individual portions for longer storage; thaw in the fridge or reheat from frozen.

Meal chainReinvent as Spicy Umami Fried Rice— Use 3 servings of cold bone broth rice (~2¼ cups cooked) for the base. The rice's neutral savor lets the chili oil + sambal carry the show.→

Watch the full cook

Brands I use

Kirkland
Kirkland
Organic Chicken Bone Broth (32 oz cartons)
Tier 3 base. ~9g protein per cup, clean ingredient list, sold in 6-packs at Costco for the price of two single cartons elsewhere. The protein gain over water is free — no extra cook time, no extra dishes, just a swap.
#Fried rice base#Bowl base (rice + protein + sauce)#Stir-fry side#Quick congee (loosen with extra broth + soft egg)#Make-ahead meal prep