Stumped for dinner ideas? Let this Lemon Herb Shrimp and Rice Skillet be your ticket to a tasty meal that’s anything but boring! Buttery, oh-so-lemony, and chock full of Italian herbs and shrimp, once you dig in, you may never stop!
If you are looking for more dishes to devour, try my popular posts for Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet, Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet, and One Pot Lemon Herb Chicken and Rice.
Plus, there’s just something about a skillet dish. It’s easy to create a ton of different recipes in a skillet and it qualifies for a one-pot meal. (You can even make dessert, like this delicious Red Velvet Skillet Cookie that I can’t get enough of!) The shrimp cooks up so fast, you just add it to the rice at the last minute, cover the skillet and ta da! Dinner is served!
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN A LEMON HERB SHRIMP AND RICE SKILLET?
To make this lemon shrimp dish, you’ll need:
- 1-1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Butter
- Honey
- Lemon zest
- Long grain white rice
- Chicken broth
- Italian seasoning blend
- Minced garlic or garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon juice
- Lemon slices
- Fresh parsley, cilantro, or thyme (optional)
HOW DO YOU MAKE THIS LEMON HERB SHRIMP AND RICE SKILLET?
To make this yummy skillet shrimp and rice recipe, follow these simple directions.
First, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Next, stir in the garlic and saute it until it’s fragrant, about 1 minute. Then, add the rice and stir, followed by the chicken broth, Italian spices, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Let this come to a boil, then reduce the heat to allow the rice to simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
While the rice cooks, stir together the melted butter, honey, and lemon zest. Pour this over the prepared shrimp and give it a good toss to coat the shrimp in the delicious honey mixture.
When the 15 minutes is up on the rice, take the lid off and arrange the shrimp right on top of the rice. Add the lemon slices if you like at this point as well. Cover the dish back up and cook about another 3-5 minutes or until the shrimp are opaque (or, see optional shrimp cooking instructions, below). Garnish with fresh herbs if you like and serve! That’s it!
HOW DO YOU MAKE ITALIAN SEASONING?
I love to make my own seasoning mixtures. It’s so easy and you can store them in a spice jar just like all your other spices. It simplifies the steps for adding all those spices individually.
I stir together the following ingredients and then place them all in one glass jar with a screw-top lid. To make a big bunch of Italian seasoning for future use, quadruple (or more) the spices, depending on the size of your jar.
- ½ teaspoon of dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon of dried basil
- ½ teaspoon of dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon of dried parsley
IS SHRIMP HEALTHIER THAN CHICKEN?
Shrimp is low in fat and calories and is a great source of protein and is carb-free. One serving of shrimp contains over 20 types of vitamins and minerals, including selenium, iodine, vitamin B12, and zinc.
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts have a few more calories and fat than an equal serving of the same amount of shrimp, but it’s pretty negligible. Chicken is also a great source of protein and has zero carbs.
It would be difficult to say one was healthier than the other. Of course they provide slightly different vitamins and minerals but shellfish is high in cholesterol. Like anything, everything should be eaten in moderation and I think you’ll be okay.
Lemon Herb Shrimp and Rice Skillet
Ingredients
for the shrimp
- 1-1 ½ pounds large shrimp - peeled and deveined, see note
- 3 tablespoons butter - melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
for the rice
- 1 ⅓ cups long grain white rice
- 2 ⅔ cup chicken broth - I used low sodium
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons Italian blend dry herb seasoning - see note for DIY
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic - or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- juice of 1 lemon - about 1/4 cup
- lemon slices and fresh parsley, cilantro, or thyme for garnish - optional
Instructions
prepare the rice
- In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Stir in garlic, and saute 1 minute until fragrant.
- Stir in rice for 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, then cover and cook for 15 minutes.
prepare the shrimp
- Stir together melted butter, honey (it stirs together more easily if you warm your honey in the microwave for 15 seconds or so), and lemon zest. Pour over the shrimp and toss to coat.
- Uncover the rice, arrange shrimp on top of the rice (with lemon slices if desired). Cover and cook another 3-5 minutes until shrimp is opaque. (See note for alternate shrimp step)
- Garnish with fresh herbs if desired and serve.
This is awesome. The first time I made it, I did the shrimp. Now I use your recipe for rice every time I want rice with my dinner, I have always hated my rice, it was either mushy or not done enough. This is a perfect recipe. Thank you so much for this. I will be making this rice forever!!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe so much! Glad you’ve found a method for rice that you love!
I forgot to mention that the shrimp came out perfect too. i did saute the shrimp first using the same pan and just removed them and set aside before starting on the rice. Again, thank you so much for this wonderful dish!
I used frozen rice so went east on the broth. A wonderful dish!
Thanks for your input, Marjorie!
Very easy and delicious
I used tiger prawns and sautéed first, served with Swiss chard
Has anyone tried to make the rice in the rice cooker?
I have a bag of precooked Sam’s Club shrimp leftover from the holidays, how would I prepare it for this recipe….would it even work?
You can totally use them for this recipe! I would thaw them and then coat them with the lemon zest, butter and honey and then throw on top of the rice just long enough for the shrimp to be warmed up to desired temperature. (So make sure the rice is almost cooked before doing this) hope this helps!