This healthy, takeout-inspired dish will leave you feeling satisfied without all of the guilt. The cauliflower rice is packed with so much flavor you won’t even miss the real thing!
Happy Sunday, friends! Today marks the beginning of a very busy week for me (and every other reporter in the state). Indiana’s primary is Tuesday and our newsroom is busy covering presidential candidates’ back-to-back visits up until election day. I’m back up in my old stomping grounds in South Bend to cover a couple of campaign stops. It feels a little weird to be back because so many people I knew here have moved on! I am looking forward to grabbing a quick lunch with a couple of friends tomorrow in between all of the chaos.
Before I hit the road early this morning, James and I spent much of our weekend relaxing. It was one of the rare times when we didn’t have our schedules packed with events, which was so refreshing! We love traveling and hosting guests, but I’m making it a goal of mine to spend more time at home, just hanging out. It’s good for the soul.
While we were relaxing at home yesterday, I whipped this quick meal up for dinner. It’s the second time I made it and it’s gotten rave reviews both times. I’d seen recipes for cauliflower “rice” on Pinterest before but wasn’t sure whether I could get James to eat the dish. So, I served it up for the first time without mentioning the rice was actually cauliflower and James had no idea. I waited to tell him until he cleaned his plate and he surprisingly said he would happily eat it again.
The cauliflower rice mimics the texture of real rice and is a great way to get in more servings of veggies. I’m dying to try this fried rice version sometime soon!
This meal is filling enough on its own, but sometimes we like to pick up egg rolls or crab rangoon from our favorite Chinese restaurant when we’re craving a bigger meal. I don’t feel as guilty indulging in those occasional fried sides when the rest of the meal is packed with protein and veggies!
Sweet And Spicy Chinese Chicken With Cauliflower Rice
[ingredients title=”Chicken Ingredients”]
- 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/8 cup honey
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil, divided
- 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
[/ingredients]
[ingredients title=”Rice Ingredients”]
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 Tbsp. onion, minced
[/ingredients]
[directions title=”Directions”]
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, 1 Tbsp. sesame oil, Sriracha, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until combined. Add chicken and toss until coated in sauce.
- Pour the remaining 1 Tbsp. sesame oil into a large skillet over medium heat, rotating the pan to make sure the entire bottom is coated in oil. Pour chicken and sauce into pan and stir frequently, cooking until chicken is browned on all sides and sauce is thick. This should take about 15 minutes.
- While chicken is cooking, chop cauliflower into large chunks. Place in food processor and pulse until cauliflower is in small, rice-sized pieces (if you don’t have a food processor, you can achieve the same result by finely-chopping the cauliflower).
- Heat 1 Tbsp. sesame oil over medium heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add onion and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cauliflower to pan and saute for one minute. Reduce heat, cover pan and cook for another five minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the cauliflower rice is done (it should be tender but not mushy), remove it from the pan and top with chicken. [/directions]