Cauliflower “Fried Rice” with Chicken

Ready in 20 minutes and easy to make, this Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken is healthy, low-carb, full of protein, and full of veggies!

Sometimes it seems like the internet wants to make everything out of cauliflower, and my disposition is to be quite suspicious of these recipes.

Rice is a welcome friend of mine, so I think, why swap it out with cauliflower?

Pizza crust is a welcome friend of mine, so I think, why make cauliflower crust for my pizza?

Corn tortillas are a welcome friend of mine, so I think, why make cauliflower tortillas for my tacos?

Well, some of these creations are better than others, but Cauliflower Fried Rice, now that is something I LOVE!

I think the key to enjoying substitutions like these is to accept it for what it is. For example, when I make spaghetti squash, I don’t pretend I’m eating pasta. I just think I’m eating a really uniquely textured squash and enjoy the heck out of it. I mean, it’s GOOD stuff!

Cauliflower rice is delicious too, and this Cauliflower “Fried Rice” is truly one of my favorite things to eat. I also like this  Easy Cauliflower Rice with garlic and green onion, which is super simple.

I’m very clear on Fifteen Spatulas about how everything has to be yummy FIRST as a baseline, but if it’s healthy too, that’s just a bonus. This is delicious and healthy!

If you’re not familiar with cauliflower rice, it’s basically just pulsed up cauliflower. You can either buy some at the store (I’ve seen it at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods), or you can make your own. Just toss some cauliflower florets into the food processor and pulse a few times to chop it all up.

The only danger in making your own is if you’re not careful, you can overpulse and end up with something that would be more appropriately be titled “cauliflower couscous,” but it’s still plenty delicious.

To get started, fully cook and brown a pound of ground chicken in a pan, then season with soy sauce:

Remove to a bowl, then in the same pan, cook two beaten eggs, let it cook into a flat disk of sorts, and chop it up into pieces:

Cooking the egg separately is a trick I learned from my mom, and I really prefer it over simply scrambling the eggs into the dish as a whole and spreading tiny bits of egg throughout the food. I find when I have bigger pieces, I get to enjoy the flavor of the egg more in every bite.

Back to our pan, add chopped carrots and onion, season with soy sauce, and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened:

Add peas, scallions, and garlic:

Cook for a few minutes, until the scallions soften a little bit:

Now add all the cauliflower rice!

Stir it all around:

Season with soy sauce, then add the chicken back in, the egg, and a tablespoon of sesame oil:

Now it’s ready to serve!

Enjoy!

I find it to be most enjoyable fresh, as cauliflower leftovers start to get kind of stinky. But, it will definitely keep just fine for a day or two.

Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken

Yield: Serves 4

Prep Time:5 minutes

Cook Time:18 minutes

Total Time:23 minutes

Ready in 20 minutes and easy to make, this Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken is healthy, low-carb, full of protein, and full of veggies!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 tbsp grapeseed oil, divided
• 1 lb ground chicken
• 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup carrot chopped (1 small carrot)
• ½ cup chopped yellow onion (½ a small)
• ½ cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 2 cloves minced garlic (1 tbsp)
• 3 to 4 cups of cauliflower rice*
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

Directions:

1. Heat a nonstick skillet or wok over medium high heat, and add 1 tbsp of oil. Add the ground chicken, break up the meat into small clumps with a spatula, and cook completely, until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, stir to distribute, then remove the chicken to a separate bowl.
2. Add ½ tbsp of oil, then add the eggs. Let cook for about 2 minutes, then flip the egg over to finish cooking, about 1 more minute. Remove the egg to a cutting board, and chop into small pieces.
3. Add the remaining tbsp of oil, then the carrot and yellow onion. Add 1 tbsp soy sauce to season it, then cook for 5 minutes, until slightly softened. Then add the peas, scallions, and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, until the scallion softens slightly.
4. Add the cauliflower rice, and the remaining 1 tbsp soy sauce. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the cauliflower is slightly softened, then add the chicken back to the pan, as well as the sesame oil. Stir everything around, then add the chopped egg back to the pan. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

* You can purchase cauliflower rice from stores like Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods, and a 16-ounce bag from Trader Joe’s for instances gives you about 3.5 cups. Or, you can make your own, as noted above, by pulsing cauliflower florets in a food processor. About one head of cauliflower is perfect for this recipe, and should yield 3 or 4 cups of cauliflower rice.

All images and text ©Fifteen Spatulas.