Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
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Chicken and cauliflower rice is a quick low-carb dinner that's both healthy and delicious. It's a bit like a casserole with sweet roasted red peppers and juicy olives, layered over cauliflower rice, with crispy chicken thighs nestled on top. It's an all-in-one meal that's loaded with flavor, and it's ready in just 40 minutes!
For another healthy low-carb dinner idea, try our paleo orange chicken with cauliflower rice.
This chicken and cauliflower rice recipe is one of those meals that we make often because it's delicious yet different, and requires minimal effort to make. It's high in protein, low in carbohydrates, and layered with lots of bold Mediterranean flavors. Make it for Sunday dinner, then divide the leftovers into take-out containers for a nourishing lunch the next day!
Ingredients notes
This chicken and cauliflower rice is meal full of veggies and healthy ingredients your body will love!
- Olives: we use green manzanilla olives in this recipe but you can use other olive varieties like castelvetrano, cerignola, or kalamata olives. Pitted or unpitted both work, but pitted olives are easier to eat.
- Roasted red peppers: roasted red peppers taste sweet and smoky. Homemade ones are the most flavorful, but you can also buy them in jars at the grocery store.
- Chicken thighs: we use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, but you can also use chicken breasts if you prefer. You can use skinless chicken, but we love the crispy skin!
- Cauliflower: you'll need about 8 cups of chopped cauliflower florets so look for a large head of cauliflower. You can also buy bagged cauliflower rice at the grocery store in the produce section or frozen aisle.
Other ingredients you'll need are extra virgin olive oil, onion, fresh garlic, tomato paste, smoked paprika, sea salt, and chicken stock (or chicken broth).
How to make chicken and cauliflower rice
This chicken and cauliflower rice casserole is like wholesome, everyday comfort food. Here's how we make it in a couple of simple steps:
- SautƩ the onion and garlic in a skillet until tender, then stir in the tomato paste until it starts to darken and become fragrant. Add the olives, cherry tomatoes, and roasted red peppers.
- Cook the chicken in a separate pan. To give it crispy skin, cook it skin-side up first, then flip it and cook it skin-side down until it's nice and crispy.
- Add the cauliflower and chicken stock to the onion mixture, and nestle the chicken thighs on top (including the delicious juices). Simmer everything until the cauliflower is soft and the chicken is fully cooked, and that's it!
Recipe tips
Here are a few helpful tips to keep in mind when making this chicken and cauliflower rice:
- When cooking the chicken, leave it in one place until you flip it to keep it from sticking, and for that irresistible extra crispy skin!
- Use a box grater or food processor to make the cauliflower rice. You can use a sharp knife to chop the cauliflower florets, but a food processor or box grater certainly helps. If you're short on time, buy it bagged from your grocery store.
- Use pitted olives for a less messy dinner situation. Don't get us wrong, we love olives with their pits, but when it comes to dinner, pitted olives make things a lot more enjoyable.
Variations to try
While we love this chicken and cauliflower recipe as-is, try one of these delicious ideas to mix up the flavors, or make it your own:
- Make it spicy: add a pinch of cayenne pepper or some chopped chipotle peppers in adobo to the tomato paste sauce.
- Add cheese: we kept it dairy-free but you can easily add some crumbled goat cheese or feta cheese after nestling in the chicken. Yum!
- Try it with a different protein like shrimp, eggs, or tofu. They all work great!
What to serve with chicken and cauliflower rice
Enjoy this chicken and cauliflower rice casserole on its own or with some crispy roasted potatoes or garlic butter rice for a more hearty meal. It also pairs well with a big kale salad, or more veggies like roasted broccoli, or sautƩed green beans with garlic.
Recipe FAQs
Can I make it in advance?
Yes! This is a great meal to prep for lunches because you can make it up to 3 days ahead of time. Just store it in the fridge in an airtight container.
Can I use regular rice instead of cauliflower rice?
No, it can't be substituted because this recipe is written for cooking cauliflower rice, which cooks differently than regular rice. That said, you can serve this dish with a side of rice that you cook separately.
Is this chicken and cauliflower rice healthy?
You bet! It's a healthy low-carb meal made with whole foods including protein and healthy fats. It also happens to be completely dairy-free, gluten-free, and keto-friendly!
More chicken and cauliflower recipes
Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 2 cups manzanilla olives (coarsely chopped ā we like to leave several whole. See notes)
- Ā½ medium onion (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- Ā¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
- 4 roasted red peppers (chopped)
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoons sea salt (more to taste)
- 2 cups chicken stock (divided)
- 1 large cauliflower (chopped into small pieces (about 8 cups))
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook until the tomato paste starts to darken and turns fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes and red peppers and let them cook for a few minutes, scraping the bottom of the pan while they cook.2 cups manzanilla olives, Ā½ medium onion, 3 cloves garlic, Ā¼ cup tomato paste, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 4 roasted red peppers
- While the onions are cooking, start the chicken. Sprinkle the smoked paprika and sea salt over both sides of the chicken. Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat in a non-stick frying pan. Add the chicken to the pan, skin side up, and cook for 5 minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the skin is crispy.8 bone-in chicken thighs, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoons sea salt
- Add the cauliflower and chicken stock to the pan with the onions and mix together. To the same pan, add the chicken skin side up, and all the pan juices then bring the pan to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let the chicken simmer for 10 minutes then remove the cover and simmer for another 5 minutes until it is fully cooked and most of the liquid in the pan is gone.2 cups chicken stock, 1 large cauliflower
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our chicken recipes!
I did the onion and olives in oil, added chicken … broth, tomato paste and tomatoes! Water and a chicken buillion cube.
I did not add the cauliflower as the kids don’t like it. Tasted great!!
amazing. I should have done chicken separately, but was short on time. still tasted awesome
Hi Kristen! Whatās the serving portion for the olives and cauliflower rice? Canāt wait to try this!
I’ll have to measure next time I make it but I would guess about 1 1/2 cups.
This looks so good — I adore olives. I just started another Whole30 3 days ago — and this will definitely be happening this month!
They’re the best, aren’t they? Congrats on your Whole30!!
I recieved your email this morning and made this for lunch and I’m sure happy I did. It was delicious. I’m going to do it backwards and have leftovers for dinner. Thank you!
That makes me so happy to hear!!!