Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. – Mark Twain
I hear you! You’ve come home from work and now you have to cook. You want to stay on your food program but you don’t have a lot of time to prep a meal. And if you’re cooking for one, you’d like to have extra portions to bring to work for lunch.
One of my clients gave me her grocery list — cauliflower rice to substitute for white rice and skinless chicken breast. Rice had been one of her favorite foods, but as she moved to a low carb diet, she decided to try cauliflower rice, which she purchased in the frozen food section. You can also prepare it from a fresh head of cauliflower by pulsing the florets in batches in a food processor or grating it by hand. I found this delicious recipe by Christine Cherrier on the Eatwell101 website for her: 15-Minute Garlic Butter Chicken with Parmesan Cauliflower Rice. Garlic Butter Chicken with Parmesan Cauliflower Rice – Easy Chicken Parmesan — Eatwell101. I wasn’t a huge fan of cauliflower rice before trying this recipe, but the extra touch of parmesan cheese really gives it a nice flavor and crispy texture. The recipe makes a perfect low-carb or keto meal.
Ingredients List For The Garlic Butter Chicken With Parmesan Cauliflower Rice
- 2 large boneless and skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally to make 4
- 1/2 cup fresh Parmesan, finely grated
- Salt and fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 head cauliflower, riced
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons vegetable stock
- Juice of one lemon (+ zest, if you like)
- Red chili pepper flakes, optional
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Directions
The Chicken
- To make this parmesan chicken recipe: In a shallow plate, combine parmesan cheese, grated garlic, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper; dredge in the parmesan mixture; shake off excess and set aside.
- In a large non-stick skillet melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Cook chicken cutlets until golden on each side and cooked through – about 3-4 minutes for each side, depending on the thickness of your chicken cutlets. Transfer to a plate.
The cauliflower rice
- In the same pan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Fry the garlic and onion for 1 minute until fragrant — be careful not to burn.
- Add the riced cauliflower to the skillet and stir to mix everything together well and coat in melted butter. Cook, stirring regularly for 1 minute.
- Stir in the 2 tablespoons vegetable stock, about half the parsley, and lemon zest (if using). Cook the cauliflower rice for one minute to reduce juices then add the lemon juice and a few sprinkles of leftover parmesan cheese, if you like.
- Adjust seasoning as needed. Stir in the remaining parsley. Return chicken breasts over cauliflower rice and reheat quickly. Serve your parmesan chicken with fresh cracked black pepper, red chili pepper flakes, and more parmesan.
My client sent me the photo right after she made it — still in the pan. I love her “photo-finish” and appreciate the effort she takes to be creative in her cooking presentation. She eats well and spends a little extra care to make her food look enticing, even if she’s dining alone.
Treat your meal as special. We enjoy our food with our eyes, ears, noses and taste buds – it’s is a full sensory experience. And during a weight transformation process, it is really important that we make our meals as satisfying as possible.
Savor the food on your plate!
♥ Susan L. Ward
Integrative Nutrition Health Coach