Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bake Recipe

By
Kimberley Eggleston
Kimberley Eggleston
Kimberley Eggleston is a registered dietitian, nutrition class instructor, and food writer who specializes in healthy cooking.
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Updated on 06/7/22
Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bake
Image Studios/Uppercut Images/GettyImages
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 75 mins
Total: 90 mins
Servings: 12 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
174 Calories
8g Fat
10g Carbs
16g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories 174
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g 10%
Saturated Fat 4g 19%
Cholesterol 48mg 16%
Sodium 210mg 9%
Total Carbohydrate 10g 4%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 16g
Vitamin C 10mg 49%
Calcium 91mg 7%
Iron 1mg 5%
Potassium 221mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This recipe for chicken, cauliflower, and rice bake just may be the comfort food that you have been craving. Sometimes you just might be in the mood for comfort food. Warm, filling, comfort food. But often those foods that qualify under the comfort food umbrella aren't the most diet-friendly foods you can find. Think, potatoes, cheese, creamy and starchy foods. Usually, they are comforting for a reason. They provide satiety, and they are quick to do it. But that isn't necessarily always great for your waistline.

This recipe is one of those recipes that fall under the umbrella of comfort food but is tweaked to be low in calories and fat and high on flavor. It is one of our favorite recipes for sneaking lots of healthy vegetables into a picky eaters diet as well. The cauliflower, when cooked nice and tender, and mixed with tender rice and a creamy sauce, almost blends right in with the rice and is barely noticeable. We love to sit back and watch the kiddos devour this dish, barely knowing just how many veggies they're consuming.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice

  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast

  • 1 clove garlic, minced

  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cups chopped cauliflower

  • 1/2 cup chopped onion

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup skim milk

  • 1 cup chicken broth

  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided

  • 1/8 teaspoon salt

  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/4 cup wheat germ

Steps to Make It

  1. To begin with, prepare the brown rice as it will take a while to cook. Place the brown rice along with 2 cups of water in a medium-sized saucepan. Increase the heat to high and bring the rice to a boil.

  2. Once the rice is boiling, reduce the heat to medium, just to allow the rice to simmer. The rice will need to cook for about 40 to 45 minutes, so begin preparing the rest of the dish after you have begun cooking the rice. Keep an eye on the rice to make sure that it does not loose too much water and begin burning. Add a bit more water if needed.

  3. Next, prepare the chicken. Trim away any visible fat or skin from the chicken breast. Then slice the chicken on a cutting board into 1-inch cubes. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chopped onion to the pan, and cook for one minute. Then add the cubed chicken to the skillet, and cook the chicken for about four to five minutes, stirring the chicken occasionally until the cubes are cooked and there is no longer any pink in the middle of any of the chicken.

  4. Remove the chicken from the pan with a slotted spoon, and set it aside in a bowl until you are ready to use it.

  5. Next, add the cauliflower to the same pan the chicken was cooking in. The leftover flavors will help to season and flavor the cauliflower. Toss the cauliflower around occasionally as it is cooking until the cauliflower becomes tender. Remove the cauliflower from the heat and set it aside until you are ready to use it.

  6. Next prepare the sauce. You will also, at this point, want to make sure that you have preheated your oven to 375 F as the dish will soon be ready to go into the oven.

  7. To make the sauce, melt the butter over medium to medium-high heat. Do not allow the butter to boil. Once the butter is melted, add the flour to the pan and stir the mixture with a wire whisk while it cooks for one minute.

  8. After one minute, pour in the chicken broth and the milk, and continue to stir the mixture together with the wire whisk. Continue to heat the mixture over medium-high heat while stirring until it reaches a slow boil. Continue to cook for one minute while stirring, and then remove the sauce from the heat. Stir in the salt, the ground black pepper, and the 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese, and stir the sauce until the cheese is melted.

  9. In a large mixing bowl, dump in the cooked rice, the cooked chicken, the cooked cauliflower, and the sauce. Gently stir the mixture together. Then, coat a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. Pour the chicken and rice mixture into the pan, and use a spoon to even out the mixture in the pan. Then sprinkle the wheat germ and the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded cheese on the dish.

  10. Place the dish in the oven, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the entire dish is cooked and heated through. Remove the dish from the oven, and allow it to cool for 5 minutes. Then serve the chicken, cauliflower, and rice casserole while it is still warm.

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