A healthy spin on the take-out classic, your entire family will love this cauliflower chicken “fried rice” – with or without the Sriracha!
Confession: When I run low on rice vinegar, sesame oil, Sriracha or any of my other Asian pantry staples, I start to get major anxiety. Just as a baker might worry if they are out of eggs, sugar or flour, I start to twitch when I use the last drop of soy sauce or chili garlic paste.
We eat a lot of Asian food in our house every week so I’m surprised it took me so long to finally try cauliflower “fried rice.” (To be clear, there is no rice in this dish.) Inspired by my good friend Kristin who recently made Gina’s vegetarian version, I decided to give it a go in my own kitchen.
Chicken breasts are always in my fridge but this dish would be fabulous with any protein you have on hand including shrimp, pork, chicken thighs or edamame. I’m a Sriracha addict but my toddler and husband aren’t fans so feel free to leave it out depending on personal preference.
If you’re weary of replacing rice with cauliflower, let me assure you: this dish does not taste like cauliflower. Even if you don’t love cauliflower, I’m guessing you will still love this fried rice. Fresh garlic, toasted sesame oil, and fragrant ginger completely transform the cauliflower into your favorite Chinese take-out dish. Trust me, my husband would have been the first to tell me otherwise.
Your fork is waiting.
Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (cut in 1/2 inch pieces)
- 1 teaspoon salt (divided)
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 head cauliflower (grated or riced see video)
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 5 scallions (diced – whites and greens separated)
- 2 cup medium carrots (diced or 1 frozen)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cloves garlic (grated)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (minced)
- ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- Sriracha (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large, deep pan or wok over medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray. Season chicken breast cubes with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper before adding to the hot pan.
- Cook chicken in an even layer, turning occasionally until nicely browned (5-6 minutes.) Remove browned chicken from the pan and set aside.
- While chicken is cooking, rice the cauliflower using a blender or a cheese grater; set aside.
- Whisk together eggs and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Spray pan with more cooking spray then reduce heat to medium.
- Pour eggs into the pan and cook, stirring frequently, 1-2 minutes. Remove cooked eggs and place in the bowl with reserved chicken; set aside.
- Add diced onion, scallion whites, carrots, peas, garlic, and ginger to the pan and cook until soft and tender, stirring frequently. This should take 4-5 minutes.
- When veggies are cooked through, add cauliflower and soy sauce to the pan. Stir well to combine then wait for a few minutes so that the cauliflower can start to cook and create a nice crust. Come back, stir it around then wait again. The flavor comes from letting the cauliflower brown a bit and become crispy. This process may take up to 10 minutes.
- Add cooked chicken and egg back to the pan and cook until warmed through. Drizzle with toasted sesame oil and garnish with scallion greens.
This was absouloutly AMAZING!!!!! Loved it
So happy you enjoyed it Angie!
This was an awesome recipe! My two year old was spooning it in-minus the siracha for her. I had siracha on mine and it was amazing! I’ll be saving this recipe for my kids…sneaking in those veggies…they had no idea! Thank you for posting!
Ahh I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!
My husband and I made this tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I am so glad there are leftovers! Thanks for the great recipe!
Oh I’m so glad to hear it!! Enjoy!
I love this idea for fried rice. What a great way to add extra veggies to your diet.
It was so fun watching my husband and toddler clean their plates! :)
I made this and the flavor is wonderful but I find the finished product is quite dry. Do you have a suggestion as to how I fix this ?
Did you try adding more of the soy sauce, rice vinegar or sesame oil?? That always helps me. :)
I finally got around to making this tonight and it was so good! My husband liked it and hours later I said to him you know that wasn’t rice right? LOL He was surprised it was cauliflower. I loved the fact that I could have two cups of this. Sending some with my daughter for lunch tomorrow and have not told her what’s in in. Can’t wait to hear what she has to say. Another great recipe Liz! Thank you!
Your comment made my DAY!!! So thrilled he enjoyed it!!
Just made it for the first time…didn’t have ginger and forgot the onion and it was still delicious!! Don’t miss the rice at all! What a great healthy alternative to one of my favorite Chinese dishes!!
So thrilled to hear you enjoyed it!
Hand me a fork immediately!!!
DEAL!
Hooray for the link to a video on using a blender, not food processor, to make the “rice”! Can’t wait!
That’s what I ended up using!!
This looks amazing! Definitely adding it to the menu for next week! And thanks for the pantry stocking tips.
I hope you love it!
Liz, I get the same anxiety when I’m low on chili garlic or soy sauce…I thought it was just me!!! This looks awesome. Can’t wait to try it.
haha I love that you understand!!
Amazingly delicious!