Biryani-Style Chicken & Cauliflower Rice Bake
Cauliflower makes a tasty rice substitute, and it’s easy on your carb intake. Here, the chicken gets a big pop of flavor from prepared biryani seasoning paste; look for jars of this distinctive spice blend near the curry pastes.
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Biryani paste is quite unique, so there is no equal substitute; however, you could use tandoori or korma paste – the flavor profile will be different, but it will be just as tasty.
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 tbsp biryani seasoning paste, divided
- 4 tsp coconut oil, divided
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp curry powder (TRY: Simply Organic Curry Powder)
- 1 tbsp peeled and minced ginger
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 6 cups riced cauliflower (see tip)
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tbsp arrowroot powder (TRY: Bob’s Red Mill Arrowroot Starch/Flour)
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup chopped dried unsweetened apricots
- 6 tbsp sliced almonds, divided
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist a 2-quart casserole dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, stir chicken with two-thirds of the biryani paste. Refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.
3. In a large skillet on medium-high, heat one-half of oil. Add chicken and sear, turning once halfway through, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining one-half of oil to skillet. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add remaining one-third of biryani paste, curry powder, ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. And cauliflower rice and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes.
5. In a small bowl, whisk coconut milk with arrowroot; add to skillet and simmer, scraping up any browned bits from bottom of pan, for 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro, apricots and two-thirds of the almonds.
6. Scrape into prepared casserole dish. Nestle chicken pieces into cauliflower rice mixture. Top with remaining one-third of almonds.
7. Bake until edges are golden brown and chicken is no longer pink inside, about 30 minutes. Garnish with mint before serving.
TIP: You can buy riced cauliflower in the produce section of well-stocked supermarkets. If you can’t find any, it’s easy to make your own. Remove outer leaves of 1 large cauliflower. Using your hands, break apart into large florets. Chop core into small pieces. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, working in batches, pulse cauliflower until it resembles grains of rice.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size 1/6 of recipe
- Calories 364
- Carbohydrate Content 18 g
- Cholesterol Content 107 mg
- Fat Content 21 g
- Fiber Content 6 g
- Protein Content 28 g
- Saturated Fat Content 11 g
- Sodium Content 217 mg
- Sugar Content 7 g
- Monounsaturated Fat Content 5 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat Content 3 g