Salad

Cauliflower Rice with Grilled Chicken and Garbanzo Beans

A healthy and delicious way to keep your carbs low. Cauliflower rice with grilled chicken is a perfect summer dish to make for any pot luck party.

To recipe
cauliflower rice with grilled chicken and garbanzo beans
Recipe insights & TIPS

Healthy cauliflower rice with grilled chicken and a balsamic and basil dressing. This is an excellent way to cut carbs and try something new for dinner!

Have you ever wondered how much cauliflower rice you end up with when you grate the whole vegetable? I can answer that, It's a ton and perfect for making this salad stretch over a few meals. I've been seeing cauliflower rice more often lately, even frozen bags of it in Trader Joe's. But it's so scarily easy to make I think you should try it this way. The hardest part is probably trying to trim out the core of the cauliflower. I came to this conclusion because of almost starting this week with nine fingers and using all of my kids Incredible Hulk Band-Aids. I can't remember the last time I actually used a skin tone Band-Aid, my choice is either super heroes or princess's. Be careful guys, kitchen knives are for reals.

Cauliflower on a cutting board with a knife

So here I am, me and my full set of digits bringing you a tasty super low carb salad to push you over hump day, and keep you on course for the weekend. If you've never tasted cauliflower rice it's sort of genius and way less of a major headache to cook than real rice. Let's talk about the garbanzo beans for a second. I threw them in a pan with some olive oil and cooked them just until the skin starts to blister, this is probably nothing new in the world of garbanzos but a first for me. Sprinkled with a little sea salt, they had a tiny crunch to them but still soft in the middle. Fresh herbs and a balsamic olive oil dressing. Toss them together with the cauliflower rice and lay down some grilled chicken. You can feel good about chowing down a large bowl of this for dinner, seriously!

How to prepare your cauliflower rice.

Almost every recipe will tell you to break the cauliflower down using a food processor. I prefer to hand grate it instead, the texture is chunkier and has more of a rice feel to it. I like chunky! Add some spices and a splash of olive oil and roast it in the oven. It won't get dark and toasty like regular roasted veggies but It does seem to keep it fluffier. You can use a food processor to save time but be prepared to add the cauliflower in stages. If you add it all at once it tends to be too much to break down evenly.

Benefits to eating cauliflower regularly.

Cauliflower is packed with fiber and many other nutrients. It's also calorie friendly if you're on any kind of weight management, with only 25 calories per cup it's am amazing substitute for rice. You might have seen cauliflower pizza crusts appearing in more and more grocery stores and personally I think they easy amazing, I especially like the Trader Joe's crusts. Cauliflower is beginning to be a great replacement for all sorts of other recipes such as Mac and cheese and mashed potatoes.

Cauliflower Rice with Grilled Chicken and Garbanzo Beans

How long will my rice last for?

Store it in a sealed container in the fridge and it should last 4-5 days. This means you can meal prep on a weekend and incorporate cauliflower rice in weeknight dinners or easy lunches all week.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, a sealed zip lock bag with the date written on it should work fine for at least a month. This is perfect for just grabbing on a busy night and a few minutes in the microwave will give you a healthy side dish!

Cauliflower Rice with Grilled Chicken and Garbanzo Beans
Cauliflower Rice with Grilled Chicken and Garbanzo Beans
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Recipe

A great way to eat vegetables and keep the carbs low! Cauliflower rice is easy to make and tastes amazing with grilled chicken and fresh herbs.

Course:
Salad
COOKing TIME:
15 minutes
Total TIME:
75 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
60 minutes
SERVINGS:
6

Ingredients

  • 1 cauliflower
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 7 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • 2 medium sized chicken breasts about 1lb
  • 2 cups garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup chopped cilantro
  • 3 teaspoons fresh finely chopped thyme

DRESSING

  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
  • Salt and black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Chop the cauliflower into 8 pieces and carefully slice out the center core parts.
  3. Grate each cauliflower piece onto a large baking pan or into a large bowl.
  4. Once the cauliflower has been completely grated, add the cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oregano to it and mix well. Add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and mix again.
  5. Lay the cauliflower onto a lined baking tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Make sure to give it a mix after 10 minutes.
  6. Once the cauliflower is done let it cool in the fridge or at room temperature.
  7. Rub the chicken with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with your favorite rub.
  8. Grill until no longer pink in the middle. Set aside.
  9. Heat the remaining 3 tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add the garbanzo beans.
  10. Saute over a medium-high heat until you see them turn golden and blister.
  11. Transfer to a paper towel.
  12. Place the cooled cauliflower rice in a large bowl and add the chopped cilantro, 1 cup of the garbanzo beans and chopped thyme.

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