Chicken cauliflower fried rice
Takeout-style fried rice with juicy chicken, scrambled egg and crisp vegetables, made with cauliflower so it’s light but filling.
- 35 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- A little more hands-on
- Serves 2
- About $5.02 a serving
- 590 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 4 stalks green onions, sliced, whites and greens kept apart
- 1 package riced cauliflower, 12 oz bag
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tsp sesame oil
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
Each serving has about 590 calories, 55 g protein, 20 g carbs and 33 g fat, and costs about $5.02 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No boneless chicken thighs? Chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins work.
- No shredded carrots? Carrots work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No riced cauliflower? Frozen cauliflower rice works.
- No coconut aminos? Gluten-free tamari or soy sauce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Cut the chicken into ½-inch pieces, the garlic, the green onions, and beat the eggs in a small bowl. Line it all up by the stove.
Mince. Mincing means chopping something into the tiniest pieces you can, smaller than a grain of rice. Tiny pieces melt into the dish, so you get the flavor without biting into a chunk of garlic.
How you’ll know: Every piece is tiny and about the same size, and the pile starts to look almost like a paste.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Dolly’s tip: Fried rice moves fast. Having everything chopped before the pan gets hot is the whole trick.Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large over medium-high heat, add the chicken and of salt, and cook 5 to 6 minutes, now and then, until .
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 5 min 30 sec
Food safety: Chicken is done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
Push the chicken to one side, pour the eggs into the empty space, and them gently for 1 minute, until just set. Tip the chicken and eggs into a bowl.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Add the rest of the oil, the carrot, garlic and green onion whites, and for 1 minute, .
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Fragrant. Fragrant means cooking until you can clearly smell it, usually garlic or spices, often in about 30 seconds. That’s the moment the flavor is ready, just before it can burn.
How you’ll know: You can smell it from a step back, and garlic is pale gold, not brown.
High heatTimer: 1 min
Add the cauliflower rice and the rest of the salt, spread it out, and cook 5 minutes, every minute, until tender and in spots.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
High heatTimer: 5 min
Dolly’s tip: Spread it flat and let it sit between stirs. That’s how it toasts instead of steaming.Return the chicken and eggs, add the coconut aminos, and for 1 minute to .
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Heat through. Heating through means warming food that’s already cooked until it’s hot all the way to the center. You’re not cooking it more, just making sure no part is still cold.
How you’ll know: It’s steaming, and a piece from the middle is hot, not lukewarm.
High heatTimer: 1 min
Take the pan off the heat, with the sesame oil, and top with the green onion tops.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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