Southwest Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole {Protein Packed}

I love finding new recipes, and I love tweaking things up to make it just what I want. I got the idea for this recipe from Fit Foodie Finds. They have fabulous recipes, by the way. I wanted to make this lower in carb and higher in protein. So I tweaked things around and also added cauliflower for some added veggies. Cauliflower is so versatile and I love how filling it is with very few calories. You know, save the carbs for ice cream after the kids are in bed! #carbsafterdark

I made this recipe early in the day, put a lid on the casserole dish and pulled it out to bake an hour before wanting to eat. It worked perfectly! And it came together in a flash. And my kids also gobbled it up. I have to say the addition of smoked paprika (I looooove smoked paprika) gives the flavor a great boost! Delicious!

Enjoy my friend!

Yield: 8 servings

Southwest Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2″ (bite size) pieces
3/4 cup (135 g) jasmine rice
1 (15 oz) can sweet corn, drained
1/2 (120 g) medium yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (you can use 1/2 tsp garlic powder if you prefer)
1/2 head of cauliflower (~575 g), chopped into bite size pieces
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 (16 oz) jar salsa (I use LaVictoria brand)
1/4 (~4 g) cup cilantro
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons chili powder
(1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if you didn't use fresh garlic)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 oz Colby Jack cheese, grated
optional garnish:
cilantro, green onion, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc

Instructions

Grease a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl combine smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper (and garlic powder if you aren't using fresh garlic). Stir to combine and set aside.

In a large bowl combine: chicken breast, jasmine rice, corn, onion, garlic, cauliflower, 1/2 the amount of chicken broth called for (you'll use the rest at a later time), salsa, cilantro. Stir to combine. Add the mixed seasonings to the chicken mixture and toss to combine.

Spread mixture evenly in the casserole dish. Top with remaining chicken broth. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. This helps steam the rice, so make sure it's nice and tight. Bake 50 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese and bake another 10 minutes to get cheese bubbly (you can broil for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, watching it closely if you want to brown the cheese a little bit).

Top with any desired toppings. Macros do not include optional garnishes/toppings.

Notes

MFP Reference:

“Biceps After Babies Southwest Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole”

Macros for one serving (1/8 of sauce recipe)

Cal 271 P 27.6 g C 26.2 g F 5.9 g

PRO TIP: Serving size is 1/8 of the recipe. Since cook times vary and other factors can affect the weight of your food. You can weigh the cooked weight of the meal in grams and subtract the weight of the pan and divide that by 8 to see how many grams one serving is.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1/8 of recuoe
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 271Total Fat: 5.9gCarbohydrates: 26.2gProtein: 27.6g

Southwest Chicken & Cauliflower Casserole {Protein Packed}