A creamy sauce dotted with bits of softened celery and caramelized onion. Topped with strips of chicken thighs popping with the flavors of oregano, thyme, basil, and rosemary. This chicken and rice casserole is everything you’d want to come home to at the end of a long day.
Of course, by “rice” we mean the paleo and grain-free variety that’s made with cauliflower. If you want to add a little more plant power to your meal, serve alongside Roasted Balsamic Portobello Mushrooms, Cherry Tomatoes & Asparagus , cherry tomatoes and asparagus.
Paleo Zesty Italian Chicken and Rice
- 4.3 stars
- 35m
- 1h 30m
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thigh, or chicken breast
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/2 onion
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1/4 c cassava flour
- 8 oz coconut milk
- 2 c filtered water
- 1 tbsp. dried minced onion
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325F. Chop chicken. Dice celery and onion. Break cauliflower into florets. Use a food processor to pulse cauliflower florets into a rice-like texture.
- In a bowl, mix together chicken, 1/3 of the olive oil, 1/2 of the Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat remaining olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute until beginning to soften.
- Make a roux by sprinkling in flour while continuously stirring for about two minutes.
- Slowly whisk in coconut milk and water to make a thick sauce. Let simmer for 8-10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix minced onion, garlic powder, the remaining Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl.
- In a baking pan, mix together cauliflower rice, sauce, and seasoning mix. Add chicken and balsamic vinegar and mix to combine.
- Cover and bake for 35-45 minutes, until rice and chicken are cooked through.
Nutrition
- 536
- 23g
- 20g
- 4g
- 38g
- 17g
- 110mg
- 4g
- 807mg
Kimberly
I liked it. We thought it was good and filling. I guess you have to like coconut cream gravy and cauliflower.
Jennifer
kids liked it. I used penzeys peppercorn ranch mix instead of Italian seasoning.
Maggie
Total fail. The ratio of liquid in this recipe is wrong. If this was made with regular rice then the liquid would have been absorbed but it wasn’t and the dish was just soup casserole. Not impressed and will not be making this again. I wonder if I am the only one who did not like this recipe.
Carolyn Weinbaum
Creamy texture, great taste. Will mark as a favorite and make again.
Reidun Carol Retterholt
Omg, this was sooo delicious! I loved every flavor, every bite! Thank you so much for this
Pamela
Great casserole. This was delicious, creamy but does not taste like coconut. It is also very easy to make as you just throw everything in one dish and let it cook in the oven. There is no need to mix everything up in separate bowls first as the recipe states, that would only make more dishes to clean. My husband said it was the best thing I’d made lately.