Cajun comfort food with a healthy, Whole30 twist
Cajun Chicken and Cauli Rice Bowls
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Can we just all agree that anything served in a bowl is just better than something served on a plate? Why is it so much more fun? Is it because you can perfectly nestle it on a pillow and curl up on the couch while eating? Or that it kind of forces all of your food to meld together and be super awesome? Who knows but it is GREAT.
I’ve been making a lot of foods ahead of time and heating them up to create different bowl varieties during my Whole30 journey. This Cajun Chicken is incredibly easy because, yep, you guessed it – it’s made in your slow cooker! I often make a big batch of cauli (cauliflower) rice in the beginning of the week and heat it when the time comes to eat!
There’s nothing fancy about this recipe and that’s JUST the way I like it. Read food, boldly flavored, and prepared easily. I’m always a huge fan of Cajun cooking,.I have very fond memories of wandering St. Charles Ave in New Orleans with some of my sweetest friends; it will always be a city close to my heart. Oh, and they seriously know good food.
I always make my own Cajun seasoning. Surprisingly so, you probably have all of the ingredients in your pantry, and it’s great to be able to control the sodium level and make sure it is preservative-free. I use Emeril’s recipe. I’ll explain my method for cauli rice below, I do use a food processor, but you can use a box grater, too. Here is the food processor that I use (and LOVE) if you’re in the market:*
Let’s get to it!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Green bell peppers
Red bell pepper
Onion
Celery
Canned, crushed tomato
Cajun seasoning – I use THIS recipe (if you use a store-bought version be on the lookout for MSG)
Cauliflower
Salt
Olive oil
WHAT YOU’LL DO (measurements below):
Take out your slow cooker and place the chicken on the bottom of the pot. Chop all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces. Add them into the slow cooker on top of the chicken. Pour the crushed tomato over top and sprinkle in the Cajun seasoning. Set this on low for 8 hours.
Right before you’re ready to serve the chicken, cut the stems off of the cauliflower florets, and add the florets into a food processor. Pulse until they break up into fine, rice sized pieces. You may need to stop and stir a few times to make sure they are evenly processed.
Heat a pan on medium-high heat with olive oil. Pour the cauliflower rice out onto a dish towel and twist the sides up around the cauliflower. Take the towel over the sink and ring it out so the liquid is drawn out of the “rice”. Once the liquid is drained, pour the cauliflower into the heated pan and toast for about 5 minutes, sprinkling the salt in. When some of the cauliflower starts to brown, remove it from the heat and scoop some into a bowl.
Open up the slow cooker, and shred the chicken with a fork or tongs. Pour the Cajun chicken over the cauliflower rice and enjoy!
xoxx,
Miss AK
Cajun Chicken and Cauli Rice Bowls
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 3 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 green bell peppers
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 large, white onion
- 6 stalks of celery
- 28 oz can of crushed tomato
- 3 Tbsp of cajun seasoning – make your own or look for a brand containing NO MSG for Whole30
- 1 cauliflower head
- 1/2 tsp of salt (for seasoning cauliflower rice)
- 1 tsp of olive oil
Instructions
- Take out your slow cooker and place the chicken on the bottom of the pot.
- Chop all of your vegetables into bite sized pieces. Add them into the slow cooker on top of the chicken. Pour the crushed tomato over top and sprinkle the Cajun seasoning. Set this on low for 8 hours.
- Right before you’re ready to serve the chicken, cut the stems off of the cauliflower florets, and add the florets into a food processor. Pulse until they break up into fine, rice sized pieces. You may need to stop and stir a few times to make sure they are evenly processed.
- Heat a pan over medium-high heat with olive oil.
- Pour the cauliflower rice out onto a dish towel and twist the sides up around the cauliflower. Take the towel over the sink and ring it out so the liquid is drawn out of the “rice”.
- Once the liquid is drained, pour the cauliflower into the heated pan and toast for about 5 minutes, sprinkling the salt in. When some of the cauliflower starts to brown, remove it from the heat and scoop some into a bowl.
- Open up the slow cooker, and shred the chicken with a fork or tongs.
- Pour the Cajun chicken over the cauliflower rice and enjoy!
OTHER WHOLE30 COMPLIANT RECIPIES #ONTHEBLOG:
Dairy Free Tomato Soup and Cauliflower Steak
Beanless White Kale Chicken Slow Cooker Chili
Apple Walnut Stuffed Tenderloin
Venison Shepherd’s Pie (please use ghee – not butter)
Sausage and Peppers in Acorn Squash
Mini Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
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Ellie | Hungry by Nature says
YES! I really need to up my slow cooker game and this looks so dreamy and comforting! And I love how simple the cajun spice mix is 🙂
Emily says
I love making our own seasoning for dishes too, and I totally agree that things some how taste better in a bowl… It’s amazing how God made us in different ways to enjoy different kinds of foods in different dishes. The human brain is pretty amazing isn’t it? And this looks so good… I love chicken and rice, and cauliflower rice sounds pretty delicious too.
Emily Weir says
We’ve been loving all things cajun since our trip to NOLA in November. I’ve never tried making my own seasoning, but with all of those ingredients already in my spice drawer it couldn’t be easier!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
Anything served in a bowl IS better! (Why I only eat out of a bowl now 🙂 )
Miss AK says
HAHAHA SAME! So, I have this large white one (pictured) and I eat like every meal out of it!
Ashley @ The Small Town Foodie says
Apparently we were both feeling the spicy chicken and cauliflower rice today. I never thought about making my own Cajun seasoning. This looks so good Allie!
Miss AK says
It’s so easy, you’ll LOVE! And yes we are! Great minds!
rachel @ athletic avocado says
I think we can all agree that bowl food= SOUL FOOD! Loving all of your whole30 recipe creations! They all look so good 🙂
Miss AK says
Thanks girl! All about that comfort food!
Tonny says
Thank you so much for your work.It’s very helping to me.give me some advice.I will wait for your reply