30 Minute Fiesta Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Skillet | One Pan, Keto
Fiesta chicken and cauliflower rice skillet is an easy one pan low carb meal ready in just 30 minutes. Tender riced cauliflower, sautéed with Tex-mex spices, topped with gooey melted cheese and shredded chicken. This simple and hearty skillet makes an quick and healthy low carb high protein meal that can be made with leftover rotisserie chicken.
Packed with vitamins c and 41g of protein, this low carb meal has only 9g of net carbs per serving. A healthy family friendly cauliflower rice skillet perfect for busy weeknights and meal prepping.
This recipe is part of my 30 minute keto meal series and my every growing list of keto meal prep ideas.
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Tender riced cauliflower with peppers, Rotel spiced tomatoes, Tex-mex spices, onions, gooey melted cheese and meaty shredded chicken. Made with fresh or leftover rotisserie chicken, this easy low carb meal is perfect for the whole family and makes delicious leftovers.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- A simple recipe with very little prep work.
- Made with fresh chicken, or leftover rotisserie chicken.
- A complete meal that uses only a single pan for quick clean up.
- Made with low carb cauliflower rice, packed with protein and vitamin C, this is a healthy keto recipe.
- Keto friendly, this low carb meal is perfect for weeknight dinners and meal prep.
About This Recipe
Fiesta chicken and cauliflower rice skillet is a flavour packed one pan meal. Pan fried riced cauliflower is seasoned with classic tex-mex spices and topped with shredded chicken, peppers, onions, and gooey cheddar cheese.
This convenient recipe can make use of leftover cooked chicken, store bought rotisserie chicken, or fresh shredded chicken for a fast and easy low carb dinner or keto meal prep idea.
Every bite of this low carb rice skillet is packed with flavour and beneficial protein.
What is in This Low Carb Rice Skillet
This fiesta rice skillet made with easy to find ingredients and spices to make a simple low carb dinner you can enjoy over and over again.
- Shredded Cooked Chicken – This is a great recipe for using up leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. If you are using fresh raw chicken, make sure you cook it through first in the air fryer, oven, or by pan frying. A mix of dark and light meat will have the most flavour.
- Riced cauliflower – You can make your own homemade cauliflower rice from fresh cauliflower, or buy pre-riced cauliflower from the grocery store either fresh or frozen.
- Red onion – Adds a nice bite with a hint of sweetness. Lower carb options are yellow or white onion, although red onion, or shallots are definitely worth it.
- Diced peppers – Fresh bell pepper as well as something with some heat like chopped jalapeno, poblano or serrano peppers give this skillet some wonderful flavour. To tame the heat of this skillet remove the white pith (placenta) and seeds form the hot pepper before chopping. For an extra spicy skillet use scotch bonnets, ghost pepper, or Thai chilies.
- Rotel or Diced tomatoes – Rotel is a wonderful pantry staple that is surprisingly low in net carbs. Canned diced tomatoes with green chilies pack a nice punch. In place of Rotel you can use canned diced tomatoes, or fire roasted diced tomatoes.
- Tex Mex Spices – Borrowed mostly from Mexican cuisine this rice skillet is seasoned with, cumin, coriander, chili powder, ancho or chipotle chili powder, Mexican oregano (or regular oregano) and smoked paprika (hot or regular paprika is fine as well).
- Cheddar Cheese – A nice sharp cheddar gives this low carb rice skillet a gooey cheesy topping. Instead of cheddar you can try Monterrey jack, pepper jack, cotija, gouda, or any of your favourite cheeses.
- Fresh toppings – Adding some freshly chopped cilantro, green onions, and hot peppers before serving gives this rice skillet a fresh bright flavour with some added texture.
- Optional toppings – Serve this one pan meal with some optional toppings people can use to customize their plates. Sour cream, quick pickled onion, salsa, pico de gallo, or guacamole are great choices.
How to Make Riced Cauliflower
Cauliflower rice can be made right at home using kitchen tools you probably already have on hand like a food processor, cheese grater, or even a knife and cutting board.
To learn everything you could want to know about making homemade cauliflower rice that actually tastes good, check out this dedicated post on keto cauliflower rice.
How to Cook Shredded Chicken
This low carb rice skillet is meant to use cooked leftover chicken, or store bought rotisserie chicken, which you shred or dice into small pieces.
If you are starting with fresh raw chicken, make sure its cooked through using any of the methods below.
Air Fryer
- Rub the chicken with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook at 400°F for 15-25 minutes depending on the size and cut of the chicken you are using.
- Allow the chicken to cool enough to handle and then shred, dice, or chop the chicken into small, bite sized pieces.
Stove top (Pan fried)
- Heat oil, butter, or ghee in a skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet and cook for 6-8 minutes per side until the chicken is full cooked through.
- Allow the chicken to cool and rest for several minutes and then shred or chop the chicken into bite sized pieces.
Oven roasting
- Remove any skin from the chicken (you can use them to make delicious chicken nacho chips).
- Pat the chicken dry with a pepper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper. If you are using lean chicken breast, rub with olive oil first.
- Place on a foil lined baking sheet and bake at 375°F [190°C] for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 165°F [74°C].
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let it cool and rest for several minutes before dicing or shredding into bite sized pieces.
Grill/BBQ
- Heat the grill to medium heat.
- Rub oil, salt, and pepper over the skinless chicken.
- Place on the hot grill, cooking for 3-5 minutes per side until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165°F [74°C].
- Remove the chicken from the heat, and allow it to rest before slicing, shredding or dicing.
Recipe Variations to Try
This rice skillet is incredibly versatile and easy to customise by adding your preffered spices, cooked proteins, and vegetables.
Add a different protein: This recipe uses shredded cooked chicken as the main protein, but changing that for taco meat, pulled pork, or seasoned shrimp can make this fun skillet a whole new meal for you to enjoy. Try to make use of leftover proteins you aren’t sure what to do with like grilled steak.
Add more vegetables: If you are looking for a way to pack in more veggies than this skillet is a great way to accomplish that. Make sure whatever you add is sautéed until tender. Broccoli, peas, corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes are all great additions.
Make it spicy: Tex-mex is inspired by Mexican cuisine and spice is a quintessential part of Mexican food. Chopped jalapenos, serranos, chipotle in adobo sauce, or chilies and some much desired heat to this skillet.
Make Ahead, Meal Prep, and Leftovers
This one pan meal can be made in advance and meal prepped as a low carb packed lunch or used as a quick and simple weeknight dinner.
Meal Prepping and Storage
Allow the fully cooked Tex-mex cauliflower rice to cool. Divide evenly between 4-6 containers depending on your preferred serving size or one large container if storing leftovers.
Store meal prepped or leftovers sealed in the fridge for up to 5 days.
For more low carb meal prep ideas, check out this post with over 60 amazing keto meal prep ideas.
Reheating
Microwave: Heat leftovers on high for 1-2 minutes until warmed through.
Stove-top: Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the leftovers and heat, stirring occasionally until warmed through.
Serve with fresh garnish, toppings, and cheese if desired.
Recipe Card
30 minute Fiesta Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Skillet (Keto)
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Food Processor optional for making cauliflower rice
- box grater optional for making cauliflower rice
- large skillet or frying pan
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons butter/oil
- 1 small red onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 large jalapeno or 1 poblano or green pepper diced
- 1 small red pepper diced
- ½ cup Rotel diced tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes
- 1 large cauliflower or 2 lb cauliflower rice riced
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ancho or chipotle chili powder
- 3 tablespoons vinegar apple cider, red wine, or white
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander ground
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ lb cooked chicken shredded
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese shredded
Optional Toppings:
- ⅓ cup cilantro chopped
- 2 stalks green onion sliced
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 large jalapeno chopped
- sour cream
- salsa
- guacamole
Instructions
- Sauté onions and garlic. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the red onion, season lightly with salt, and sauté for 3-5 minutes until the onion begins to soften and turns translucent. Add the minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds, stirring occasionally to avoid burning.5 tablespoons butter/oil, 1 small red onion, 2 cloves garlic
- Cook cauliflower rice until tender. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the jalapeno, red pepper, and Rotel, stir to combine, adding additional oil as needed. Add the uncooked riced cauliflower to the skillet and cook uncovered for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until to cauliflower rice begins to soften.2 large jalapeno or 1 poblano or green pepper, 1 small red pepper, ½ cup Rotel diced tomatoes, 1 large cauliflower or 2 lb cauliflower rice
- Add the spices, chicken, and vinegar. Reduce the heat to medium, and push the rice to the sides of the skillet to make a well exposing the bottom of the pan. To the well add, butter/oil, smoked paprika, ancho chili powder, cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Combine the spices and cook for 30-60 seconds before adding the shredded/diced chicken and vinegar. Stir to combine everything in the skillet together, saute for 2-3 minutes to cook off the vinegar. If the cauliflower rice is not tender enough to eat, continue cooking.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ancho or chipotle chili powder, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1½ teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 1/2 lb cooked chicken
- Melt the cheese topping. Evenly sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the rice in the skillet. Remove from the heat and allow the cheese to melt for 3-5 minutes. Optional: Place the skillet in the oven under the broiler for 2-3 minutes to brown the cheese for extra flavour.1½ cups cheddar cheese
- Garnish and serve. Garnish with chopped cilantro, and fresh lime juice before serving, as well as your choice of: chopped green onions, sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or chopped jalapeno.1/3 cup cilantro, 2 stalks green onion, 3 tbsp lime juice, 1 large jalapeno, sour cream, salsa, guacamole
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
Try the free recipe calculator at Cronometer
Enjoy!
