Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Roasted Chickpeas

Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Roasted Chickpeas – this dish is a must try. Loaded with delicious Indian flavors, you certainly won’t miss the carbs!

I’ll admit it, I’m on a health kick right now and I’m making all kinds of yummy healthy dishes which I’ll share with you. Maybe it’s because summer is almost here, but whatever the reason, I’m inspired. But cauliflower fried rice? Yeah well I’ve brought you before my cheesy cauliflower breadsticks which are unbelievably good, so why not fried rice? It’s really simple to make too, all you need is a food processor to rice your cauliflower, but don’t worry if you don’t have a food processor. A lot of readers have commented that you can now find already riced cauliflower in certain grocery stores. 

So let’s dissect this dish a little bit, because I love every aspect of this dish. Let’s start with those roasted chickpeas! Before you ask, yes you can use store bought roasted chickpeas, why not? However if you want to make your own, they’re very simple to make, all you have to do is toss them with some spices, then roast them in the oven for 20 or 30 minutes until nice and crispy. My spices of choice here were cumin, smoked paprika and garlic powder then I lightly seasoned them with some sea salt and ground pepper. These are now my latest favorite snack, so good!

To get those great Indian flavors here I used spices like garam masala, turmeric, cayenne pepper then of course some garlic and ginger. You can now find these spices in your regular grocery store in the spice aisle. The chicken is cooked in all these spices and let me tell you, it packs some heat. Use as much cayenne pepper as you want to control the heat.

The cauliflower rice doesn’t require long to cook at all, only about 4 minutes or so. That’s what’s so great about this dish, once you have your chickpeas done, your cauliflower riced, it takes only a few minutes to put it all together, especially if you buy your cauliflower riced already. I hope you give this faux cauliflower fried rice a try, another great way to fool your kids into eating more veggies, while not sacrificing on big and bold flavors.

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Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Roasted Chickpeas

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

45 mins

 

Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Roasted Chickpeas - this dish is a must try. Loaded with delicious Indian flavors, you certainly won't miss the carbs!

Servings: 4

Calories: 365 kcal

Author: Joanna Cismaru

Ingredients

For Roasted Chickpeas

• 1 cup canned chickpeas drained
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste

For Indian Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken

• 1 large head cauliflower broken into florets
• 2 chicken breasts boneless and skinless cut in 1 inch cubes
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garam masala*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground turmeric**
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 clove garlic minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl toss together the chickpeas with he smoked paprika, cumin and garlic powder. Make sure each chickpea is covered in spices. Spread the chickpeas in an even layer over the prepared baking sheet.
3. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes or until dry and crispy on the outside.
4. Meanwhile place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles the texture of rice. You will probably have to do this in a couple batches. Place in a bowl and set aside.
5. In a medium bowl combine the cumin, garam masala, salt, turmeric and cayenne pepper. Add the chicken pieces and toss and make sure each chicken piece is coated in the spice mixture.
6. In a large wok or skillet heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil over medium hight heat. Add the minced garlic and ginger and cook for 10 seconds. Add the chicken to the wok and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes or until the chicken is no longer pink and starts to brown a bit. Stir as necessary to make sure the chicken cooks on all sides.
7. Remove the chicken from the wok. Add the remaining 1 tbsp of olive oil and add onion, carrots and peas. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower rice and stir well, then cook for another 4 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Return chicken to wok and heat through.
8. Serve while warm topped with the roasted chickpeas and cilantro.

Recipe Notes

You will have more chickpeas than needed for this dish, so just store them in an airtight container and snack on them.

 

*Garam Masala is used in Indian cuisine and it's a blend of spices such as cloves, peppercorns, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin and bay leaf.

 

**Turmeric is a spice that has a peppery, warm and bitter flavor and is or yellow/orange color.

 

Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on products used.

More delicious recipes from my kitchen

Cheesy Cauliflower Tots

Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks

Roasted Cauliflower and Mushrooms Carbonara Pasta