Even the biggest hobby cook experiences a day when he doesn’t want to spend hours in the kitchen. Sometimes you’re just lazy, and sometimes the circumstances don’t allow. We, mothers, know the best how it can be challenging to cook complicated dishes while your lovely monkeys are hanging on the chandelier. So for all those who understand what I am writing about or for those who want to try something new is my cheesy chicken cauliflower casserole dedicated.
The great thing about this keto recipe is, you have everything, main course, side dish in one baking dish. You have the cauliflower you have the chicken, and you have plenty of cheese which definitely makes you satisfied! And if you aren’t an eight members family, you’ll have a meal for two days. An excellent choice for meal prep btw., because through all the sauce and cheese the meat won’t be dry like shoe sole during the next days.
It is also my favorite trick to hide all the vegetables which kids usually reject into some cheese, creamy meals where they never recognize what they’re eating. I know, I am evil. But it works! As long as they don’t know what is inside, they eat everything and even praises how good it is. :D Yes, raising children is one huge, never-ending game, luckily I am so childish.
Don’t forget to pre-cook the cauliflower. Once I forgot and thought 20 minutes in the oven will be enough. It wasn’t. Not even after 45 minutes. So give it time, 8-10 minutes depends on the size of the florets. Try it by using a fork it should smoothly pass through the stem. But the florets shouldn’t fall apart. Don’t be afraid of overcooking it in the oven that won’t happen.
The sense of baking the chicken first in a skillet is because we want to have our meat juicy and soft. When we close the breasts in a skillet, the baking time halves and the chicken won’t dry out. But make sure you roast it no longer than one minute from each side.
Btw the sauce is my favorite lately. I could drink it pour. If you are not such a big fan of garlic (as I am), just reduce the number of garlic cloves in the recipe. And I recommend to taste it before pouring it over the chicken cauliflower, to understand what I’m talking about.
Hope you guys like this recipe! Leave a comment if so :)
Ingredients
1 cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
500g/ 1pound chicken breast cut into 1,5inches (3,5cm) wide stripes
100g/ 3,5 oz bacon, diced
2 big onions, cut into halves and then stripes
100g/ 3,5oz mozzarella cheese, grated
100g/ 3,5oz cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp capers
Salt & pepper to taste
Cooking oil: Olive oil/butter/lard
Fresh parsley to garnish
For the sauce:
250ml/ 1cup heavy cream
250g/ 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 tbsp dijon mustard
5 garlic cloves, pressed
Instructions
- Cook cauliflower florets in salted, boiling water until al-dente. (Takes around 8-10 minutes.) Drain the water, set the cauliflower aside.
- Preheat oven to 360F(180C).
- Season the chicken strips with salt & pepper. Preheat the cooking oil in a non-stick skillet and fry the chicken for one minute from each side over medium heat. (So the meat isn't pink). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Add more oil in the same skillet and over low heat stir-fry onions with bacon until onions nicely golden brown.
- In a saucepan mix all the sauce ingredients over medium-low heat until all well combined and cheese melted. Season with salt & pepper.
- Into a baking dish spread first the onion-bacon mixture, then lay chicken strips, add cauliflower florets, capers and pour over the sauce.
- Bake for 15 minutes then cover the whole dish with grated cheese and bake for 5 minutes more.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve! :)
