One Pan Spicy Chicken Thighs & Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Don't you just love meals that come together in one pan?  I absolutely love my cast iron pan.  It makes dishes like this easy and aesthetically pleasing- nothing more homey than sitting down together at the table with a hot pan of goodness.

If you don't have a cast iron pan- no worries.  Just use a skillet for the stove top portion and then transfer it to a baking dish to go into the oven.

Seasoning and searing the chicken thighs in the pan first, helps get the skin nice and crispy and cuts down on the time this dish spends in the oven.

The smell of cauliflower drives my husband CRAZY.  But once it's seasoned and cooked- he eats i happily.  So don't let the idea (or smell) of cauliflower stop you from trying this recipe!  You can also buy frozen riced cauliflower and skip the smell :)


One Pan Spicy Chicken Thighs 
& 
Mexican Cauliflower Rice

 Ingredients:
Spicy Chicken Thighs-

  • 2 T avocado (or olive) oil
  • 4 chicken thighs (bone in, skin on)
  • 1 t sea salt
  • 1 t chili powder
  • 1 t paprika
Mexican Cauliflower Rice-
  • 3 C cauliflower florets (stems removed and washed)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped (more or less to your taste)
  • 3-4 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 jalapeno finely chopped (more or less to your taste)
  • 2 tomatoes finely chopped
  • 3/4 C diced bell peppers (more or less to your taste)
  • 1 t cumin
  • 1/2 t paprika
  • 1 T chopped cilantro
  • 1/4-1/3 C tomato sauce
  • salt to taste
  • More cilantro, sliced avocados, jalapenos, lime juice etc for topping
  1. Heat avocado oil over medium high heat in a a cast iron skillet.
  2. Season chicken thighs with salt, chili powder, and paprika.
  3. Place chicken thighs, skin side down, in pan for 6 minutes- let it be!  While the chicken is cooking, use your food processor to pulse or shred cauliflower florets.  It should resemble rice, but be careful- if you pulse too long it will begin to get mushy.
  4. Flip chicken and sear for 1-2 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and set aside.
  6. Add 1 additional tablespoon of oil (if needed), onions, garlic, and jalapeno to pan.  Cook until tender.
  7. Add tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt and cilantro.  Cook until soft.
  8. Add bell peppers and cauliflower rice.  Cook for 3 minutes until heated through.
  9. Mix in tomato sauce- amount depends on how much liquid you think your rice needs.  I used about 1/3 of a cup, but I think I also used too much cauliflower rice!
  10. Add chicken thighs back into pan with rice.
  11. Transfer to 375 degree oven for 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.
  12. Serve with additional cilantro, avocado, lime, etc.  
Enjoy :)

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