RECIPE: Two-ingredient lemon chicken and cauliflower rice

This lemon chicken and cauliflower rice recipe is an easy, healthy mid-semester staple that only takes two ingredients. The best part: students can get both ingredients for free from Cats Cupboard on 1021 Denison Ave.

There are two ways to make this recipe, depending on how much time, energy and resources are available. The simple version only takes two ingredients, ten minutes and no dishes to cook, making it perfect for students in a rush. If that’s too basic, this dish can be amplified with a skillet and a few extra household ingredients. Either way, this dish is entirely free and takes less than 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients

From Cats Cupboard:

1 10 oz package of TJ Farms Riced Veggies Cauliflower

1 2.6 oz package of StarKist Chicken Creations Zesty Lemon Pepper

Fresh thyme (optional)

From home:

2 tablespoons of minced garlic (optional)

1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil (optional)

Diced vegetables of your choosing (optional)

Preparation

The two-ingredient, no-dish version:

1. Following the instructions on the package, microwave the cauliflower rice for 6 minutes, right side up, to steam the rice.
2. After the rice is cooked, carefully remove it from the microwave and add the chicken to the rice bag. Since the chicken is already cooked, you don’t need to worry about preparing it.
3. Mix the chicken and the cauliflower rice together and reclose the bag. This allows the heat from the steamed rice to warm up the chicken.
4. After a minute or two, reopen the bag, add some extra seasoning if your heart desires, and eat either on a plate or straight from the bag.

The amplified version:

1. Following the instructions on the package, microwave the cauliflower rice for 6 minutes, right side up, to steam the rice.
2. While the rice is cooking, add butter and minced garlic to a skillet over low heat until fragrant. Garlic burns fast, so don’t walk away!
3. Add chicken and vegetables of your choice to the skillet and sauté until the chicken is golden brown.
4. Add the rice to the skillet with the chicken and veggies, stirring with a spoon. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. 
5. Serve warm. For plating, I used a spoon to shape the entree into a dome. Drizzle the final product with olive oil, and garnish with some fresh thyme.