Chicken Pineapple Stir Fry with Cauliflower Fried "Rice" Recipe

Hi!

I have a delicious and super healthy dinner recipe for you! Chicken Pineapple Stir Fry with Cauliflower Fried “Rice”

The most important part of making a stir fry is having everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. Otherwise known as your “mise en place”

My mise en place! Mise en Place translates to “everything in it’s place”. This took me about 30 minutes to prep.

The stir fry cooks very quickly so it is important to have everything prepped and ready to go. I really think this is important for any recipe because it makes it so much easier when you start cooking.

For the veggies I went with 1 red bell pepper, 1 green bell pepper, Chinese long beans, scallions, and Thai basil. Just veggies I had on hand!

For the sauce I mixed together soy sauce, chili crisp, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and a bit of cornstarch.

First I made the cauliflower rice. In the pan went coconut oil, chopped garlic and chopped ginger. Sauteed over high heat for 1 minute before adding in the cauliflower rice. Stir for another 2 minutes and then crack an egg in the center of the “rice”. Use a fork to scramble the egg in the pan and then toss with the cauliflower. Add in 2 tsp soy sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper. My brother thought it needed more egg so feel free to use two if you prefer your fried “rice” to be a bit more eggy.

Top with some scallions and sesame seeds and boom, done! I also topped it with a bit of this togarashi seasoning

This is totally optional. I found this at whole foods but you can find just plain Togarashi in a lot of asian food aisles. Togarashi is a Japanese red pepper blend seasoning that usually contains notes of orange and sesame. It’s really mild and has a delicious bright flavor. Back when I worked at an Asian restaurant we used a lot of Togarashi in the recipes.

For the stir fry, in a large skillet over high heat coat the pan with oil. Then add in the chicken and allow to brown for 2 minutes on one side. Use tongs to flip the pieces over and cook for about 1 more minute. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Then add in the veggies directly to the pan the chicken was just in(bell peppers, garlic, ginger, and long beans) and stir stir stir. After 2 minutes add in the pineapple and chicken along with the stir fry sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Turn off the heat and add in the basil and scallions. Season to taste and top with the cashews and sesame seeds.

So delicious! I love cooked pineapple (I’m one of those pineapple on pizza gals, don’t come for me hah) and I think pineapple in stir fry’s and fried rice is especially delicious. I love when healthy meals are also super flavorful and satisfying. This is definitely that!

Chicken Pineapple Stir Fry with Cauliflower Fried “Rice”

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp (divided) cornstarch
3 tbsp neutral oil (coconut oil, canola, or grape seed)
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cups Chinese long beans (or regular green beans) cut in 2 inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp minced fresh ginger
6 scallions, chopped
1 cup fresh basil leaves (Thai basil or regular)
20 oz (about 6 cups) riced cauliflower
2 cups fresh pineapple, chopped
½ cup plus 2 tsp (divided) soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp oyster sauce (or hoisin)
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chili crisp (or crushed red pepper flakes)
1 egg
Salt and pepper
⅓ cup roasted salted cashews, roughly chopped
Optional (togarashi and sesame seeds for garnish)

Instructions:

Toss chicken in a bowl with a couple generous pinches of salt and pepper and 2 tbsp of cornstarch. Toss together until all chicken pieces are coated, set aside.
Mix together the sauce: ½ cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp chili crisp, 1 tbsp sesame oil, and 1 tsp of cornstarch. Set aside.
First make the cauliflower fried “rice”. In a medium saute pan heat 1.5 tbsp oil over high heat. Add in half the minced garlic and half the minced ginger. Stir until just lightly golden then add in the cauliflower rice. Continue stirring for about 2 minutes. Make a hole in the center of the pan and crack the egg into the center. With a fork scramble the egg directly in the pan and then mix together with the cauliflower. Add in a pinch of salt and pepper as well as 2 tsp soy sauce. Top with half the chopped scallions and optional sesame seeds.
For the stir fry, heat a large skillet (or wok) over high heat. Add in 1.5 tbsp oil. Add in the chicken and allow one side to brown for 2 minutes. Use tongs to flip the chicken pieces over, cook for 1 minute and then remove the chicken from the pan.
To the same pan, add in the remaining chopped garlic and ginger, as well as the bell peppers and beans. Cook stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
Add in the pineapple and chicken back into the pan with the veggies. Pour in the sauce, and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly. After 3 minutes turn heat off and stir in the basil and scallions. Season to taste. Top with cashews and optional sesame seeds and serve warm alongside the cauliflower rice.

Notes:

Feel free to substitute chopped broccoli or brussel sprouts for the beans if you prefer either of those.
If you can’t find the pre “riced” cauliflower in the store just take one head of cauliflower, roughly chop it, and then place the cauliflower in the food processor until the pieces are similar in size to rice.
Chili Crisp is a condiment that can be found in some asian food aisles. It is basically just dried chilis mixed with oil.
You can use drained canned pineapple instead of fresh if you have that on hand.

My Mom said this was “blog worthy” and you know she’s definitely not biased 😉 I promise this was really delicious and worth trying. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list, once everything is prepped the dish comes together quickly.

Have a great day everyone 🙂

xx Chelcie