Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole |Cooking With Amanda

Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole Photo

And there you have it. We have ANOTHER way to eat cauliflower.

I mean, liiike, once I discovered the wonderful creations that are cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza, cauliflower mashed potatoes ANDDDD cauliflower steaks, I figured that cauliflower's work here is DONE.

Vegetables can USUALLY only go so far you know? But APPARENTLY, this crunchy, colorless, seemingly ULTRA-boring veggie friend of ours is breaking ALL THE RULES.

Rainbow Thai Peanut Chicken Cauliflower CASSEROLE. It's a new thing that I've been eating left, right, center, up down and forever since it entered the land of my food dreams. Think super thick and creamy deliciousness with a mish-mash of vibrantly-rainbow-colored tender-crisp and crunchy veggies. THENTHENTHEN, think of that ALLL mixed up with double-the-nutty peanut butter AND peanut butter powder, and bursting with tangy lime juice and salty fish sauce.

With sriracha. Because I know that your mouth loves the combination of creamy coconut milk, slightly-sweet peanut butter with juuuuust a hint of spice to keep those taste buds tingling.

Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole Picture

Is there truly anything better than Thai peanut ANYTHING guys? I'm beginning to think that there is not.

When in doubt, whip the Thai Peanut out! Or something.

So, behind the scenes scoop of my life moment happening right now. When I was making this recipe to bring to your peanut-y food loving faces, I almost THREW IT OUT. Like, in the garbage, out the window, whatever, just get out of my kitchen! Guys, before this ultra-simple and totally weeknight-friendly casserole went into the oven it was just B-L-A-H.

Liiiiike, I made The Huberoni try some of it pre-cooking and asked him what he thought. His response was PREE MUCH the worst thing that you could ever say to a food blogger. EVER.

"It's good. But I wouldn't be excited about eating it."

Just like the casserole: My healthy, but TASTY, food blogging goals went OUT the window. Crash and BURN.

The last ditch effort was to chuck it in the oven and hope. Fingers and toes CROSSED.

Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole Image

Then 40 minutes later happened and it was time to come out of the oven. CAN YOU FEEL THE NERVOUS ENERGY THAT WAS IN THE KITCHEN? I might be being a little bit dramatic but, guys, use your imagination. It's ALL about the STORY.

It smelled good. It didn't look good. BUT, in casseroles defense, do they EVER look beautiful? Exactly.

Finally. It was time for THE BITE. My teeth sunk into each still-crisp and colorful vegetable and my tongue tasted the salty-sweet combination of coconut sugar and fish sauce, followed up by a PUNCH of peanuty-flavor with a hint of heat. Plus, tender, protein-packed chicken in EVERY. SINGLE. MOUTHFUL.

UHMMM WHOA. Love at 400 degrees HAPPENING BIG TIME.

Rainbow Thai Peanut Chicken Casserole. I will never almost throw you out the window again.

The only place that this casserole will be thrown is straight up into YOUR FACE.

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Thai Chicken Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

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Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds cauliflower, roughly chopped, about 7 heaping cups chopped
8 ounces chicken breast
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 cup peanut butter powder
1/4 cup natural peanut butter, plus 2 tablespoons
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon sriracha chili sauce, plus 1 teaspoon and additional for garnish, if desired
1 tablespoon coconut sugar
juice of one large lime
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup snow peas, halved
1 cup red bell pepper, chopped, 1 large pepper
1 cup red cabbage, finely chopped
3/4 cup carrot, thinly sliced, about 1 large carrot
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced, plus additional for garnish
diced green onion, for garnish
toasted peanuts, for garnish

Directions

Preheat your oven to 400°F and spray a casserole dish with cooking spray.
Place the cauliflower into a large, microwave-safe bowl and add some water into the bottom. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and microwave until the cauliflower is fork tender, about 15 minutes.
While the cauliflower cooks, bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Cut the chicken into small chunks and place it into the boiling water. Cook until it is no longer pink inside, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside.
Drain out the water from the cauliflower and place the cauliflower into a large food processor. Add in the coconut milk and process until the cauliflower is smooth and creamy.
Add in all the remaining ingredients, up to the snow peas, and blend until smooth and well mixed, scraping down the sides as necessary. Transfer to a large bowl.
Take the cooled, cooked chicken and shred it with two forks.
Add it into the cauliflower mixture, along with the peas, pepper, cabbage, carrots and cilantro. Stir until well combined.
Scoop the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and spread out evenly. Cover the dish and bake for until the sides of the casserole begin to brown, about 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake until the top is golden brown, about another 10 minutes.
Let cool before serving and then garnish with additional cilantro, green onion, peanuts and sriracha (if desired.)
DEVOUR.