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Home » Recipes » Chicken Dinners

Salsa Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowls

By Laura Fuentes Updated Nov 12, 2024

5 from 36 votes

Recipe

This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy here.

These healthy chicken cauliflower rice bowls are easy to make and load up with your favorite taco toppings.

Start with cooked chicken or the 2-ingredient slow cooker salsa chicken recipe below to assemble an incredibly easy meal!

image: a white bowl filled with cauilflower rice, chicken, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and sliced olives

Cauliflower Rice Protein Bowl with Salsa Chicken 

I’m so excited because today is all about one of my favorites. Cauliflower rice bowls, burrito style. I have a thing for bowls- I’m talking about the kind loaded with a bunch of toppings and drizzles.

These Cauliflower Rice Bowls have got to be one of my all-time favorites so I think it’s about time I let you in. They’re my favorite way to meal-prep, re-use leftovers, and eat a variety of foods all at once.

Tender slow-cooker chicken topped with homemade guacamole, cheese, sour cream, black olives (and anything else I can think of) over a bed of cauliflower rice. BOOM! My mouth is watering already.

Ingredients 

Whenever I’m eating low-carb or need something to refresh my diet, I love a cauliflower rice bowl topped with salsa chicken, like a traditional burrito bowl. All the flavor, none of the guilt! Who’s with me? The ingredient measurements are on the recipe card below, but first, check what you need:

  • Chicken: you can use chicken breasts or thighs.
  • Salsa: to infuse the chicken with flavor.
  • Oil: for heating the cauliflower rice. Omit it if using the microwave.
  • Cauliflower rice: store-bought or made at home.
  • Cilantro: for freshness and extra flavor.
  • Toppings: my favorites are shredded cheddar cheese, guacamole, black olives, and sour cream.
image: ingredients for healthy low-carb burrito bowls

How to Make Salsa Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowls

First things first, this is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make. Emphasis on the easy. All you need to do is combine salsa and chicken in the slow cooker, cover, set, and go about your business. Then you heat the cauliflower rice and… that’s all! Check it out:

  1. Cook the chicken
    You place chicken and salsa in the bowl of your slow cooker and cook on high for 4 hours or 6 hours on low. 
  2. Shred the chicken
    Once cooked, you shred the chicken using two forks.
  3. Heat the cauliflower rice
    You can heat it on the stovetop or in the microwave (in this case, add water and cover it with plastic wrap). Both methods take 4 to 5 minutes. If using frozen riced cauliflower, you can steam it in a bag and follow the package directions.
  4. Add cilantro
    Once the cauliflower rice is heated through, you add cilantro and stir to combine.
  5. Build the bowl
    Now, place cauliflower rice as the base and top it with shredded salsa chicken, cheese, guacamole, black olives, sour cream, and additional cilantro.

Watch the video below to see how easily these Cauliflower Rice Bowls come together:

How to Keep Cauliflower Rice from Getting Soggy

To keep the cauliflower rice from getting soggy, you’ll need to extract as much water as possible. You can place it in a strainer, press with the back of a spoon, and try to drain any excess water. My favorite method is placing the cauliflower rice in a clean kitchen towel, closing it tight, and ringing it out over the kitchen sink.

How Many Calories in a Cauliflower Rice Bowl 

The calories in one cauliflower rice bowl will vary depending on the toppings. One serving of this cauliflower rice with salsa chicken has 225 calories without any topping. Then, you can add as many or fewer toppings as you want, changing the calorie amount.

image: Step 1 cooking low-carb burrito bowls, making the cauliflower rice on the stove in a large skillet.

Cauliflower Rice Bowl Toppings

This time, I topped my bowl of chicken and cauliflower rice with shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, and guacamole, but when it comes to toppings, we can get as creative as we want! Other go-to toppings for this meal are roasted peppers and onions, chopped broccoli, or sliced cherry tomatoes.

And don’t forget the salsas! Salsas take these bowls to a new level of deliciousness! Add fresh Cucumber salsa, this tasty Chunky Avocado Salsa, or kick up crunchiness with this Corn and Black Bean Salsa. Epic!

image: Two white bowls filled with cauilflower rice, chicken, shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream and sliced olives

Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowls

burrito bowls
Servings: 4 bowls
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 6 hours hrs
Total Time: 6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
These healthy chicken cauliflower rice bowls are easy to make and load up with your favorite taco toppings.
5 from 36 votes
Print Pin

Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

  • 1 pound chicken breasts, or thighs
  • 1 ½ cups salsa
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced (about 6 cups)
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, divided
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 4 ounces guacamole, optional
  • 4 ounces sliced black olives, optional
  • Sour cream, optional

Instructions

Cook the chicken:

  • Place chicken and salsa in the bowl of your slow cooker. Cook on high for 4 hours or 6 hours on low. Before serving, shred the chicken between two forks.

Heat the cauliflower rice:

  • Stovetop: heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat, and add the oil to warm it up. Add the riced cauliflower and sauté for about 5 minutes until the cauliflower rice is heated through and tender.
  • Microwave: place the cauliflower rice in a microwave-safe bowl with ¼ cup water. Cover with plastic wrap to trap the heat in. Heat it for about 4 minutes, stopping to stir once or twice to ensure even heating. If you're using frozen riced cauliflower, you can steam it in a bag and follow the package directions.
  • Once the cauliflower rice is hot, add the cilantro, and stir to combine.

Build your bowl:

  • Add a base of cauliflower rice and top it with shredded salsa chicken, cheese, guacamole, black olives, sour cream, and additional cilantro.

Notes

Nutritional information is calculated without cheese or any topping.

Equipment

the taco tuesday cookbook
The Taco Tuesday Cookbook
intermittent fasting ebook displaying on a tablet and a phone screen
Intermittent Fasting eBook

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 225kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 815mg | Potassium: 1106mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 570IU | Vitamin C: 73mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg

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Comments

    5 from 36 votes (29 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Juliet says

    May 14, 2024 at 3:03 pm

    5 stars
    These bowls are so delicious that made my kids eat cauliflower rice and ENJOY IT! That’s a win!!

    Reply
  2. Venice says

    April 29, 2024 at 12:26 pm

    5 stars
    Healthy, simple, and my hubby didn’t even notice the difference

    This recipe is awesome and super delish

    Reply
  3. Annie says

    April 19, 2024 at 7:31 am

    5 stars
    Loved this recipe! I never thought cauliflower rice could be delicious. Thanks Laura!

    Reply
  4. Maria says

    April 12, 2024 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    Yum! Made this tonight and it turned out great!! Salsa chicken with cauliflower rice is my new favorite easy dinner!

    Reply
  5. Katie says

    April 05, 2024 at 8:58 pm

    5 stars
    These low carb cauliflower rice bowls were great

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    April 04, 2024 at 2:59 pm

    5 stars
    I made these chicken cauliflower rice bowls last night, they turned out great! I will be making them again, thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply
  7. Fran says

    April 04, 2024 at 2:49 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!! I served these cauliflower rice bowls for dinner and everyone loved them! A new favorite!

    Reply

Hi! I'm Laura.
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, mom of three, and the woman behind the world’s best pancakes—here to help you ditch the mealtime drama with recipes your family will actually eat.

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