A quick easy dinner: rotisserie chicken and cauliflower au gratin (bake in one dish!)

I’m all about simple when it comes to weeknight cooking, so this quick easy dinner has my heart.  While we meal prep most of our meals, there are some (easy ones) I whip up the night-of and this rotisserie chicken and cauliflower au gratin is one of them! It’s low carb and rich in protein and totally family-friendly.

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This isn’t your traditional au gratin

Did your Mom ever make potatoes au gratin when you were a kid?  Mine did and that’s exactly what inspired me to create this one-pan dish.  In traditional cooking, “au gratin” is a fancy French term for a dish sprinkled with breadcrumbs or grated cheese, or both, and browned.  Since we don’t eat potatoes (or breadcrumbs), I had to get a little crafty with the ingredients I would use to “sprinkle” on top of my non-potatoes.  Since I knew I wanted a quick easy dinner that would bake all together without any drama, I settled on cauliflower and chicken.

A quick easy dinner, made in 30 minutes or less

Instead of roasting my own chicken first (which takes like 40 minutes in my world), I decided to pick up an organic rotisserie chicken (already cooked) so that all I had to do was deconstruct it (working with meat is like, my least favorite thing to do in the kitchen) and add it to the baking pan.  The other shortcut is using organic frozen cauliflower.

With this option, I microwave it for half the time needed and dump that in the baking pan too. If needed, I slice the cauliflower into smaller, bite-size pieces, but that’s it.  The goal here is a quick easy dinner, all happening in one simple pan.  But, if you want to use fresh chicken or fresh cauliflower, by all means – go for it!  Just note that you’ll have a longer prep experience, but you do you!

No breadcrumbs in this sprinkle!

For the topping, I decided to create my own “bread crumb” style mixture (low carb and grain-free, of course!). In that, I mixed up some salt, onion and garlic powder, parmesan cheese and almond flour. I was actually going to throw some crushed pork rinds in as well, but we didn’t have any (hubs likes to snack on them!).  So, I skipped it and was very pleasantly surprised by the finished product.

If you do decide to add pork rinds to your sprinkle mixture, I’d recommend about a 1/4 cup (crushed up).

Low carb, keto-friendly and nutritious

My favorite thing about this quick easy dinner is that its only 4.1 net carbs (for the entire serving!) and packed with protein. If you’re eating keto, you can totally enjoy this for lunch or dinner (we ate it for dinner on night 1 and packed the rest up in airtight containers for meal prep lunches that week).

Cauliflower is extremely nutritious (hello Vitamin C and K) and just one cup provides 3% of your daily magnesium requirement (if you’re eating low carb, you’re gonna wanna make sure your magnesium and other electrolytes are in check).

Family-friendly and crowd-pleasing

My 5 year old can be tricky when it comes to eating meat.  She loves veggies, but meat has always been something she gravitates away from.  This can be tricky when trying to create a quick easy dinner that the entire family can enjoy (casseroles and other one-pan dishes can be off-putting for kids).

The great thing about this chicken and cauliflower au gratin is that it’s not “too mushy” and while the cauliflower is cooked, it maintains a nice structure, adding a teeny-tiny bit of crunch to every bite.  While there’s a fair amount of chicken in each serving, it’s not too overwhelming and..I mean, cheese is the universal language of love for all ages, amIright?

Rotisserie chicken and cauliflower au gratin recipe

The complete recipe is below and I promise you, it’s as easy as it sounds.  You’ll have about 10 minutes of prep (while you’re deconstructing your rotisserie chicken, you can be microwaving your cauliflower).  The rest is as simple as a quick mix and sprinkle.  Hope you’re entire family enjoys this super easy quick dinner.

Print Recipe

Rottiserie Chicken and Cauliflower Au Gratin

This Rotisserie Chicken and Cauliflower Au Gratin makes for a super quick, easy dinner. You'll be eating this meal in under 30 minutes and, its low carb, grain-free and keto-friendly for the win.

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 13 ounces cooked Rotiseree Chicken (including Skin) (or cooked chicken breast)
• 1 1/2 pounds frozen cauliflower or fresh
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 1/4 cup Almond Flour
• 3/4 tsp himalayan pink salt
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 13 ounces cooked Rotiseree Chicken (including Skin) (or cooked chicken breast) 1 1/2 pounds frozen cauliflower or fresh 2 tbsp salted butter 1/4 cup Almond Flour 3/4 tsp himalayan pink salt 1/4 tsp onion powder 1/4 tsp garlic powder 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese (shredded) 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9 x 13" glass baking dish with coconut oil or other cooking spray.
2. Microwave your frozen cauliflower per the instructions, stopping it 1-2 minutes before directed. Remove from the microwave and let cool before cutting into bite-size pieces. If you're using fresh cauliflower, wash and chop into bite-size pieces.
3. Remove the meat (and skin) from your rotisserie chicken and cut or "tear" into small, bite-size pieces and evenly distribute in the glass baking dish along with the cauliflower.
4. Melt your butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl (in 15-second increments until smooth). Then, add your heavy whipping cream and cheddar cheese and mix well.
5. IN a separate bowl, mix all of your dry ingredients, including your almond flour, salt, onion, garlic, and parmesan cheese.
6. Pour the butter and cheese mixture evenly over top of your chicken and cauliflower. Then, sprinkle the dry mixture evenly over the top of your chicken and cauliflower (the goal is to cover the chicken and cauliflower but also sprinkle the dry ingredients in between the chicken and cauliflower).
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbling. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

SERVING SIZE: 1 serving (recipe makes 6 servings)

MACROS: 326 calories | 23.75 g fat | 22.25 g protein | 7.5 carbs (4.1 net carbs)

Nutritional Info Disclaimer:  I am not a medical or nutritional professional.  I provide nutritional information for my recipes as a courtesy based upon the ingredients I'm using.  I encourage you to find a nutritional calculator you like best and calculate individual nutrition info based upon the ingredients you are using.  All carb counts are based upon total carbs unless otherwise noted.

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