Katie Lee Biegel's Chicken Cauliflower Fried "Rice" Is the Ultimate Weight Watchers-Friendly Dinner
Loud and proud volume eater Katie Lee Biegel—rep for WW (formerly known as Weight Watchers), cookbook author, TV host and mom—is on a mission to cut down (a little) on carbs while keeping all the flavor. Case in point: Her easy, cheesy, Chicken and Broccoli Twice-Baked Spaghetti Squash that she recently demonstrated on Food Network's The Kitchen, as well as her Broccoli-Cheddar Muffins that almost instantly became Instagram-famous.
To keep the trend going, Biegel joins Lindsey Lauten, her WW D360 coach to share a cook-a-long and co-host a recipe demonstration for another savvy carb swap: Chicken Cauliflower "Fried Rice". (D360, BTW, is the digital 360 program that's part of the rebranded Weight Watchers.) Biegel streams in from her mother-in-law's sunny Florida kitchen, and begins the demonstration explaining why she adores this veggie-boosted "rice" recipe.
"This only has 2 to 5 personal points, depending on your program," Biegel says, referring to the new customizable points program that allows users to deem certain foods their 0-point go-tos—with a goal to make the diet easier to stick with long-term. "It's such a great, quick, weeknight meal and everyone is excited to eat it. Always a win!"
And each serving is just 401 calories, with an ideal macronutrient breakdown for weight loss and overall health:
- 21 grams of fat (27%)
- 39 grams of protein (51%)
- 17 grams of carbs (22%)
It's also uber-customizable, Biegel adds later on. "We're doing it with frozen peas and carrots, but you can add whatever vegetables you have leftover at your house," she says, and you can opt for frozen cauliflower rice or make your own using a food processor or box grater. Biegel is opting for rotisserie chicken for the protein, "but if you have leftover chicken breast, leftover pork chops, even leftover ribs that you could pull off the bone…tofu would be great in this as well."
Start by adding 1 teaspoon of oil to a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, then crack in 2 large eggs. Use a wooden spoon to scramble the eggs in the pan. Once the eggs are softly scrambled, transfer them to a plate.
Pour 2 more teaspoons of oil into the same skillet before adding 3 minced garlic cloves and a one-inch piece of peeled ginger root, grated.
"The garlic and ginger permeates and it's going to add so much to this," Biegel confirms as she stirs this constantly for about a minute. "It smells great!"
Once it's fragrant, dump the cauliflower rice and your chosen vegetables into the skillet. Stir-fry the vegetables until tender, or for about 5 minutes. As that cooks, in a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Coat the chicken (or your chosen protein) with this soy sauce mixture. Add the saucy protein to the pain, cook for 2 minutes more, and finish with the cooked eggs. Stir to combine and serve with chopped scallions and hot sauce, if desired. Biegel and Lauten both agreed that sriracha would be an ideal garnish.
"Tastes delicious! It's as if you're eating fried rice from a restaurant," raves one five-star reviewer. Other fans made it their own by using shrimp or instead of chicken, adding edamame, mushrooms and bok choy with the other sturdy vegetables, opting for lower-sodium coconut aminos rather than soy sauce and mixing half-and-half wild rice and cauliflower rice for the base.
"My wife and I have said we have to have this at least once a week," another fan adds, and we can see why. Jam-packed with protein and produce and a cinch to customize (translation: use as a vehicle to clean out the refrigerator), we're pretty sure we'll have Chicken Cauliflower "Fried Rice" on repeat all year long.