Tangy Nopales Chicken Casserole

Servings: 6
Calories: 257.3kcal/1076.7kJ (per serving)
Fat: 12.4g (per serving)
Carbs: 3.8g (per serving)
Protein: 31.7g (per serving)

About

Have dinner on the table in 1 hour! Shredded chicken is mixed with shredded lettuce, cauliflower rice, and melted pepperjack cheese. The addition of Spanish nopales (cactus) adds a tangy flavor and chewy texture, enhanced with fresh lime and cilantro. Nopales are very low carb! You can find them in any Spanish cooking aisle with the canned items.

Ingredients

18 ounce boneless skinless chicken breast
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 ounce tender cactus nopalitos by goya
3 gram cilantro
½ tablespoon lime juice, fresh
12 ounce cauliflower rice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper, ground
⅛ teaspoon onion powder
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
2 ¾ ounce shredded lettuce
1 cup, shredded pepper jack cheese

Instructions

Start by butterflying your chicken breasts and sprinkle the first amounts of salt and pepper over the exposed tops.
Heat the olive oil in a pan over high heat and place in the chicken seasoned side down. Place a lid over the pan and cook the chicken for about 5 minutes per side. You can cook for longer, uncovered, to get a more charred edge to the chicken.
Set the chicken aside to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, use a pair of forks to shred the chicken. Combine the chicken in a mixing bowl with the nopales (cactus), cilantro, and lime juice. Set this aside.
In another mixing bowl, combine raw cauliflower rice with the second amounts of salt and pepper, the onion powder, garlic powder, and shredded lettuce.
Preheat an oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking dish with pan spray. Spread the cauliflower mix in the bottom of the dish. Spread the layer of chicken and nopales on top of the cauliflower. FInally, sprinkle the pepperjack cheese over the entire top of the casserole.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for an additional 10 minutes. You can bake longer to get a golden brown edges around the casserole. Enjoy!