This is basically a Thanksgiving dinner in a baking dish! You can serve it to family on Thanksgiving or you can eat it anytime you want as a low carb meal.
I have always craved Thanksgiving stuffing. But where I am from, it's called dressing. We don't stuff our bird down here in the south. The only dressing recipe I really love is my great grandmothers, now I can add this Cauliflower Stuffing with Chicken Thighs to that list!
I was in the thick of making this cauliflower stuffing and I was adamant about not putting any kind of bread in it. But then I would just be left with mushy cauliflower with some seasonings and some chicken. I needed more.
I hurriedly whipped up this low carb cornbread based off of my 90 Second Bread Recipe. Let me tell you, this cornbread deserves a post of its own. It is so good! I added just a bit of dried rosemary to the batter and it gives the cornbread a wonderful savory flavor.
After the cornbread had cooled a bit, I diced it up into chunks. I did mine into pretty big chunks, but you can make them smaller if you like. I spread them out on a sheet pan and tossed them with melted butter. Then I baked them in the oven until they were dried out and crunchy. These would be amazing croutons!
Like I said, I was in the thick of making this recipe. I had already roasted my cauliflower and sautéed my celery and onions when I started making that cornbread. This all made for a very long morning of waiting! Don't be like me!
So when you go to make this, I would do the bread first and get it dried out in the oven. Then start working on the other stuff.
Which is roasting the cauliflower and the chicken!
I roasted the cauliflower florets and the chicken thighs at the same time and I pulled the cauliflower when it was starting to get black bits around the edges.
If you want another reason to make chicken thighs, you should check out these other chicken thigh recipes. My favorite is the Crispy Chicken Thighs!
While that stuff was roasting, I sautéed my chopped onions and celery in oil and butter. You just want to get them tender, not brown.
When all of the components were finished, I mixed them all up in a big bowl and then poured chicken broth mixed with egg all over the mixture and gently stirred. I poured it into my baking dish, covered it with foil, and baked it. Then I removed the foil and baked it until the top was golden brown.
I did something naughty to this cauliflower stuffing...I cut my chicken skin into thin strips and sautéed them in a skillet until they were crispy. Then I used them as garnish on my stuffing. That is totally optional, but I would highly recommend it. It was delicious!
Here's a quick tip: make the bread ahead of time (like a few days before), and keep the toasted cubes in an air tight container. You can also cook and shred your chicken a few days before and store it in the fridge.
Cauliflower Stuffing with Chicken Thighs
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Tip: Hitting your 20–30g protein per meal goal helps you stay full and supports muscle.
Ingredients
For the Cornbread
- 2.5 cups almond flour (see my favorite on Amazon)
- ¼ cup + 5 Tablespoons Butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Baking powder
- 3 Eggs
- ½ teaspoon Dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
Assembly
- 1 head Cauliflower, florets separated
- 6 Chicken thighs
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Butter
- 1 cup Celery, diced
- ½ Onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 1.25 cup Chicken broth
- 3 eggs beaten
Instructions
Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 325F. Combine the almond flour, ¼ cup butter, baking powder, eggs, rosemary, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine. Pour into a greased 9x9 pan and bake for 35 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let cool. Remove the cornbread from the pan in sections and cut into cubes. Place on a baking pan and toss with remaining butter. Bake in the oven at 300F for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.
Chicken and Cauliflower
- Place the chicken thighs on a sheet pan and season with salt. On another sheet pan, lay out the cauliflower florets and season with salt. Place the chicken and cauliflower into a 400F oven. Roast cauliflower until the edges start to slightly blacken. Pull the chicken when an internal thermometer reads 165F.
- When the chicken has cooled, remove the mead from the bones and set aside. Reserve the chicken skin if you are going to make the crispy chicken skin garnish.
Celery and Onions
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the celery and onions and saute gently until translucent. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Assembly
- Combine the chicken broth and beaten eggs
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, cauliflower, celery and onions, poultry seasoning, bread cubes, salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken broth and egg mixture and gently stir, letting the broth absorb into the bread cubes.
- Spray or grease a 9x13 casserole dish. Pour in the stuffing mixture, cover with foil, and bake in a 350 oven for 35 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 15 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Crispy Chicken Skin Garnish
- Cut the reserved chicken skin into strips about 2 inches long. Sauté them in a hot skillet until all of the fat is rendered and they are crispy. Sprinkle them on top of the stuffing and serve!
Notes
Nutrition per serving
Julie says
I need the nrtritional info on the cauliflower stuffing and chicken thigh dinner. I couldn’t find it. I’m new to Quito and I need to make a diary of everything I eat and what’s all in it so I can know I’m getting the right amount . Thank you!
Christy C says
Have you tried the cornbread on it's own with butter? How does it compare to the real thing? I've been looking for a good "cornbread" recipe!
jenniferbanz says
Yes! It’s delicious!