Pesto chicken meal-prep bowl with broccoli and cauliflower rice
19 min · 50 g protein · 422 cals / serving
Golden pieces of chicken breast, a whole bag of broccoli and cauliflower rice, all coated in a creamy lemon pesto made by stretching a few spoons of basil pesto with Greek yogurt. Juicy cherry tomatoes go on fresh. A bright green, low-carb lunch for four days.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb chicken breast, cut in 2 cm (3/4-inch) pieces
- 3/4 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp canola oil, divided
- 1 lb bag frozen chopped broccoli, frozen florets
- 2 (12 oz) bags cauliflower rice, frozen
Lemon pesto sauce
- 1/4 cup pesto, jarred basil pesto
- 1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
Steps
- Season the chicken with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper. Heat 1 teaspoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook half the chicken in one layer, turning once, 4–5 minutes, until golden and 165°F inside. Tip into a large bowl and cook the second batch in the rest of the oil.
- While the chicken cooks, microwave the broccoli in a covered bowl for 5 minutes, then the cauliflower rice for 5–6 minutes. Press the water out of the cauliflower rice and season it with the last of the salt.
- Stir the pesto, yogurt and lemon juice together. Toss the chicken and broccoli with two thirds of it and stir the rest through the cauliflower rice.
- Divide the cauliflower rice among four containers and top with the pesto chicken and broccoli. Pack the tomatoes in a small separate pot and add them after reheating. The bowls keep 4 days.
Good to know
Why stretch the pesto with yogurt?
Pesto is mostly oil, cheese and nuts, so a little goes a long way in flavour and a lot goes a long way in calories. Yogurt and lemon turn a quarter cup into enough creamy sauce for four bowls, and the basil still leads.
Can I use more pesto?
Yes, twice the pesto and no yogurt is the classic oil-coated version, richer and glossier, at about 67 instead of 77.
Per
- Calories
- 79
- Protein
- (48%)
- 9 g
- Fat
- (38%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (14%)
- 3 g
- of which sugar
- 1 g
- Fiber
- 2 g
- Sodium
- 151 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1690 kcal goes into the pot and 2356 g of ingredients comes out as about 2130 g of food: 79 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.