Pineapple Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowls

The goodbye tour has begun. Every week between now and the PCS is a last something: last support group meeting, last commissary run, last walk around the base loop, last dinner with Jen. The last support group was Tuesday. I brought brownies (obviously) and a handwritten note for each woman in the group. Sandra read hers and cried. The nineteen-year-old newlywed — who is now a twenty-year-old deployment wife — hugged me and said, 'You taught me how to cook through it. You taught me that dinner at 1800 is a survival strategy.' I taught her that. ME. The woman who couldn't make dumplings two years ago, who burned meatloaf, who served crunchy rice to her husband in a barracks kitchen. I taught someone to cook through it. 'My mom taught me,' I said. 'I'm just passing it along.' The chain. The recipe chain. Mom to me, me to them, them to whoever comes next. Jen and I had our last dinner together on Saturday. She made hot dogs (her ceiling) and I made Mom's potato salad (my floor, apparently, since I can't stop making it). We ate on her patio while Dylan and Caleb sat in the grass and examined bugs with the fascination of children who have not yet learned that bugs are disgusting. 'You better FaceTime me,' Jen said. 'Every week.' 'You better send me your cooking photos.' 'Every meal.' 'You better not replace me.' 'Never. You're irreplaceable. Also, nobody else would eat hot dogs this often.' She threw a bun at me. I caught it. We laughed until we cried. Which is how we do everything. I made Mom's chicken and rice casserole for the freezer tonight — the last batch in this kitchen, to bring on the drive to California. Frozen casserole in a cooler in the car. Kitchen first. Casserole first. Mom's rules. Four weeks. The apartment is half-packed. The recipes are in my bag. And the support group women have my brownies and my number. Leaving is the hardest thing and the most normal thing. In this life, it's both. Always both.

Mom’s chicken and rice casserole was already in the freezer when I found this lighter version — pineapple chicken over cauliflower rice — and decided it deserved a spot in the cooler too. It carries the same logic: protein, rice, one pan, done. Something warm you can make in a half-packed kitchen, something that reheats on the other side of a very long drive and still tastes like you planned it. I made a double batch. One for the road. One for whoever needs it next.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can (20 oz) pineapple chunks in juice, drained (juice reserved)
3 tablespoons soy sauce (low-sodium preferred)
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red onion, diced
4 cups cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen, thawed)
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of the reserved pineapple juice, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and cornstarch until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the cauliflower rice. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower rice and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until tender and lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Sear the chicken. In the same skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper. Cook in a single layer for 4–5 minutes, turning once, until golden and cooked through. Remove chicken and set aside.
Saute the vegetables. Add bell pepper and red onion to the skillet. Cook 2–3 minutes until just softened. Add the drained pineapple chunks and cook 1 minute more until warmed through.
Combine and glaze. Return the chicken to the skillet. Pour the sauce over everything and stir to coat. Cook 1–2 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and clings to the chicken and pineapple.
Assemble and serve. Divide cauliflower rice among four bowls. Top with the pineapple chicken mixture. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately — or cool completely and freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pineapple Chicken Cauliflower Rice Bowls — Mom’s Recipe Chain, Carried Forward