I am currently, unashamedly and unapologetically, totally infatuated with this Honey Sriracha Sesame Cauliflower & Chicken. You think that title is a mouthful? Just WAIT until you taste this ish. It’s tastebud/mind-blowing, rock-your-socks-off, “omg what the heck did I just EAT I don’t ever want it to end” amazing.
Growing up, my family always used to order takeout from this tiny little mom-and-pop takeout Chinese restaurant in our town. That I would always pick up on the way home from swim practice, obviously, because I knew and cared sooo much about post-workout nutrition at that point. LOL NOT. Anyway, we always got the same thing – my Mom the crispy shredded beef, and my brother and I would split the sesame chicken. It was SO good guys, and I’d been missing it lately. I’d stumbled upon a few honey sesame cauliflower recipes, and I have a recipe for Sesame Chicken Meatballs from Paleo Takeout on the blog, but I wanted to combine those two – into a one-pot meal, that is totally easy and can be thrown together faster than takeout could get to your house, and is even MORE delicious than takeout food, without all the added junk.
#nailedit. Takeout cravings, solved.
Don’t believe me? Just ask my taste testers – my family, who gobbled up the entire recipe and barely left any for me after training (hangriness ensued), my brother, who will tell me straight up if he thinks a recipe is missing something or isn’t good enough, and my crossfit/lifting coaches, who have literally no filter whatsoever and will always tell me if something sucks or if it’s totally amazing (whether it’s my food or my lifts, lolzzz).
Example 1: little brother.
Me: “So….did you like it?”
Little bro: “Uuuuhhhh it’s f*cking AMAZING. I’ve literally eaten it for every meal today.”
Example 2: lifting coach.
Coach: “Soooo I’m gonna need some more of this recipe ASAP…”
Me: “Maybe if you ask nicely!”
Next time I make and post about it…
Coach: “BRING ME SOME PLEASEEE DANA”
And they’re still begging for more. Seriously, I may double or triple the recipe the next time I make it JUST SO I CAN ACTUALLY SAVE SOME FOR MYSELF. But hey, at least I know the recipe is awesome 🙂
Also, as I was just editing the pictures for this recipe, my brother walks up behind me and goes “UUHHHHHHH I WANT MOOOOOORE.” Case and point. Dooo it.
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil, divided
- ⅔ cup honey
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- 3 Tbsp minced garlic (or 4 garlic cloves, minced)
- 2-3 Tbsp sriracha (add more depending on how spicy you want it!)
- 2 tsp minced ginger
- 2 tsp onion powder
- ½ cup cold water + 2 Tbsp arrowroot flour
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, plus more for garnish
- 1 tsp sea salt, divided
- ½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
- Sesame seeds
- Chopped Scallions, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the cauliflower florets with 1 Tbsp melted coconut oil and sprinkle with ¼ tsp sea salt.
- Roast cauliflower for 25, then cool for about 10 mins (otherwise it will thin out the sauce too much).
- Meanwhile, pat the chicken dry and season with a pinch (about ¼ tsp) of salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet with the remaining 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Once hot, add the chicken pieces, and cook, turning every few minutes, until cooked through. This should take about 6-7 minutes. Remove the chicken from the heat.
- Next, make the sauce on the stove while the cauliflower is still roasting: combine the honey, garlic, ginger, onion powder, coconut aminos, and sriracha in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Stir often.
- While the sauce is simmering, make a slurry with the water and arrowroot flour. In a small bowl, whisk the water as your pour the arrowroot in, until it’s completely dissolved. Then, keep whisking while you stir the slurry into the sauce on the stove. Raise the heat and bring to a boil again, then lower the heat and cook until it thickens to your liking.
- Take the sauce off the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes (while the cauliflower is cooling). The sauce will thicken as it cools.
- In a large bowl, stir together the roasted cauliflower, cooked chicken, remaining ½ tsp sea salt, and sauce. Taste, and add more sriracha if you’d like it hotter! Garnish with sesame seeds and chopped scallions.
Inspired by Kirbie Cravings and The Iron You.
I’m obsessed with sriracha! I am going to make this for lunch tomorrow! Thanks!
Me too Renee! And the combo of sweet + spicy is INSANELY good and addicting, haha!
This looks so delicious! Thank you so much for sharing! Yum! xoxo
Thanks so much Kelly! 🙂
I love this trend of flavorful cauliflower lately! It’ll never be boring again with this one!
Thanks so much!
Beautiful photos and I really love your writing, it is so entertaining. Thanks for a great recipe!
Thanks so much!! 🙂
haha, love your brother’s reaction! I haven’t made it yet, but I bet I’ll probably feel the same way based on the recipe and pictures 😉
Haha yeeesss thanks Michele!
Sounds like an amazing flavor combo. I need to make this!
Thanks Katja!
YUMM! So much flavor in that bowl! I pretty much add sriracha to everything these days.
Thanks Anya!! And haha right, I’m the same way!
My husband would LOVE this, he loves Sriracha! Love all of the bold flavors in this dish. And … those bowls, they’re so pretty!
Hey Emily, that’s awesome! And thanks so much!
The sweet and spicy combination is my ultimate weakness, so it’s always awesome to have more healthy ways to keep those cravings in check!
Ugh it’s totally mine too! And I feel the same way – if I get it in savory form, it definitely keeps my sweet cravings in check too!
Oh goodness Dana, this looks absolutely dreamy to my tastebuds! I going to make this as soon as I go shopping. My kids & hubby cleaned out the fridge. 😉
thanks so much Stacey! And haha, funny how that happens…but now you have a clean slate! I kind of love when the fridge is empty because it’s like you get to start totally over with something new!
Oooohhh this looks good. I need to find a good replacement for sriracha… maybe tamarind paste? I can’t do nightshades, but this looks so good.
Hmm that’s a good question I’ll need to experiment with! Maybe tamarind paste, or maybe an AIP ketchup with some extra ginger and garlic in the recipe to give it the spice the sriracha would normally do!
Oh they look amazing! If I came home from the gym expecting these and my family had eaten them, there would be some serious sulking going on. Hangriness is serious business. Great recipe Dana, love it!
Hahah, the sulking/hangriness was real!!
This recipe is simply amazing ! It got all the elements that I love – crunchy, slightly spicy, savory, and packed with sesame flavor. Yum Yum !!
Thanks ChihYu!!
Yum! This sweet and spicy dish sounds amazing!
Thanks Becky! Sweet and spicy is the beeest!
This looks and sounds amazing! I’m all about healthier take-out recipes!
Thanks Jessica!
Sweet and Spicy! This looks so amazing.
Thanks Holley!
OMG Dana are you married? If not I’m marrying you because your cooking always looks amazing haha! Seriously though that seasoning is giving me heart eyes to the max!
Hahah I’m not!! And hahah thanks so much!! 🙂
Wow, those are some rave reviews! Excited to try this next time my boyfriend is out of town… he’s a cauli-hater. 🙁
Thanks Rachel!! But ugh, that stinks about the bf…more to yourself I guess 🙂