Chicken Fajita Bowls with Cauliflower Rice
This is fajita filling served over cauliflower instead of folded into tortillas: spice-rubbed chicken thighs seared hard, peppers and onion charred at the edges but still snappy, and a bed of cauliflower rice cooked dry enough to taste toasted rather than steamed. The flavor is smoky and earthy from the paprika and cumin, sweet from the onion as its sugars catch, then cut by cold avocado and a hard squeeze of lime at the table. Everything happens in one skillet, in sequence, and the order matters — each component needs a hot, fairly dry pan, so nothing goes in until the last thing comes out. Use thighs, not breast: they carry the dry rub better and stay juicy well past the 165°F they have to reach, so a slightly long sear costs you nothing. Fresh riced cauliflower is worth choosing over frozen if both are available — it starts drier and browns instead of releasing a puddle. The cooked components keep three days refrigerated and reheat best in a dry skillet; a microwave turns the cauliflower slack. Slice the avocado and cut the lime only as you serve.
