Name: Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 package chicken tenderloins; 1 tbsp fajita seasoning; 8 oz block of cream cheese ((softened)); 16 oz salsa verde; 1 tbsp olive oil

This Keto/THM S Cheesy Salsa Chicken With Cauli Rice will be on your table in 30 minutes.

Easy and quick are what I need these days in order to stay on track. This creamy, cheesy sauce is rich and decadent (and covers the taste of the cauliflower rice). I know this goes against the new rage of low carb cauliflower rice but I just can’t get on board , UNLESS it is covered in some cheesy goodness! I can get on board with anything that is swimming in cheese and salsa.

This cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal will fit with your Keto/low carb/THM S lifestyle and is also pretty budget friendly! I made it for less than the cost of 2 value meals at a fast food restaurant.

I love this cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal because you only need a few ingredients and they are all pretty shelf stable or long lasting. Pull out some frozen chicken tenderloins, riced cauliflower, a bottle of salsa verde and a block of cream cheese and you are ready to make a quick dinner that will conform with your low carb lifestyle.

Pin this recipe for later here!

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30 Minute Keto/THM S Cheesy Salsa Chicken With Cauli Rice

When you start a low carb lifestyle, cauliflower rice is almost always suggested. And while it is a great way to fill up your plate and bulk up your nutrition, I didn’t love it. But I found that if I layer it in delicious cheese and spicy salsa it turns into a great base for chicken.

And now cauliflower rice finds a way to get into a bunch of my meals & I’m not sad about it! I recently made a really yummy (and totally easy) 20 minute Keto Buffalo Chicken Dip casserole that turns your favorite appetizer into an easy weeknight meal. Pin it here for later.

Cooking Directions for Keto Salsa Verde Chicken & Queso Cauliflower Rice

The first thing you want to do is make sure you have your cream cheese softening up so it will melt nicely in your sauce. Next, get your chicken tenders cooking.

I added a little pepper and some fajita seasoning that I had on hand. If you are a Trim Healthy Mama purist (I am not) you may want to ensure that it fits within the guidelines. I love the overall method of THM but I just kind of go with the flow and don’t mind an off plan ingredient here or there. You could make your own seasoning that would fit into the plan perfectly.

Get your chicken completely cooked and then remove it from the pan. Cover it with some foil if you are worried about it getting too cold but the sauce comes together pretty quickly.

Make The Cheesy Queso Sauce:

Next, you want to take your softened cream cheese and cut it into fourths. This will help it to melt a little quicker.

Now you need to add your bottle of Salsa verde. Cook it over medium-low heat until the cream cheese is completely melted.

Once the sauce comes together, add your cooked chicken back on top for a minute or two. Just make sure the sauce and chicken are warm.

While the chicken is mixing with the sauce, put your cauliflower rice in the microwave. Cook according to the directions. Then layer the cauli rice, cheesy salsa verde sauce and chicken. The result is a satisfying cheesy chicken with cauli rice meal that will make you forget about carbs!

Serve It Up:

The way that I prepared it, there was enough for a dinner and I ate the leftovers for lunch the next day. I did have a bit of unused sauce so if you added more chicken, the sauce could stretch farther since it is so rich. I have also wrapped this meal up into a green salsa queso drenched enchilada that is a family favorite! Pin it!

Cheesy Salsa Verde Chicken with Cauliflower Rice

Course

Main Dish

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

1 package chicken tenderloins
1 tbsp fajita seasoning
8 oz block of cream cheese (softened)
16 oz salsa verde
1 tbsp olive oil

Course

Main Dish

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

Ingredients

1 package chicken tenderloins
1 tbsp fajita seasoning
8 oz block of cream cheese (softened)
16 oz salsa verde
1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken tenders to the skillet and season with the fajita seasoning. Cook your chicken completely and remove from pan. Cover with foil to keep warm.

Cheesy Salsa Verde Sauce

Reduce heat to Medium/low.
Cut the softened cream cheese into fourths and add it to the pan.
Add the bottle of Salsa verde.
Stir occasionally until the cream cheese is completely melted and the salsa is well incorporated.
Add the chicken tenderloins on top of the completed sauce for 1-2 minutes to warm it all together.

Recipe Notes

To serve, place 1 cup cooked Cauliflower rice at the bottom of a bowl, spoon the cheesy salsa verde sauce on top of the rice and top with the desired number of chicken tenderloins.

Follow my low carb / THM food diary on Instagram!

If you like this cheesy salsa chicken with cauli rice meal, check out these other top THM/Keto recipes:

Mac and Cheese Zoodles

Keto Bacon Cheeseburger Soup

Smoked Salmon Topped Popper

Protein Packed Meat/Cheese Roll Up Salad

$5 Chicken Sausage & Vegetables Grill Meal

If you are curious about Trim Healthy Mama, read about how it helped me lose 22 lbs. postpartum here. And if you need a super easy 2 minute Keto microwave egg breakfast, find that simple scramble recipe at this link.

Losing Baby Weight With Trim Healthy Mama – No Fuss Method

Affiliate Links are used in this post. A small commission may be paid to me at no extra cost to you and that helps to support this page. Please see my disclosures page for additional information.

Baby weight. It is so easy to put on and so hard to get off! (Can I get an AMEN?) My baby recently turned 5 months old and I still had a long long way to go in order to be able to get into anything besides my trusty ol’ sweatpants. I decided that it was time to get serious.

I started the Trim Healthy Mama plan about a year ago and quit. BUT I said it was time to get serious so I tried again. In my quest in losing baby weight with Trim Healthy Mama, I wanted to make it easy, no special ingredients, and conform as much to plan as I could.

I will share with you what worked for me and resulted in an 11 pound weight loss for me in just 3 weeks using Trim Healthy Mama.

Update June 2020 – Trim Healthy Mama helped me to lose all 60 lbs that I gained during pregnancy with my 2nd child!

Non-Purist Mama

What do I mean by that? If you are familiar with the plan, you know that the focus is on mostly non-processed, whole foods. I appreciate that and in an ideal world that would be wonderful.

However, I am a mom, work full time, write this blog, pretend to have a social life etc. and sometimes I just need some help. In the book (that I highly recommend that you read BEFORE starting), they talk about “Drive Thru Sues.”

These are women that use convenience foods on occasion to make choices that are mostly on plan & better than eating a big fat value meal from a fast food chain.

I’m probably mostly a non-purist because of my coffee. I am just not messing with my meticulously perfected formula of sugar and creamer to make my perfect cup of copy. (I did adjust my sugar but more on that below!).

Check out the other 5 THM things that I don’t do here.

No Special Ingredients

If you follow the Trim Healthy Mama Facebook pages or read the cookbooks, you will see lots of recipes with Special ingredients.

I chose to do my first 2 weeks without any special ingredients. Remember when I said that I quit THM once before? I attribute part of that to special ingredients. The special ingredients complicate the process for newbies in my humble opinion.

Also, I like to save money and one of the biggest complaints I hear on the Facebook pages is that this plan is too expensive.

The special ingredients, while sometimes nice to have, are what I find adds to the expense. So it is nice to know that you don’t have to have them to be successful.

What Happens if I Don’t Follow the Plan 100%?

One big thing that I like about the Trim Healthy Mama weight loss plan is that they preach about giving yourself grace.

If you don’t eat “on plan” they tell you to get back on plan in 3 hours and keep chugging along. I differ from the plan a little here because I make exceptions that are OK for me (remember that not a purist comment).

I explain this not to distract from the message of THM but to encourage someone that might think they could do some of the plan but not 100% comply and don’t want to start as a result.

When I first started, I was kind of scared to try it and not be 100% on plan. Terrified it would make me gain instead of lose. Here are some examples of where I vary from plan as a non-purist:

Coconut Sugar – I have previously had severe adverse reactions to sweeteners. Although Stevia is natural, I try to use it sparingly because it honestly just scares me. I use a very scant 1/2 teaspoon of coconut sugar in my coffee (Usually x 2 because being Mom = Coffee!)
Prepared Dressings – I do look for salad dressings that have a low sugar content but if it has an off plan oil or other ingredient it just doesn’t bother me (If you are a purist, just skip this paragraph!)
Protein – I don’t always eat a protein with every snack. I do agree with doing it but life happens and I just can’t always make it happen.
Prepared Sauces – I use regular soy sauce, worstershire sauce, prepared mayo etc. I just don’t have the time to make my own and I don’t want to invest the extra money into the ones that are on plan. I do always look for the best choice that is within my budget.
Shredded Cheese – sometimes the pre-shredded cheese is coated with potato starch to prevent it from clumping together. If you like to shred your own – go for it.

It is appropriate to mention that you should try to follow the plan as closely as possible when losing baby weight with Trim Healthy Mama. I do believe in the fuel separation method that the sisters created because it works.

However, an off plan oil as an example doesn’t bother me much especially if it is between eating a salad with one off plan ingredient salad dressing or eating a pound of street tacos.

I understand that some people follow the plan 100% to the tee and I respect that. But think that is why I quit the first time, because I tried to be perfect. I now choose to give myself grace and do what works for me. And it is paying off on the scale.

Have more THM questions? Check out this Trim Healthy Mama A to Z guide with tons of helpful information.

Losing Baby Weight With Trim Healthy Mama: My 2 Week Meal Diary Of What I Ate

Pounds Lost Week 1 – 4.8

Day 1:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); Vanilla Greek Yogurt (I don’t eat the 000 yogurt that most eat on plan & yes mine did have a small amount of added sugar); 5 strawberries, Cheese cubes, Salami

Lunch S Meal: Cream cheese & ham (regular deli ham) pickle roll ups, sweet peppers and premade guac, small handful of cashews

Dinner Off Plan/XO: Crockpot Salsa chicken, creamed corn, black eyed peas (couple of tablespoons), glass of Red wine, and a gourmet cupcake (totally NOT on plan).

*So in typical fashion, I start a diet on day 1 and eat a cupcake. My birthday was the day before and I went to my mom’s house for dinner. She had those huge, gourmet cupcakes as my treat – she didn’t know I had started a diet! Anyways, if someone buys me a $6 cupcake I am eating it! Grace and I started back 3 hours later.

Day 2:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); 2 boiled eggs (would be great to add some berries or veggies to this but I just didn’t have time)

Lunch S Meal: Mixed greens, black olives, cheddar cheese, kielbasa, Olive Garden Dressing (off plan)

Dinner S Meal: Cheesy Salsa chicken with Cauliflower rice

Snack E Meal: Applesauce pouch (should have added a protein)

Day 3:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); 2 egg omelet with cheese and ham

Lunch E Meal: White Northern Beans and Turkey Ham, bell pepper & applesauce

Dinner S Meal: Chicken Alfredo over zoodles

Day 4:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); omelet with cheese, ham and roasted bell pepper

Snack E Meal: Banana (should have added a protein)

Lunch S Meal: Leftover cheesy chicken with cauliflower rice

Snack S Meal: String cheese and 2 turkey meat sticks (probably not on plan but fit with low carb)

Dinner E Meal: Grilled Buffalo chicken, salad, small amount of cheese and guac, cup of black beans and half a banana

Day 5:

Breakfast S Meal:Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); Cheese slices and turkey meat sticks (not perfectly on plan but fit with low carb)

Lunch S Meal: smoked salmon, cashews, raspberries, blueberries

Dinner XO Meal: Taco Soup with cheese and sour cream; 2 Michelob Ultra (beer and taco soup kinda go together? Not on plan but I try to choose a lower carb beer if I choose to indulge)

Snack E Meal: Skinny Pop & Vitamin Zero Water (Not on plan)

*I was at a friends house for dinner and bunko so my dinner was a crossover. I love that you can eat what is served at an event and not completely fall off the wagon.

Day 6:

Breakfast S Meal:Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); Cheese and Bacon Omelet

Lunch FP: Grilled chicken salad with cucumbers, olives, small amount of cheese, Olive Garden Dressing (not on plan)

Snack S Meal: Cucumber, Salami and cheese “sandwiches”

Dinner XO Meal : Chili with Beans, Sour cream & cheese on top, Side of chicken sausage, 2 glasses of red wine

*I have no special occasion for the wine here. I just love wine. HA. Not on plan.

Day 7:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); 2 ham slices fried, scrambled eggs and berries

Lunch XO Meal: Meatloaf (scraped ketchup off), green beans, couple of spoonfuls of carrots, slaw (I was at my grandmother’s house so I didn’t control the meal but I made the best choices that I could)

Snack E Meal: String cheese and 1/2 banana

Dinner E Meal : Chili with beans over zoodles, 1/2 pear

Snack E Meal : Skinny pop (should have added protein)

Week 2

Pounds Lost Week 2 – 6.2

Day 8:

Breakfast E Meal:Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); overnight oats with berries (no sweeteners)

Lunch S Meal: chicken sausage and green beans (this is probably pretty close to a fuel pull because the fat in the sausage that I buy is low)

Dinner E Meal: Salsa Chicken, green beans, brown rice

Snack S Meal: Halo Top Icecream (personal choice)

Day 9:

Breakfast – Didn’t eat; Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan);

Lunch Off Plan – Lenny’s 7.5 inch sub with veggies and mayo; My husband picked us up lunch and I asked for a salad but they didn’t prepare it correctly. He had been out of town and I chose to give myself grace and eat the lunch my husband brought me.

Dinner E Meal: Chicken tacos with beans on low carb tortilla

Day 10:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan); Ham & Cheese omelet

Lunch S Meal: Salad with grilled chicken, cheese; Halo top

Snack E Meal: banana and string cheese

Dinner E meal: Grilled chicken, Carrots, Green peas

Day 11:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan), 2 Boiled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon

Lunch S Meal: Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Sushi Roll ups

Snack E Meal: Banana and light String cheese

Dinner E Meal: 2 grilled chicken tenderloins, sweet potato and baby spinach salad

Day 12:

Breakfast S Meal: Coffee with Coconut Sugar & Coffee Mate Creamer (off Plan), 2 Boiled eggs and 2 pieces of bacon

Lunch S Meal: Longhorn Steakhouse – Parmesan crusted chicken with broccoli and 3 chicken wings with ranch. None of this was likely perfectly on plan but I tried to make a choice that would put me in S territory.

Dinner S Meal: Leftovers from lunch and cheesy zucchini

Update:

My baby is now 12 months old (in non-mom talk that is 1 year but I am not ready to say that yet about my baby!) and I am still losing baby weight with trim healthy mama. My total weight loss with THM is 38lbs so far.

That brings my total postpartum weight loss to 60lbs. Wow. It is crazy to think that A. I gained that much with my pregnancy and B. that I have lost that much! I want to lose about 20 more give or take!

Losing baby weight with Trim Healthy Mama has been a great plan for me. I hope that sharing my interpretation of the plan in the way that I follow it will inspire someone to start.

Of course following it 100% perfectly is probably best but don’t let the need for perfection stop you. You can lose weight following the plan most of the time.

If you need some other Trim Healthy Mama meal ideas to get you started, check out my post with 6 THM lunches, a protein packed “S” Salad, 5 THM Lunches with Leftover Chicken, and a Smoked Salmon Cream Cheese Sushi Roll.

Other popular Protecting Your Pennies recipes:

Low Carb (THM S) Microwave Egg Scramble