Sage Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Mashed Cauliflower.
Keeping things colorful and cozy today with this Sage Lemon Butter Chicken Piccata with Mashed Cauliflower. Lightly breaded chicken seared until golden with fresh sage, lemon, and butter. The chicken is finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with burst cherry tomatoes. It’s simple but mouthwatering. Especially when served over creamy mashed cauliflower hinted with garlic. This dish makes great use of those end of summer tomatoes. It’s the late summer dinner that everyone will love!
I’ve been waiting to share this recipe for far too long now.
I first made it a couple of weeks ago when I had one too many cherry tomatoes in my kitchen. I immediately fell in love with the recipe. But something about this dish just felt too cozy to share mid-August, so I waited until today. The second week of September feels like the perfect timing for this chicken piccata. It uses up all those end of summer tomatoes, but yet feels cozy with the addition of warming sage (my favorite fall herb) and super creamy mashed cauliflower…a new favorite side dish that I never expected to love as much as I do.
It’s the perfect transitional recipe to slowly step away from summer and head into the cooler fall days.
And most importantly, it’s just really good. The chicken soaks up all that delicious buttery pan sauce. It’s perfectly seasoned with fresh sage, thyme, and lemon. The mashed cauliflower is surprisingly satisfying, so creamy and so delicious.
When paired together, I could not love this hearty, but healthy…ish dinner more.
Here is how you make this chicken piccata. It has a few steps, but comes together in under an hour.
First up, start with the chicken. If you’ve made chicken parmesan this is very similar. Just dredge the chicken through a mix of flour and freshly grated parmesan cheese. Then pan-sear it in a hot skillet. This allows the chicken to form a nice golden crust on the outside. Using thin chicken cutlets is key. The thin chicken cooks evenly and browns nicely in a short amount of time.
Tip: if your grocery store does not carry chicken cutlets, as a swap, try asking your butcher to pound out chicken breasts for you. This is a super easy task to do at home, but truthfully…it’s just not that much fun. The butcher can quickly pound out the chicken and save you the trouble…and the mess.
Also, you can easily make this chicken piccata gluten-free by replacing the flour with almond flour. Or your favorite gluten-free flour blend (I like cup4cup).
Once the chicken has been pan-seared, add in some lemon slices and fresh sage. The lemon and sage infuse the butter while crisping up, becoming even more flavorful. Reserve these for topping.
In the same pan, add a splash of white wine and fresh cherry tomatoes. This creates a lemony tomato sauce with capers and fresh thyme. It’s not a traditional chicken piccata sauce by any means, but it’s quick, and it sure is good.
While the chicken is cooking, work on the mashed cauliflower. This is SO EASY.
Simply, boil some cauliflower florets, drain, and mash with a little cream cheese (mostly for extra creaminess), butter, and salt. I know it seems so simple, but don’t knock the mashed cauliflower until you try it. It’s ultra-smooth, so creamy, and really does taste like mashed potatoes, just a smidge lighter.
It’s the perfect healthy side dish to serve with the lemony, sage chicken. When served together, the two create a really delicious dinner that’s great for any night of the week!
Since everyone is in town for my brother’s wedding this weekend, I’m really excited to make this for them tonight. I already know this is going to be a new favorite. Nothing not to love!
If you make this sage lemon butter chicken piccata with mashed cauliflower be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Sage Lemon butter Chicken Piccata with Mashed Cauliflower.
Key Ingredient: chicken
Lightly breaded chicken, pan-seared with fresh sage, lemon, and butter and finished in a simple white wine pan sauce with burst cherry tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken cutlets, or 2 boneless chicken breasts, sliced in half horizontally
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour (can use GF flour too)
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice + 1 addition lemon, sliced
- 12 fresh sage leaves
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons capers
Mashed Cauliflower
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2-3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
Instructions
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1. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place the flour and parmesan in a shallow bowl and dredge the chicken through the flour mix, pressing gently to adhere.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
3. To the same skillet, add the butter, sage, and lemon slices. Sear the sage until crisp, and the lemon until golden on each side, about 1 minute. Remove the sage and lemon from the pan and add to the plate with the chicken.
4. To the skillet, add the tomatoes, thyme, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to pop, about 4-5 minutes. Pour in the wine and lemon juice, cook 1 minute. Add the capers and season with salt and pepper. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until warmed through.
5. Meanwhile, make the mashed cauliflower. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add cauliflower florets and cook until tender, 10 minutes. Drain well.
6. In a food processor, combine the cauliflower, garlic, cream cheese, and butter, season to taste with salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth and creamy, about 1 minute.
7. To serve, spoon the mashed cauliflower onto plates. Add the chicken, sage and lemon slices. Then spoon over the pan sauce and tomatoes. Top with fresh thyme.
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30 Minute Butter Chicken Meatballs.
oh yes, I could totally eat this!!
Thank you Ruth! xTieghan
I love the recipe box feature! This looks so yummy!
Thank you so much Lynn! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Thanks Teighan, just started a low-carb life change and this is going to be a treat. All I have to do is swap out the flour for crushed pork rinds or the almond flour and I will still get to enjoy another of your fabulous recipes!!!
Love that! I hope this turns out amazing for you Georgia! xTieghan
Very good in Recipe, you will put into practice now.
Crazy to taste this delicious hahaha
Thank you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! I can’t wait to try it soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Thank you so much Paige! So glad you like this and I hope you love it when you try it! xTieghan
What can I substitute for the cream cheese in the cauliflower mash? I can have other forms of dairy but for whatever reason cream cheese makes me really sick. Milk and more butter?
Hi there! You can omit it all together OR you can use plain yogurt or a splash of heavy cream + additional butter. Either will be great!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
We’re GF and so I subbed the flour for almond flour. I think I’d try either GF flour or nothing at all next time b/c what flaked off from the almond flour into the pan got pretty burned. I think it’d work well with regular flour though. I didn’t see the quantity of sliced lemons in the ingredients so I just sliced 1 extra lemon. It was all so delicious! Someone asked about what they could sub for cream cheese in the cauliflower mash. I didn’t have any cream cheese so I just did a few sprinkles of parmesan and it was great!
Hi Meredith! I am glad you liked this, but I hope it turns out better with regular GF flour! Please let me know! xTieghan
How many lemon slices? They’re not listed in the ingredients.
Hey Lisa! You need 1 lemon, sliced. Recipe fixed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
OMG! this is the best thing I have put in my mouth in a while! It is perfection. No other prescriptive can measure up to this dish. I don’t know what else to say but thank you.
Thank you for trying this Kathy! xTieghan
Lisa: In the photo, it looks like she has 4-5 lemon slices. Good question, though!
This was absolutely delicious!!! Great way to use all my cherry tomatoes! The cauliflower mash was amazing!! Thank you!!
Thank you so much Amy! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
One of the best dinners I’ve made in a while! So so good. I might do a little less garlic in the cauliflower or roast it first but otherwise I plan on making it to the letter again as soon as I can!
I love to hear that! Thank you so much Whitney! xTieghan
This was FANTASTIC! I made one minor change – used chicken thighs, pounded into cutlets. Thank you so much – you are a food goddess. PS – I also appreciate that you use the same herbs for recipes in any given 5 days – it’s great to use them up during the week. Cheers.
YES! It is so nice to use the same ones and see how they compliment different dishes! Thank you so much Janie! xTieghan
Lemon slices are not listed in the ingredients list. Please update. Otherwise great recipe!!
I will! Thank you Bernard! xTieghan
So. I tried this tonight. Let me say this was so good. Easy recipe and it was delicious. I thought my sauce was pretty dark. I tasted it and it was great. My husband absolutely loved it. I love the cauliflower mash. Thank you. You are my go to for amazing recipes.
You are too sweet! Thank you so much Marcia! xTieghan
I haven’t tried this recipe yet – but can’t wait to try. I just discovered you and can’t wait to try all your recipes and I’m ordering your first cookbook once I get paid next month! You may already have this but do you have favorite knives and other cooking supplies that you can’t live without?
Hi Alexis! I love Zwilling knives. Linked to them below! And then I can’t live without my Stuab cast ion skillet! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
https://www.zwilling.com/us/zwilling-pro-holm-oak-10-pc-knife-block-set/38480-010.html?cgid=cutlery_knife-sets#start=22
https://rstyle.me/+FTjCiJVYZiGSw0YdNuWfvQ
This was FANTASTIC!! My family loved all the lemony goodness! Very few changes. I left out the capers and I had a bottle of Rose opened so that’s what I used. Instead of the Cauliflower Mash, I roasted baby cauliflower with olive oil, garlic and salt. I will DEFINITELY make it again! Thank you!
Thank you Jesslyn! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Super yummy!! I didn’t put any of the butter in thee cauliflower, and added 1 peeled russet to the mix. It turned out so good. I also subbed half the cream cheese for Greek yogurt.
Sounds so amazing! Thank you Abbey! xTieghan
Like all of your recipes, this was soooo delicious! The mashed cauliflower was so creamy and perfectly balanced out the acidity of the sauce (I usually don’t love chicken piccata since it can be very acidic imo).
Thank you so much Ashley! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
I love your recipes and it is about time I leave a review to say so! This was absolutely amazing. I just made it for dinner tonight and my 3 year old and I both enjoyed it a lot. I did not modify anything except that I didn’t have the lemon slices but it was great regardless.
I am so glad you loved this recipe Sara! xTieghan
No lemon slices in ingredient list?
OK, so I was what, the fourth “no sliced lemons” comment, let me say the cauliflower is fantastic! The lemon slices are in the aroma is about to drown me from saliva release, and I will finish this comment after we eat
*. *: *. *.
Made one mistake, used three very small Russian Red hardneck garlic cloves and they were way to raw tasting. We eat about three heads of garlic a week but this was just too hot.
Super recipe and it goes into our rotation for sure. I need to cut down on the butter next time, will try two tablespoons and two tablespoons. I am also going to try preserved lemons as well.
For any diabetics out there, do the cauliflower. I love mashed potatoes but this may have surpassed them.
I am so glad this recipes turned out so amazing for you Charles! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This is very tasty! I made this tonight and it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Served it with a rustic sourdough which was great for dipping into the extra sauce. I made the mistake of using 3 very hefty garlic cloves for the cauliflower which made that flavor a little sharp, but I would definitely try it again. Overall, a delicious late summer/early fall treat.
Thank you so much Jessica! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious. I roasted the garlic first to mellow out the flavor. It will be on regular rotation in my house.
I love to hear that! Thank you Orlaith! xTieghan
Didn’t see lemon slices in ingredients. I added 4 slices. I have noticed a few of your recipes are missing ingredients, thought I would mention that But the recipe came out great! I did use three large garlic cloves for one medium cauliflower and would use less garlic next time. It was quite strong. I did use less butter. I love almost all of your recipes that I have tried. I am hoping this fall and winter you will maybe add more healthy options. Butter and cheese are super yummy, but would love to see flavorful recipes that are healthier. Can’t wait to get your cookbook!!!
Hi Donna! Sorry about that, I will try to fix the ones I notice! Also, I hope this turned out really well for you and I will try for some healthier options this Winter! xTieghan
This sounds delicious and I can’t wait to make it. I do not have a food processor and wondered if you can suggest another option for mashing the cauliflower? I know that a basic potato masher doesn’t work for cauliflower but what about an immersion blender?
Hey Sara! You can actually just use a potato masher OR an immersion blender. Either will work great! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Delicious! I love chicken piccata, but this recipes takes it over the top, lemon and capers and then tomatoes, it is amazing how it all works. Then, serve it over mashed cauliflower with butter and cream cheese, my new favorite. I also love the versatility. If I want to serve it over polenta, rice, orzo or any pasta, I love the options. Great job Tieghan!
Ooo sounds so amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
One of the best recipes I’ve made in a while. Such good flavor.
Love to hear that! Thank you Alicia! xTieghan
So so so yummy! I also made homemade
Honey butter rolls with this and it got a little crazy..but this recipe is really easy and so so delicious. I hadn’t shaved Parmesan and it didn’t stick to the chicken 🙁 so I’ll make sure and get grated next time! I’ll definitely make this often. Thanks so much for sharing! ❤️
Yum yum yum! Thank you so much for trying this Bethany! So glad it turned out amazing! xTieghan
Wow wow wow. This recipe is absolutely incredible. A must try!!!
Thank you so much Chalis! I am so glad this turned out so well! xTieghan
Another fantastic dinner! Easy to make and super flavorful. Will definitely make again!
Thank you so much Holly! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
Got raves from my family! My brother never eats chicken breasts (too dry, too boring) and he went back for seconds and thirds. Plus now we all like cauliflower mash! Never thought that would happen. ?
Thank you.
That is so great! Thank you so much Katherine! xTieghan
I think this one is my favorite chicken dish I’ve tried, Easy and delicious! I was curious is there an alternative to cream cheese or how to make it a little healthier when making mashed cauliflower? Thanks
Hi Angela! You could add some plain greek yogurt instead or use a plant based cream cheese alternative. Let us know if you have any other questions! X Kelly
Delicious!!
Thank you Amy!
I made this last night for dinner and my husband said it easily surpassed his previous favorite dinner. Such a delicious recipe! It cooked up quickly and made minimal dishes so cleanup was a breeze too. Thanks Teighan!
Hooray! Thank you Jessica! X Kelly
Any substitute for the white wine? Love your recipes!
Hi Hanna! You can use and equal amount of chicken broth in place of the wine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ???
This is one of my all time favs! The mashed cauliflower is amazing and you feel like you’re eating potatoes! Ive made this recipe a lot! Can get enough of this dish. The only change I would make is to sauté the garlic before putting it into the food processor!
Love all your recipes so much!
That is so amazing to hear Nicole! Thank you! xTieghan
This is one of my go to recipes. It’s delicious.
Thank you Melita! xTieghan
great !!
Thank you Henry! xTieghan
First time making one of your recipes and this was AMAZING. So uncomplicated to make, all the flavors sing together. The chicken came out super juicy & tasty. The sage adds a lovely depth of flavor, and I absolutely loved the cauliflower mash. Wow!
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Cathy! I cannot wait for you to try more, I hope you love them all! Thank you! xTieghan
I am excited to try this but I am dairy free. Any suggestions what to add to the chicken besides butter?
Hi Noel! You can use olive oil or coconut oil. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you and Happy New Year! xTieghan
Pretty easy to make, but looks and tastes gourmet! So delicious!
Thank you so much Rachel! xTieghan
Is there a non-alcoholic substitute for the white whine?
Hi Aisha, I recommend using apple cider, apple juice, or chicken broth. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Tieghan, this was delicious!! We will definitely make this again soon. We followed the recipe with no adjustments and love love loved it. Thanks for sharing this with us! ❤️
Thank you so much for trying this Liz! I am really glad it turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Loved it! Quick, easy, delicious ?
Thank you so much Alice! xTieghan
Incredible!! Just made this for dinner and it was an absolute hit. Thank you so much for this recipe xx
Thank you Maria! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this pretty much to the T , delicious! Just a wee bit of S & P in the cauliflower and that was it!
I am cooking for someone dairy-free. Could I omit the parm from the chicken? Will it change the flavor too much?
Hi Michelle,
You can leave the parm out it shouldn’t effect the flavor too much. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Very good recipe! I swapped the cream cheese with sour cream and it still tasted quite good.
Thank you so much Avery! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it tasted beautiful and the presentation was gorgeous!! Will deifnately be making it again 🙂
Thank you so much Kacey! That is so great to hear! xTieghan
I cook this menu today,it was delicious…but just miss to take photo cos I’m in a hurry…I will do it again next week..yummy!
Thank you so much Elena!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Could I use something other than cream cheese?
Hi Camila,
You can simply omit the cream cheese although I would probably add some extra butter. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
All of your recipes look fabulous! Where can I buy your cookbook?
Hi Mary! I am so glad you like my recipes! I will leave a link below! xTieghan
https://www.amazon.com/Half-Baked-Harvest-Cookbook-Mountains/dp/0553496395
Fabulous recipe, thank you just enjoyed in the UK
Thank you so much Emma! xTieghan
This is the most delicious version of Piccata that I have ever made. The cauliflower is AMAZING! My son who doesn’t love veggies didn’t even know it wasn’t mashed potatoes! Perfect dinner party meal when all of this is over
Love that!! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you all, Katie! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was AMAZING and SO easy!
Thank you so much Maddy! xTieghan
A go-to recipe, such amazing flavors! Love love love. I typically serve with green beans and shallots too, just blanch the beans first then add with the tomatoes. Thanks Tieghan for always delivering such yummy recipes! I get daily inspiration from your IG stories.
Thank you so much Dani!! xTieghan
I have noticed that when you work with limes or lemons, I can count on the dish/drink being very citrusy! Lol! I loved this recipe too. I butterflied my chicken breast, and it was fabulous. It didn’t seem to make much sauce, though, and we LOVE to drench our chicken in your tasty sauces! It definitely was VERY lemony (I only used the juice of one lemon for 4 breasts), so I ended up adding about a cup of heavy cream at the end to mellow it out, and BONUS – it made plenty of sauce to boot! Thank you for your recipes! They are SO tasty, and versatile! I love that each one brings a totally different flavor profile than all the others. You keep my dinners so exciting!
Amazing! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you, Anna! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I have been reading many of your wonderful recipes and tried several, all with great success.I love the amazing differences and touches you bring to each recipe.
From a great admirer
Thank you so much Lynne! It is so amazing to hear that you have been enjoying my recipes! xTieghan
Love this recipe! So easy and delish… the cauli mash is the best!!
Thank you so much Kara! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
So good. Don’t skip the steps though our chicken was thicker so I removed the tomatoes, covered the pan and simmered for a while.
Thank you so much Carolyn!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was sooo good! It comes together quickly and is company worthy. I subbed tomato slices for the cherry tomatoes because that is what I had in hand. Sage came from my garden. I did not make the cauliflower mash, but sautéed squash which I had on hand. Delish!
Thank you so much Carol! I am really glad this recipe turned out so amazing for you! xTieghan
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!! I could not love this recipe more! The textures and flavors are just perfect. I have tried other mashed cauliflower recipes, but none of them taste as wonderful as this one! The capers, the crispy sage… I can’t wait to eat the leftovers.
That is so amazing to hear!! Thank you so much, Kelly! xTieghan
Chef Tieghan ~ We truly enjoyed this beautiful meal! Your photography is always stellar!
God bless your hard-working hands.
You are too sweet! Thank you so much! xTieghan
So so good! I did not have as much lemon as I thought (only one) so I had to use it for juice and skip the lemon slices part. Still turned out great. The cauliflower mash was amazing and so easy – I’ll probably use that as a side for other meals! I’m not a huge cooked tomato fan so I added them in toward the very end and they still got lots of flavor.
Yes love that!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Kam! xTieghan
Wow! This dish was amazingly delicious! Lots of butter may be the reason, but I highly recommend it for a special occasion. I just added fresh green beans. I want to save this recipe for future Sunday dinners with my family in any season. Thank you for creating it!
Hi Julie! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
This was so good! I just bought a cast iron skillet and this was the perfect recipe for it. My family loved it!
So happy to hear that, Tricia! Thank you for trying this one! xTieghan
Outstanding!!!!
Thank you Josephine! xTieghan
I’m making this for my guests on Tuesday. Thank you. My mouth is already watering!
Thank you so much Wendy! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This recipe is my new favourite! I have made it twice in the past two weeks. The first time I made it my husband wasn’t home and when he came home for dinner he thought I had ordered it from a restaurant he thought it was soo good!
I didn’t use capers because I couldn’t find them at the grocery store but it was still delicious!
Haha that is too great! I am really glad you both enjoyed this recipe, Candace! xTieghan
Question – did this recipe again (still delicious) and had the same odd occurrence: when I add the thyme to the pan the thyme kind of jumps all over the place and makes firecracker noises. Do I need to turn down the heat or is there another trick so the thyme doesn’t go wild?
Hey Kam,
Thanks so much for trying the recipe. I would recommend turning the heat down a bit:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I Loved this chicken recipe, the cauliflower mash was too garlicky for me and was difficult to eat 🙁 I would definitely make again but either cook the garlic a little or use powder.
Thank you! I am sorry it was a bit too garlicky for you, and hopefully turns out better with less next time! xTieghan
This is definitely a keeper as my husband likes to say.
Thank you so much Holly! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This was phenomenal! So simple and mostly ingredients I usually always have. It smelled delicious too. Def think I’ll repeat this meal often.. and the mashed cauliflower was so good even my husband enjoyed it.
I used the gluten free flour. I also only had scallion cream cheese for the mash but that actually was perfect. And I don’t cook with wine, so I actually used it with some white grape juice and worked out!
Thanks!
Thank you Amal! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made it per your recipe and it tasted awesome. This has become one of my new favorites.
Hey Susan,
I am thrilled that you liked the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a go! Have an awesome week:) xTieghan
Has anyone ever tried to make the cauliflower ahead of time and reheat? Any success? I always hate doing that to mashed potatoes, I think the texture and taste is never as good as fresh. b=But I thought it might be possible to do that with the cauliflower. Possibly putting it in a baking dish and reheating it in the oven/broiler to brown the top bit.
Hey Lauren,
I think that would be totally fine to do. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Delicious but would definitely either roast or cook the garlic before blending with the cauliflower. The bite of the garlic was too much
Thanks for trying the recipe Tracey! xTieghan
This is by far one of my favorites!! Amazingly good. Wondering if you have any suggestions on how to go about making any of this ahead of time? Thank you!
Hey Melissa,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thank you for making it! You could make the mashed cauliflower ahead of time but I would make the chicken fresh:) xTieghan