Thai Chicken with Basil & Cauliflower Fried Rice - Low Carb
Salty, spicy, tangy, sweet, and with a punch of fresh basil - this low carb recipe has all the flavors of your favorite Thai takeout without the sugar and carbs! Keto and Paleo friendly.
Salty, spicy, tangy, sweet, and with a punch of fresh basil - this low carb recipe has all the flavors of your favorite Thai takeout without the sugar and carbs! Keto and Paleo friendly.
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
- 2 tbsp avocado (or other lightly flavored) oil
- 2 tsp fresh garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
- 4 cups finely chopped (riced) cauliflower
- 2 tbsp sugar free fish sauce
- 3 cloves fresh garlic chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chilis minced
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp granulated sugar substitute (i used this brand)
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- fried eggs to serve (optional)
- 2 cups chopped raw, chicken breast
- Carbohydrate 15.664395012256 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 1.26011000010102 g
- Fiber 0.175849996461147 g
- Protein 2.85829500266936 g
- Saturated Fat 0.182727000018144 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (99g)
- Sodium 705.522501418048 mg
- Sugar 15.4885450157949 g
- Trans Fat 0.0884125000289687 g
- Calories 80 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat the sesame and avocado (or other) oil in a large heavy bottomed (cast iron if you have it) saute pan. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about one minute or until fragrant.
- Add the cauliflower and fry over high heat for about 3 minutes.
- Add the fish sauce and stir well, cooking for another 3 minutes. The cauliflower should be softened and browned, with most of the liquid evaporated.
- Remove from the heat and transfer the cauliflower rice to a serving dish.
- Heat the avocado (or other) oil in the same pan as you cooked the cauliflower rice.
- Add the garlic, ginger, and chilis and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant and sizzling.
- Add the chicken to the pan and stir occasionally - cook for about 5 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through.
- Add the fish sauce, sweetener, and fresh basil - stir and cook until the chicken is coated and the basil is wilted - about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and serve over the cauliflower rice. Fried egg is optional but recommended.
High heat management transforms water-heavy cauliflower into a convincing substitute for grain-based fried rice. Raw cauliflower releases significant moisture upon contact with heat; cooking it over high heat for three minutes forces that trapped water to evaporate before the vegetable turns to mush. A heavy-bottomed cast iron skillet distributes thermal energy evenly, preventing localized scorching while the surface browns. Cast iron is ideal here for its heat retention properties, though any heavy stainless steel skillet functions adequately if preheated properly. Determining doneness in poultry without a thermometer relies entirely on visual inspection of texture and color. Raw chicken breast transitions from translucent pink to an opaque white as proteins coagulate, requiring roughly five minutes in a sizzling pan to achieve golden exterior browning. Fresh aromatics like garlic and minced ginger burn rapidly if introduced to excessive heat too early, which is why they require a brief one-minute window just until fragrant. Fish sauce contributes both salinity and glutamates, reducing the need for added table salt while building depth rapidly during the final minutes of reduction. Adding fresh basil at the very end preserves its volatile essential oils; prolonged heat exposure destroys those delicate compounds, turning the bright green leaves dark and muddy. Folding in the basil leaves for just two to three minutes allows residual pan heat to wilt the herb while retaining its distinct pungency.
