Ok so this is one of the low carb chicken recipes I created a few weeks ago, before I gave up chicken temporarily as part of a strict elimination diet in hopes that it would help my seasonal allergies.
It’s pretty awesome if I do say so! More on that in a minute…
As a brief update on my allergy/diet issues, I’ve added some things back in, but for now it seems that grains, chicken, eggs, and dairy are the primary culprits. I haven’t had any of those things (and still no coffee *sob*) for days after trying a few things back and then re-eliminating them when symptoms appeared. As a result, I have been free of all medication for three days, which is fantastic and almost totally worth it!
Unfortunately, I’m not completely sure yet that it’s the diet helping, or if it’s because IT WON’T STOP RAINING, and there can’t be a grain of pollen left in the air that hasn’t been washed away already. Normally I would be happy about that but I’m just #sosickofrain.
It’s rained so much that friends of ours found mushrooms growing in their camper.
Mushrooms.
Inside.
Enough already.
Today’s forecast is sunny and 85, which is SO EXCITING that I want to sing and dance and spin around like Julie Andrews on a mountain top right now.
So while I should be working all day to catch up on emails and other important stuff, instead I’m going to cut this post short so I can be outside getting some much needed vitamin D. And if it’s sunny where you are, you should totally stop reading this immediately (but pin it so you can get back to it later – because YUM) and get outside too if it’s at all possible!
Normally this is where I’d put a lot of blah de blah about how great the recipe is, the flavors, the textures, etc. etc. etc.
But not today.
Because SUNSHINE.
I will say that the cauliflower fried rice is fantastic on its own – and can be used as a side or accompaniment to all of your favorite low carb Asian dishes. Some of my favorites are the Low Carb Orange Chicken and Thai Green Curry Meatballs – so if you haven’t tried either of those out yet, make a note to add them to your menu ASAP!
One other note is that when I did some research on the origins of this recipe, I found that it was traditionally served with a fried egg on top.
I can pretty much tell you that there is 1000% NO CHANCE that I will ever not think this was the best idea I’ve ever heard of.
#putaneggonit #whatsupwithallthesehashtags #idontknow #giddyfromsunshine #makeitstop
All kidding aside, this low carb Thai chicken recipe was super delicious!
Salty, spicy, tangy, sweet, and with a punch of fresh basil – it hits all the right notes, and like most of my favorite low carb recipes, it can be made in about 15 minutes and all in one pan.
What more can you ask for?
#moresunshine #sorry #lastonepromise
Oh and I almost forgot – this recipe is dairy free, grain free, nut free, and egg free (without the fried egg obviously), and if you omit the sweetener this recipe is also Whole 30 compliant! #treatyoself #teehee #sorryilied #thisisreallythelastone #orisit
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Thai Chicken with Basil & Cauliflower Fried Rice – Low Carb
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
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.
Ingredients
For the Cauliflower Fried Rice:
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 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
For the Thai Chicken with Basil
- 2 Tbsp avocado (or other lightly flavored) oil
- 3 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 Tbsp fresh chilis, minced
- 2 cups chopped, raw, chicken breast
- 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)
Instructions
To make the Cauliflower Fried Rice:
- 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.
To make the Thai Chicken with Basil:
- 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.
Notes
Approximate nutrition information per serving:
3/4 cup cauliflower rice – 105 calories, 8g fat, 4g net carbs, 3g protein
1/2 cup Thai Chicken – 192 calories, 8g fat, 1g net carbs, 27g protein
Total serving – 297 calories, 16g fat, 5g net carbs, 30g protein
Note – 1 fried egg adds another 90 calories, 7g fat, .4g net carbs, 6g protein
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Thai
#goingoutsidenow #buhbye
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Amanda says
OMGosh awesome
Lisa says
I’m sorry–I really didn’t like this. I’ve eaten Thai Basil Fried rice frequently at restaurants, and It seems like this combination of flavors wasn’t quite enough to replicate the precise combination I’m used to. It didn’t quite satisfy the Thai craving for me. But it was definitely healthier!
★★★
AKS says
Yum!! This was exactly what I was looking for. I’ve been low carb two months and was desperately craving something Asian. I have a couple of suggestions for people making this recipe.
Cooking times: I find most recipes are written with gas stoves in mind. I have an electric induction range. I used a cast iron pan as recommended. Given that flattop ranges are a little slower to heat up than gas, I find cooking times tend to be longer than recipes say. I added oil to a cold cast iron pan and allowed it to heat up over 5 minutes or so until the oil sizzled. The flip side is that once cast iron is heated up it can be harder to cool it down for another part of the recipe, I pull it off the burner when I need to cool it down.
Rice: When I added the garlic and ginger for the rice, the oil & pan were very hot so I could make it nowhere near 1 minute, perhaps 15-25 seconds until the garlic and ginger began to darken and I could smell it was cooked. I immediately added my rice. Recommend eyeballing it instead of holding out a minute if using cast iron.
I used bagged cauliflower rice and made the mistake of packing the rice into my 4 cup measuring cup because I am a stickler for being precise. I packed it at exactly four cups and found it was a little too much rice for my large cast iron pan. A lot spilled out while stirring. Use just under four cups and don’t pack it in. The rice’s flavor was a little milder than anticipated probably because I used too much. It also took far longer than three minutes to cook- electric range. Don’t be afraid to add more ginger and garlic- with these ingredients measure with your heart.
Chicken: Getting a nice sear is important so the pan being a little more hot is okay. I turned the heat down from med-high to med-low/low once I got the sear and took the pan off till the pan cooled down a little. I also did not have fresh chilis or even crushed red pepper, but I did have dried chilis. I crushed them by hand in a ziplock bag and eyeballed the amount to put in, turned out perfect! I also did not have any artificial sweeteners except brown Swerve- this worked well.
End result: DELICIOUS
★★★★★
Gloria says
This was delicious! My husband, daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I used 2 one pound bags of riced cauliflower (Costco)and the fish sauce I bought did contain sugar. I used about 1.5 pounds of chicken. I believe the fresh ginger and fish sauce really made the dish. I was looking for something to make with chicken, basil and riced cauliflower and this was the perfect answer! Will definitely make often.
★★★★★
Heather Dornan says
Thank you for helping me lose weight! I have lost 4 inches in my arm. Low carb Slow and steady
June M. Freeman says
Hi Mellissa! When I look at my collection of recipes I see I have more of yours than anyone else’s! Thank you for all the work you put into this healthy way of eating. I certainly will give this a try!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks June! ?
Ana says
Thai Pad Ka Pao with chicken is our absolute favorite – when we moved onto keto-eating this is one of very few Thai recipes that we still eat often (minus rice) – the majority of Asian dishes call for sugar. Originally it is cooked with fish sauce + soy sauce + oyster sauce (plus sugar). When I make it at home I obviously omit sugar and add less/no oyster sauce since it contains sugar. There is also no ginger in the original Thai basil chicken as it will overwhelm the beautiful flavors from everything else. To fully appreciate the aroma Thai spicy basil needs to be used (not sweet and not the basil that you add to the Italian cooking – though I am sure it would taste great with other types of basil too, it’ll just be different).
Someone commented that the chicken is way too salty – it is supposed to be, that is why I would recommend serving it with plain, unsalted cauliflower rice and unsalted fried egg. We sometimes make it with two eggs no rice. Bird-eye chilies (little Asian chilies) are used for the original recipe – this dish is supposed to have some really great kick to it.
I am sorry for a long post, this is hands down our favorite at home and it took me years of researching authentic Thai chiefs blogs to be able to make it just as good as they get it in Thailand minus all the carbs. So I just couldn’t help myself when I saw the recipe :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback Ana!
Robin says
FANTASTIC!!! I will make this again and again! I’ve never used fish sauce before this recipe. The flavor is exactly what I was hoping for…it exceeded my expectations! I had fresh basil. We’re renting our friend’s basement apartment and house sitting for her at the moment. No food processor, so I cut up all the cauli by hand. A bit tedious, but oh so worth the efforts for this recipe! THANK YOU!
Jennie Liedkie says
so….the fish sauce was ok? I am a little squeamish about the idea….but …..could be convinced…
Jennie
Hawkce541 says
This is one the first of your recipes that I tried. Amazing. I eased up on the fish sauce so I wouldn’t run the rest of the family off…….It didn’t work. Smelled up the house something awful and then no one would eat it. My wife tried it but she has a pretty plain palletand I had to finish her plate. They are from Minnesota and not very adventurous with their food. I took the rest to work and it disappeared rapidly amid the more worldly group of veterans that I work with. They agreed, amazing.
★★★★★
Belinda says
This sounds yummy! I’ll make this when the Thai chilies in my garden are red-dy!
Michele says
I made this tonight and it was really delicious, however, the chicken was MUCH too salty. I would cut the fish sauce to 2 tsp next time I make this. The amount of fish sauce in the cauliflower seemed okay to me. Overall, it was a tasty dish. I paired it with a Thai-inspired slaw.
★★★★
Jason says
Tried this recipe. Made a few mistakes:
– I used pastes for the garlic, ginger, and pepper. Which might be fine if I had added them to the skillet after sautéing, but I think they ruined that process so the cauliflower and chicken never really browned.
– I used too fine a food processor disc to “rice” the cauliflower, which may have contributed to the mushiness and non-browning of the cauliflower.
– I used the recommended amount of fish sauce in the cauliflower, against my better instincts. After a bit of Facebook discussion with my foodie buddy, I come to find out that you should use drops, not tablespoons — and it needs to breathe for at least 30 minutes. And an acidic element like lime would help, too.
★★★
Chiquita says
Can you tell me how much sodium is in this recipe?
Lee says
I had cooked chicken and riced cauliflower and was searching for a recipe to make it yummy and found yours. I had all the ingredients so i just made it. Yum! Made extra for lunches this week. It’s the first time my cauliflower rice has been edible alone. The chicken tastes great too. I completely forgot about the egg but will add it next time. Thanks for the great recipe!
Eli says
I gave this a try (minus the cauliflower rice) and dang is it good! I might have to fold this into a thai red curry recipe for maximum amazingness. Thanks!
★★★★★
Ara says
All the chopping up took forever but it came out so good! Thank!
Stefanie says
Hi Mellissa! Do you have an estimate for how much chicken it took you to get to 2 cups? I’ve got a pound and a half of boneless skinless thighs at home and I’m wondering whether that will be enough. Thank you!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
That sounds about right! A little over or under is ok too! Enjoy!
kristen says
Can’t wait to make this, but I’d love to know which kind of fresh chilis you used! I’m an inexperienced cook and I”m not sure which are the best for thai flavors!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Normally I’d use red thai chilis but I couldn’t get any so I actually used serranos for this time and added some minced red pepper for color and authenticity in the photos. Any hot pepper will work with subtle flavor differences – you can even use red pepper flakes in a pinch!
Jeanette says
Sounds good I plan to make it as soon as I get the ingredients!
★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Awesome, let me know what you think once you try it Jeanette!
Susan says
Recipe looks awesome! I just wanted to say that I was having A problem with seasonal allergies every time I walked out my door . I then started a prebiotic, then a probiotic and now inulin. Stopped All my symptoms. I got everything in Amazon.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have also been taking pre and probiotics Susan and I do think it’s helping! I don’t do well with inulin fiber tho – it’s from the family of plants I’m allergic to and makes my throat itch. I’ve started taking DE again though and hopefully that will help as well to carry any toxins out! Hope you like the recipe! :)
Kathy Kral says
I will definitely pick up some fish sauce tomorrow so I can make this! The allergies are devastating from the month of rains. I finally went to the doctor because I couldn’t breathe and could not stop the violent coughing but had NO other problems, no fever, no congestion, nothing. He said the constant humidity and allergens blown in from other states had my lungs mimicking severe asthma!
After a few days of inhalation treatments, steroids, antibiotics and carrying an inhalor, I’m feeling much better, but that was scary not being able to get any air in. Hope you get better too!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Kathy, glad you’re feeling better – that sounds scary! So far so good for me, but we’ll see how it is in the Fall with Ragweed season. I’m really dreading it so I’m hopeful that a strict diet all summer will put me in a better position than I was last fall when I wasn’t sure I’d survive it in spite of the extreme amounts of medication I was taking!