“I have pimped simple chicken thighs here by serving them with an indulgent, spicy sauce. This sauce deserves to be mopped up and the seasoned cauliflower rice does that job just perfectly. Be sure to check the nifty, useful tips I add at the end of the recipe to help you get the most out of the experience! – Monya
Fats of Life® is a keto and low carb recipe blog that I love to run as a hobby in my spare time. I am also the author of the best-selling Keto Kitchen Series of cookbooks. This includes my debut best-seller Keto Kitchen (2020). The fun and exciting Lazy Keto Kitchen (2021). And, the clever and inspiring Budget Keto Kitchen (2022). My 4th cookbook, Quick Keto Kitchen (2023) is as fantastic as the first three, and packed with spectacular, easy creations!
The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.
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More on Creamy Spicy Chicken with Seasoned Cauliflower Rice…
The keto diet emphasises low-carb, high-fat foods, making chicken thighs a perfect fit due to their higher fat content. The healthy fats aids in promoting satiety, helping individuals feel fuller for longer and reducing overeating.
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Moreover, chicken thighs are a fantastic source of essential nutrients, including protein, selenium, and B vitamins. These are vital for maintaining energy levels and supporting overall well-being.
These are served with a creamy spicy bacon and cabanossi sauce which elevates the dish’s flavour profile. The addition of bacon and cabanossi contributes extra fat and savoury notes, enhancing the overall taste and satiation.
Accompanying the chicken thighs is a seasoned spicy cauliflower rice. Cauliflower rice is a low-carb alternative, ensuring the meal remains in line with the keto principles. The spiciness of the cauliflower rice adds an exciting kick to the dish.
It is important to note that to maintain ketosis, it’s essential to track carbohydrate intake and ensure it aligns with your daily macro goals. Consulting with a healthcare professional is advised before making significant dietary changes. Scroll to the bottom to see the full macros and allergens for this Creamy Spicy Chicken with Seasoned Cauliflower Rice dish, as well as all the Dinner ideas on Fats of Life®.
Creamy Spicy Chicken with Seasoned Cauli Rice
Per serving
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cooked onion garlic mix
- 2 TB unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with a garlic press
- 1 tsp ground paprika, plus extra pinch for the chicken
For the creamy, spicy chicken
- 4 large chicken thighs, skin-on, bone-in
- 100 g (3.5 oz) smoked bacon lardons
- 100 g (3.5 oz) Kabanos (Cabanossi) , chopped smaller
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 200 g (7 oz) chicken stock
- 100 g (3.5 oz) baby spinach leaves
- 100 g (3.5 oz) double cream
- 65 g (2.3 oz) soured cream
To finish the seasoned cauliflower rice
- 1 TB unsalted butter
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 450 g (15.9 oz) cauliflower florets, blitzed into ‘rice’
- handful fresh parsley, finely chopped to garnish
- salt flakes, salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-assisted) and line a baking tray with baking paper.
- Season all sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and a pinch of ground paprika. Place on the tray, skin side-up and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the cooked onion garlic mix which you will need in both the saucy chicken mix and the seasoned cauliflower rice. Melt the butter in a large non-stick pan and add the onions and garlic. Cook over medium heat until softened, approx. 8-9 minutes. Add the ground paprika cook for another 1-2 minutes. Transfer half this onion mixture to a second, large non-stick pan. Keep this second pan aside for now, we will come back to it later.
- Add the bacon lardons, chopped Cabanossi and cayenne pepper to the first pan containing half the onion mix and cook over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Stir regularly to cook the bacon through, then add the chicken stock and baby spinach. Increase the heat to medium high, leaving the mixture to cook as the spinach wilts and the stock reduces. After about 4 minutes, pour in the double cream and soured cream and reduce the heat to medium low, leaving this mixture to reduce to a thick and saucy mixture.
- Meanwhile, make the seasoned cauliflower rice by turning your attention to the second pan with the second reserved batch of cooked onion garlic mix. Add the tablespoon of butter to the pan along with the cayenne pepper over medium high heat. Once the butter is foaming, tip in the cauliflower rice and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly to sufficiently cook the raw ‘cauli’ flavour out. Season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is cooked, pour all the tray roasting juices into the cauliflower.
- Serve the cooked chicken and saucy bacon mixture with the seasoned cauliflower rice – and don’t forget to scatter freshly chopped parsley over the whole lot!
USEFUL TIPS:
- You will only need 450g cauliflower florets in this recipe to blitz into ‘rice’. This is about a medium head (florets only – as they yield the best flavour for ‘rice’). However, cauli keeps well in the fridge, so if you bought a large head and have any leftover, rest assured that it will be used up sometime in the next few days.
- Cauliflower off-cuts can easily be boiled or steamed, then smothered in melted butter or tossed in olive or coconut oil and roasted in a 180°C oven. It always makes a quick and easy keto vegetable side dish.
- If you do not use all your baby spinach leaves from the packet, spinach can be added to salads or stirred into stir-fries and stews. They wilt quickly, but they are a powerhouse of nutrients, so try use up any leaves that you can.
- Need to get a head start on your prep? Chopping onions, crushing garlic, and blitzing cauliflower into ‘rice’ can all be done well ahead of time and kept in the fridge until needed. Be sure to cover them though to avoid ‘smell-contamination’.
- If you can’t find smoked bacon lardons, use finely chopped smoked streaky bacon. However, fatty bacon rashers are tricky to chop smaller, even with a very sharpest knife. I like to place the rashers in the freezer for 20-25 minutes – it makes chopping a breeze!
- Kabanos is used in this recipe. It is also known as cabanossi and can be found where the chorizo rings or saucisson is found. If you cannot source it, use any spiced, thin cured sausage meat. Cured sausages are considered a ‘processed’ meat and are frowned upon by the ‘keto police’, but they are delicious and oh-so low in carbs… so let’s call this dirty’ keto!
My name is Monya Kilian Palmer. If you loved this recipe, please follow and tag me @mkilianpalmer on Instagram so we can all see your lovely creations!
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The links above will take you to Amazon UK. For USA and other countries, see the global Amazon links here: Keto Kitchen ; Lazy Keto Kitchen ; Budget Keto Kitchen ; Quick Keto Kitchen.
Nutritional Information per serving
Calories 818Kcal / 3423kJ
Fat 62g
Carbohydrates 11g
Protein 53g
Allergens
Milk
Tree nuts (may contain - check labels)
Celery (may contain - check labels)
Mustard (may contain - check labels)
Soya (may contain - check labels)
See all the Dinner ideas on Fats of Life:
Disclaimer: The nutritional analysis, macro and allergen breakdown of the recipes on this site have been manually and carefully calculated using the cloud-based software NUTRITICS®. NUTRITICS® is fully approved by the relevant Trading Standards organizations and is EU and FDA-compliant. The macro calculations are provided as a courtesy to you based on the author's weighing of ingredients when creating the dishes. If Erythritol (a sugar polyol) has been used in any of the recipes, it has already been manually excluded from the final carbohydrate count. The author is a chef - not a medical professional - and this website has been designed to provide you with recipe ideas to suit the low carb lifestyle you have discussed with your GP.
1 Comment
Drop me a line if you have any questions or comments about this recipe. I will do my best to reply as soon as possible! Monya xxx