Chicken bowls are a versatile and customizable meal option that can easily be adapted to fit a ketogenic lifestyle. By replacing high-carb ingredients with low-carb alternatives like cauliflower rice and loading up on healthy fats and proteins, you can enjoy a satisfying and delicious keto-friendly chicken bowl. This article explores various keto chicken bowl recipes, offering options for different tastes and preferences.
Southwestern-Style Keto Chicken Bowls
These bowls feature the vibrant flavors of the Southwest, combining chicken with flavorful spices, vegetables, and toppings.
Recipe Inspiration
One popular approach involves creating a base of turmeric cauliflower rice. This is achieved by simmering riced cauliflower in chicken bone broth with turmeric and salt until the liquid is absorbed. While the cauliflower rice simmers, green peppers are sliced, and tomatoes and green onions are diced.
Preparing the Chicken and Vegetables
Avocado or extra-virgin olive oil is heated in a large skillet, and green peppers are cooked with taco seasoning, salt, and pepper. Chicken strips, seasoned with more taco seasoning, salt, and pepper, are then added to the skillet and cooked until done and the peppers are slightly caramelized.
Assembling the Bowl
A simple topping can be made by combining diced tomatoes, green onions, lime juice, salt, and pepper. A lime sour cream is created by mixing sour cream, lime zest, lime juice, salt, and pepper. The turmeric cauliflower rice is topped with the chicken mixture, tomato and scallion mixture, and lime sour cream. For an extra kick, hot red pepper sauce can be added.
Read also: Healthy Chicken Egg Roll Bowl
Keto Chicken Enchilada Bowl
This recipe offers a low-carb twist on a Mexican favorite, combining the flavors of chicken enchiladas in a bowl format.
Simple Preparation
The Keto Chicken Enchilada Bowl can be easily made on the stovetop, in a slow cooker, or in an Instant Pot. The chicken, enchilada sauce, chiles, and onions are cooked together until the chicken is tender.
Make-Ahead Convenience
The chicken and sauce mixture can be prepared ahead of time and frozen for easy reheating. When ready to serve, it can be combined with steamed cauliflower rice and fresh toppings. You can use store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce, with a low-carb enchilada sauce recipe available for those who prefer to make their own.
Nutritional Information
A serving of this recipe (approximately ¼ of the total) contains approximately 568 calories, 10.41g total carbs, 4.27g fiber, 6.14g net carbs, 38.38g protein, and 40.21g fat. The recipe can be customized to meet individual macronutrient goals by adjusting the amounts of ingredients like cheese, avocado, or sour cream. For example, swapping chicken thighs for chicken breast can reduce the fat content.
Cooking Instructions
Coconut oil is melted in a pot or Dutch oven, and chicken thighs are seared until lightly browned. Enchilada sauce, water, onion, and green chiles are added, and the mixture is simmered until the chicken is cooked through. The chicken is then chopped or shredded and added back to the pot to absorb the sauce. The bowl is served with toppings like avocado, cheese, jalapeno, sour cream, and tomato.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Low Carb Chipotle Chicken Bowls
These bowls offer a smoky and spicy flavor profile, perfect for those who enjoy a bit of heat.
Quick and Easy
These bowls are great for meal prep, a quick lunch, or a healthy dinner. They involve cooking the protein in a skillet and then adding fresh ingredients and toppings.
Key Ingredients
Skinless and boneless chicken thighs are recommended for the best flavor, but chicken breasts or ground chicken can also be used. The bowls are built on a base of cauliflower rice, Palmini fried rice, or shirataki rice.
Preparation
The chicken is marinated in a mixture of avocado oil, lime juice, chipotle powder, garlic powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. While the chicken marinates, a fresh tomato salsa is prepared by mixing diced cherry tomatoes and green onion with olive oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper. The chicken is then cooked in a non-stick frying pan until cooked through.
Serving
The bowls are assembled by dividing the cauliflower rice, chicken, and salsa evenly among serving bowls.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Greek Chicken Bowls
These bowls combine the principles of the Mediterranean and Keto diets, offering a flavorful and nutritious meal.
Flavorful Chicken
Skillet-grilled seasoned chicken is paired with Greek salad staples like tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives, and feta cheese. A good Greek seasoning blend, either store-bought or homemade, is key to the dish's flavor.
Key Components
The recipe includes instructions for making Greek chicken, tzatziki sauce, and a red wine vinegar dressing. The tzatziki sauce is made with Greek yogurt, grated cucumber, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, dill, salt, and pepper. The red wine vinegar dressing is a simple mixture of olive oil, red wine vinegar, oregano, and salt.
Assembly Instructions
The bowls are assembled by dividing the chicken among individual serving bowls and topping with cucumber, tomatoes, onion, olives, and feta cheese.
Chicken Bacon Ranch and Veggie Keto Bowls
These bowls offer a creamy and savory flavor profile, combining chicken with vegetables, bacon, and ranch dressing.
Customizable Vegetables
These bowls are highly customizable, with options for using Brussels sprouts, squash, zucchini, onions, bell peppers, red onion, tomatoes, or zucchini noodles.
Cooking Methods
The recipe offers both air fryer and oven methods for cooking the chicken and vegetables. The air fryer provides a crispy texture, while the oven method allows for cooking larger batches.
Ranch Seasoning
A homemade dry ranch seasoning is used to flavor the chicken and vegetables. The bowls are then topped with a creamy ranch dressing.
Cooking Instructions (Air Fryer)
Chicken and vegetables are tossed with avocado oil and dry ranch seasoning and then cooked in the air fryer at 375F for 14 minutes, shaking halfway through.
Cooking Instructions (Oven)
Chicken and vegetables are tossed with avocado oil and dry ranch seasoning and then roasted in the oven at 425F for 28-30 minutes, draining excess liquid as needed. Broiling for the last 5 minutes can help to crisp up the vegetables.
General Tips for Keto Chicken Bowls
Choose your base: Opt for low-carb alternatives like cauliflower rice, Palmini rice, or lettuce.
Select your protein: Chicken thighs, chicken breasts, ground chicken, or even shrimp can be used.
Load up on healthy fats: Avocado, cheese, sour cream, and olive oil are great sources of healthy fats.
Add non-starchy vegetables: Broccoli, spinach, bell peppers, onions, and tomatoes are all good choices.
Use flavorful seasonings and sauces: Taco seasoning, Greek seasoning, enchilada sauce, and homemade dressings can add a lot of flavor.
Customize your toppings: Add your favorite toppings like cheese, avocado, salsa, sour cream, and cilantro.