Spice Up Your Keto: Irresistibly Hot and Low-Carb Recipes to Ignite Your Taste Buds!

For those following a ketogenic lifestyle, the misconception that flavor must be sacrificed is a common one. However, with a little creativity and the right ingredients, you can enjoy a plethora of spicy, satisfying, and keto-friendly meals. If you love low carb spicy food - here are over 50 fantastic recipes to try! From fiery appetizers to flavorful main courses, this article explores a variety of spicy keto recipes to ignite your taste buds.

Embracing the Heat: A World of Spicy Keto Flavors

Chances are, if you're delving into spicy keto recipes, you appreciate a good kick in your food. Hot sauce, chipotles, poblano peppers, buffalo sauce, sriracha, jalapeños, cayenne - bring it on! The keto diet doesn't mean you have to forgo these bold flavors. In fact, many spicy ingredients are naturally low in carbohydrates and can be incorporated into your meals without derailing your ketogenic goals.

Often, combining heat with something creamy creates a great flavor combination. It can be cream, Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or sour cream. All that flavor from the chili, but the edge taken off.

Spicy Keto Recipe Ideas

Appetizers and Snacks

Spicy Buffalo Deviled Eggs: These wonderfully spicy buffalo deviled eggs are the perfect low carb snack for entertaining, game day, or for an appetizer!
Low Carb Bang Bang Cauliflower: This low carb Bang Bang Cauliflower is SO good!

Sauces and Condiments

Chipotle Ketchup: This chipotle ketchup is a fantastic condiment for meat, burgers, and more!

Main Courses

Chicken Chipotle Pasta: Can you believe that this chicken chipotle pasta is low carb?!?
Low Carb Spicy Bok Choy: This low carb spicy bok choy recipe is a wonderful side dish that is the perfect complement to any Asian meal.
Buffalo Ribs: These amazing buffalo ribs are cooked on the grill! It's so easy to do, and you'll love the buffalo sauce!
Beef Taco Stuffed Poblanos: These beef taco stuffed poblanos have some fantastic Mexican flavors going on!
Spicy Cauliflower Rice with Glazed Salmon: This spicy cauliflower rice is a fantastic accompaniment to glazed salmon! It's sweet, spicy, salty, and seriously good!
Honey Sriracha Chicken: This low carb honey sriracha chicken dish is both sweet and spicy!
Cajun Shrimp: This low carb Cajun dish features spicy creamy shrimp in a gorgeous sauce!
Chipotle Burgers: These chipotle burgers are fantastic on their own, but even better when loaded up with your favorite toppings!
Keto Chicken Tikka Masala: A flavorful and satisfying Indian dish that can be easily adapted to be keto-friendly.
Spicy Keto Skillet Chicken with Pan Sauce: An easy, one pan, gluten free weeknight dinner that’s fast and flavorful.

Drinks

Spicy Margarita: This spicy margarita sure has a kick to it!

Sandwiches

Keto Jalapeño Popper Sandwich: Here's a delicious keto jalapeño popper - in sandwich form!

Keto Chicken Tikka Masala: A Spicy Indian Delight

Keto tikka masala is actually very similar to butter chicken (which I also love). The difference is that butter chicken has a creamier sauce, while the tikka masala sauce contains onions and more tomato. This easy keto chicken tikka masala needs only 25 minutes to cook! It's a simple yet impressive low carb dinner that the whole family will enjoy, whether they're following a keto diet or not.

This recipe is perfect for those cooking for people who like to eat keto AND others who are not bothered about watching their carbs. Even though the dish has a lot of ingredients, it's actually super easy to make. First, marinate the chicken and prepare the sauce and then mix the two together.

Read also: Delicious Spicy Food

Ingredients Spotlight

Chicken: Use chicken breast, but skinless chicken thighs will work just as well (and are a little cheaper). If possible, go for free range organic.
Yoghurt: The yoghurt helps make the chicken more tender and gives a nice fresh kick. Use either plain full fat yoghurt or Greek yogurt (or sour cream). If you are dairy free, choose a coconut yoghurt instead.
Butter and heavy cream: To add scrumptiousness to this dish! For a dairy free option, gor for coconut oil/olive oil and coconut milk instead.
Tomato passata and tomato puree: Choose a good quality passata or chopped tomatoes. Fresh garlic and ginger will ALWAYS taste superior to dried.
Onion, garlic, ginger, spices: It's the spices that make a dish! Don't worry if you don't have all the spices. As long as you use the garam masala, which is a popular Indian spice mix, you can miss out on one or the other and it will still taste great.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Add the diced chicken to a large bowl with the chicken marinade ingredients and mix to combine. Leave to marinade for at least 15 minutes or ideally overnight, covered in the fridge.
Heat 1 tablespoon of butter or oil in large non-stick frying pan. When hot, add the chicken. Fry for about 3 minutes per side, or until golden and almost cooked through. This takes about 8 minutes in total. Remove from the pan.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the pan and fry the onions for 3 minutes on a medium heat until golden. Add the garlic, ginger and spices and fry for 1 more minute until fragrant.
Now, add the passata and tomato puree. Turn the heat down to a simmer and cook for a further 10 minutes or until thick.
Time to finish off the keto chicken masala sauce! Stir in the heavy cream / coconut cream and optional low-carb sweeter (I used a golden erythritol / monk fruit blend).
Add the chicken back in the pan and cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked through and warm.
Serve with chopped fresh coriander and optional cauliflower rice. Alternatively, make Creamy Keto Mashed Cauliflower! I love this dish with cauliflower mash when it's cold outside. It just ups the comfort factor. And last but not least, it also works so well with my Keto Naan.

Adjust the chili. Depending on how hot you like your curries, feel free to crank up the chili - or use cayenne pepper. Start with ½ teaspoon. Adjust the chili when you put the chicken back in the pan. Adding it here will allow the first spices to concentrate before adding more.

Storage Instructions

Store in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. This chicken tikka recipe is great for meal prep. Once you have tried it once (and I'm certain you'll end up loving it), double or triple the dish and freeze in portions.

Other Keto Chicken Recipes to Explore

Keto Chicken Curry- This is another Indian chicken dish that my whole family loves.
Keto Chicken Pot Pie - Chicken pieces in an extra creamy sauce, covered with crisp low carb pastry. Perfect comfort food.
Keto Ramen- This makes a wonderful light low carb lunch or dinner.

Keto Bang Bang Chicken: Crispy, Creamy, and Spicy

Along with fried rice and hunan chicken, Bang Bang Shrimp is one of my favorite appetizers to order at some Chinese food restaurants. Unfortunately, the sauce and breading are not low carb. But I figured out how to make a keto-approved with a few substitutions and just four ingredients in the sauce.

Bang bang sauce is a creamy, spicy sauce used in Chinese cuisine. Typical ingredients found this sauce are mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, sriracha sauce and honey or sugar.

Making the Keto Bang Bang Sauce and Crispy Chicken

In a bowl, mix the mayonnaise, chili garlic sauce, and sriracha together, mixing well to combine, and then tasting. If you like it spicier, add 1/2 teaspoon additional sriracha and mix again. Cover and refrigerate for later use. This makes a lot of sauce. You may not use it all.
Once you got the sauce figured out, to make the crispy fried chicken, I use an egg-free breading mixture of pork panko, almond flour and heavy cream. Seasonings and few other ingredients are added for flavor.
In a medium-sized shallow bowl, mix the pork panko, almond flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Set it aside.
In a separate shallow dish, mix heavy cream, water, apple cider vinegar, and remaining salt and pepper.
In a heavy-bottomed pot or fryer, heat about 1 to 3 inches of oil to 325 to 350 degrees.
While the oil is heating, lightly toss the chicken pieces into the cream mixture to coat all sides. Then, move each piece to the flour mixture, gently pressing to coat all sides of each piece. Move the breaded pieces to a small tray.
Working in batches, place about 8-10 pieces of chicken in the hot oil for about 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown and thoroughly cooked. Remove the cooked pieces from the oil and drain on a paper towel-lined plate to remove excess oil. The temperature of the oil may change when food is added. If it is too hot, the outside will cook quicker than the inside (and brown), so decrease the burner temperature to medium. If browning is taking a long time, increase the burner temperature to medium-high to get the oil back to 325-350 degrees.
Add all the cooked chicken to a glass bowl and drizzle with the bang bang sauce. Toss the chicken to coat slightly. Serve over cauliflower rice.

Air Fryer Instructions

To make Bang Bang Chicken in the air fryer: Spray the basket of the air fryer with non-stick cooking spray and preheat to 400 degrees. Place about 8-10 pieces in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer.

Preparation and Storage Tips

The breading for the chicken can be prepared ahead of time. For optimal crunchy texture of the chicken, it’s best to eat Bang Bang Chicken right away. It’s not recommended to freeze Keto Bang Bang Chicken once it’s been coated in the sauce, as the texture may change.

Keto Bang Bang Chicken: FAQs

What is bang bang chicken? Bang Bang Chicken is a popular dish that originated from Chinese cuisine. It typically consists of crispy chicken pieces tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce.
Can I use a different protein instead of chicken? You can use other proteins like shrimp or tofu to make Keto Bang Bang Chicken. Although, you would no longer call it Chicken…. Just adjust the cooking time accordingly based on the protein you choose.
Is Bang Bang Chicken spicy? The level of spiciness in Keto Bang Bang Chicken can be adjusted according to your preference. You can increase or decrease the amount of hot sauce and other spicy ingredients in the sauce to suit your taste.

Spicy Keto Skillet Chicken with Pan Sauce

I think you’re going to love this Spicy Keto Skillet Chicken with Pan Sauce. A one pan keto friendly, gluten free weeknight wonder meal that comes together in about 30 minutes.

Instructions

Start by placing chicken into a bowl and adding the spices and oil. We’re creating a wet rub. Rub the chicken down like it was getting a Swedish massage. TIP: If you don’t want your chicken as spicy use less chili powder.
Place the chicken into your preheated skillet with oil. You’ll know when the chicken is ready to flip when it naturally unsticks from the skillet. If you try to move it and it’s still sticking, it means that the chicken isn’t finished browning. Don’t try and force it. Be patient.
The easiest way to check your chicken is to use an instant read thermometer. If the thermometer reads between 160° and 165°, it’s done.
A few minutes prior to the chicken being completely done it’s time to create that glorious pan sauce. Start by adding 1 cup of the chicken stock. The liquid will bubble and mix together with the seasonings on the pan and chicken. YES.
Once chicken has hit 165 degrees, remove it from the heat and let it rest for for few minutes prior to slicing. This allows the juices to redistribute themselves.

More KETO friendly chicken recipes

Place chicken into medium bowl.Add: 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt, cumin, chili powder and paprika. Toss chicken until well coated.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Place chicken breasts into skillet. Cook 10-12 minutes turning as necessary until juices run clear OR when an instant read thermometer reads 165 degrees F.
During last 5 minutes of cooking add 1 cup chicken stock and butter.

Indian-Chinese Cuisine: A Spicy Fusion

Indian-Chinese cuisine is a unique fusion that has gained popularity. It features dishes like American Chopsuey and Gobhi Manchurian. Gobhi Manchurian, a spicy dish, comes in two versions: the dry version, often eaten as an appetizer, and the wet version, a main course with gravy served with fried rice or noodles. A vegetarian version of this dish is Paneer Chilli. Despite using onion, bell peppers, chilli sauce and soya sauce this dish has only 3g net carbs per serving.

Important Considerations for Keto and Carbs

It's important to remember that not all carbs are created equal. Some people tend to obsess a lot over carbs. It’s your choice what you want to eat. You can always make this without the onions and peppers or replace the soya sauce with something else.

Read also: Healthy Spicy Food

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