Low-Carb Mediterranean Chicken Risotto

Original recipe posted at PeaceLoveAndLowCarb.com as a guest post.

When I started following a low-carb paleo-friendly diet a few years ago, I was always trying to find substitutes for high-carb foods. After getting keto-adapted, most cravings went away. The only reason I use cauli-rice zoodles or pancakes & waffles is that I like them, not because I miss their high-carb alternatives.

Cauliflower is my favourite substitute for both rice and potatoes. I have successfully used it in many keto recipes including my Low-Carb Egg Fried Rice, Keto Mexican Rice and even Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

So, I thought this was a perfect recipe to give to Kyndra at Peace, Love and Low-Carb. Starting from today, I will be guest posting for her blog for the next few months. All my recipes will be: savoury, keto-friendly, easy to prepare and using commonly found ingredients.

This recipe, which can now be found on Kyndra's blog, meets all the above requirements. As many of you know, I love Mediterranean cuisine, so it's a double winner. So head over to Kyndra's blog and try my Mediterranean Low-carb Risotto and discover her amazing low-carb recipes!

Step-by-step

1. Prepare the cauliflower rice. Remove the leaves and the hard centre core of the cauliflower and cut into florets. Wash the cauliflower and drain well. Once dry, grate with a hand grater or in a food processor with a grating (or regular) blade. Pulse until it looks like rice. A grating blade will make it look closer to real rice.

2. Dice the chicken into medium pieces and place on a pan greased with a tablespoon of ghee, butter or coconut oil.

3. Cook for about 15 minutes. When done, set aside.

4. Meanwhile, peel and mash the garlic and zest the lemon. Make sure you use organic, unwaxed lemons.

5. Grease another pan with the remaining ghee, butter or coconut oil and add the mashed garlic and lemon zest. Cook briefly over medium heat until light golden.

6. Add the cauli-rice, increase the temperature to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. The time depends on how soft you prefer the “cauli-rice” to be. Add the pesto, chopped herbs and cream (or coconut milk). Cook for another 1-2 minutes and set aside. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

7. If you eat dairy products, add the parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

   

Recipe

Low-Carb Mediterranean Chicken Risotto

★★★★★4.7 (23 ratings)

Easy low-carb one-pot meal made with cauliflower rice, tender chicken and Mediterranean herbs.

Hands on

15m

Overall

30m

Servings

4

5.7 g

Net carbs

37.5 g

Protein

29.5 g

Fat

454

kcal

1 serving2 servings3 servings4 servings5 servings6 servings7 servings8 servings9 servings10 servings11 servings12 servings16 servings

US + metricMetricUS

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Ingredients makes 4 servings

• 1 small head cauliflower (480 g/ 16.9 oz)
• 4 medium chicken breasts, skinless and boneless (600 g/ 1.3 lb)
• ¹/₄ cup heavy whipping cream or coconut milk (60 ml/ 2 fl oz)
• ¹/₂ cup pesto (125 g/ 4.4 oz) - you can make your own pesto
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 ¹/₂ tsp fresh lemon zest
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped such as basil, oregano and thyme or 1-2 tsp dried herbs
• 2 tbsp ghee or virgin coconut oil (30 ml)
• sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• Optional: 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese, or to taste for topping

Instructions

1. Prepare the cauliflower rice. Remove the leaves and the hard centre core of the cauliflower and cut into florets. Wash the cauliflower and drain well. Once dry, grate with a hand grater or in a food processor with a grating (or regular) blade. Pulse until it looks like rice. A grating blade will make it look closer to real rice.

2. Dice the chicken into medium pieces and place on a pan greased with a tablespoon of ghee, butter or coconut oil.

3. Cook for about 15 minutes. When done, set aside.

4. Meanwhile, peel and mash the garlic and zest the lemon. Make sure you use organic, unwaxed lemons.

5. Grease another pan with the remaining ghee, butter or coconut oil and add the mashed garlic and lemon zest. Cook briefly over medium heat until light golden.

6. Add the cauli-rice, increase the temperature to medium-high and cook for about 5 minutes stirring frequently. The time depends on how soft you prefer the “cauli-rice” to be. Add the pesto, chopped herbs and cream (or coconut milk). Cook for another 1-2 minutes and set aside. Season with freshly ground black pepper and salt.

7. If you eat dairy products, add the parmesan cheese and mix well. Serve immediately or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Nutrition per serving, about 2 cups

Carbs 5%Protein 34%Fat 61% of calories

Net carbs

5.7 g

Total carbs

9.7 g

Fiber

4 g

Sugars

3.1 g

Protein

37.5 g

Fat

29.5 g

Saturated fat

10.5 g

Calories

454 kcal

Sodium

575 mg · 25% RDA

Magnesium

74 mg · 18.6% RDA

Potassium

1,046 mg · 52.3% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 2 cups	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Cauliflower rice, homemade (cauli-rice, KetoDiet app)	3.6 g	2.3 g	0.3 g	30
Chicken, breast (without skin, raw)	0 g	33.8 g	3.9 g	180
Cream, heavy whipping, pouring, full-fat (30-40% fat)	0.4 g	0.3 g	5.7 g	55
Avocado Pistachio Pesto, homemade (KetoDiet blog)	1.2 g	1 g	12 g	118
Garlic, fresh	0.5 g	0.1 g	0 g	2
Lemon zest (peel), fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Basil, fresh	0 g	0.1 g	0 g	0
Oregano, fresh	0.1 g	0 g	0 g	1
Thyme, fresh	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Ghee	0 g	0 g	7.5 g	68
Pepper, black, spices	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt	0 g	0 g	0 g	0
Total	5.7 g	37.5 g	29.5 g	454

Serving size about 2 cups

• Gluten free
• Egg free
• Nut free
• Nightshade free
• Pork free
• Coconut free
• Fish free
• Shellfish free
• Beef free