Low Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice with Chicken and Snow Peas

Fried rice is delicious, cheap, and easy – but it’s not exactly low calorie, low carb, or low sodium. In this recipe we’re changing all of those by swapping cauliflower rice for the white rice, limiting the amount of oil we use, and using a small amount of low-sodium soy sauce. The result is a meal that’s tasty but light.

Cauliflower rice is a great low-carb substitute for white or brown rice. It has a similar texture and mild flavor and can be used pretty much anywhere you’d normally use rice. One cup of cauliflower rice contains 47 calories versus 204 calories for one cup of white rice (cooked). And white rice contains 44g of carbohydrates per cup, while cauliflower rice contains about 5g or carbs. That’s great news for anyone watching their blood sugar.

We’ve tried lots of cauliflower rice and our favorite is honestly the frozen pre-riced cauliflower. Once cut, cauliflower can go bad fast in the fridge and develop a bit of a smell, so only get cauliflower rice from the grocery section if you plan on using it immediately. If you want to make your own cauliflower rice, we won’t stop you, but the time and effort frankly is not worth it – and it’s hard to save the leftovers.

We’re using ginger and garlic to add flavor. These spices are so low-calorie that most people won’t need to bother counting them (only ~2 calories per teaspoon). If you’re wanting to add additional flavor (without adding a lot of sodium), feel free to double the amount of garlic and ginger for a punch of flavor. If you like it spicy, add in spices like white pepper, crushed red pepper, or chili garlic paste.

Sriracha is also fine! Despite a common misconception, the original Sriracha sauce has less than five calories per teaspoon (although it doesn’t have zero calories as the label claims – it just has less than 1 gram of carbs so they’re not required to count these calories on the label). Unless you drench your food in it, it’s not enough calories to count for most people.

Make sure to measure out ingredients. If you add two pounds of chicken instead of one, it will change the calorie count, so make adjustments accordingly.

Ingredients

Total time: 25 minutes | Servings: 4

Directions

1. Prep all your veggies and meats first. Cooking on high heat happens fast, and you don’t want the oil to burn. Chop the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. Smaller is better! Beat the eggs in a small bowl using a fork or whisk, dice the red bell pepper, pull the “veins” off the snow peas and cut in half, and slice the green onions thinly. Dice or grate the ginger (removing the tough skin first) and mince the garlic. Make sure you’re measuring ingredients!
2. Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add the 1 teaspoon oil and coat the pan. Add in the two beaten eggs and let sit (don’t stir! You’ll make a mess), until the bottom side is cooked, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook another 15 seconds until cooked through, then transfer to a cutting board.
3. Add in one tablespoon of oil and stir to coat. Add the white parts of the green onion, the garlic and ginger, and stir, about 15 seconds. Quickly add the chicken thighs and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes until no longer pink on the outside.
4. Add in the bell pepper and snow peas. Cook, stirring frequently, until the snow peas are bright green, then remove the entire mixture to a plate.
5. Add in the last tablespoon of oil. Stir to coat and add in the cauliflower rice. Cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes from frozen. Add in the 3 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce and continue stirring. If your cauliflower rice is especially wet, you may need to drain some water from the pan.
6. Chop the egg into pieces using a knife and add to the pan or wok. Add back the chicken mixture and stir to combine. Turn the heat off. Transfer to a plate and top with the rest of the green onion. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving size: approx. 1 1/3 cup. Calories 329, Fat 21g, Protein 25g, Carbs 8g, Sugar 2g, Sodium 740mg, Fiber 3.7g