Paleo Low Carb Thai Fried Rice With Chicken
by This Low Carb Thai Fried Rice, made with shirataki rice and Chicken looks and tastes so much like the real fried rice! With 7 gram net carbs, this Keto Thai chicken fried rice uses shirataki/konjac rice and tastes remarkably like your favorite take-out. This is the one that will satisfy your Thai food cravings without compromising a bit of flavor and taste!
The BEST Low Carb Thai Chicken Fried Rice! (p.s. not cauliflower)
I grew up eating a lot of Chinese style fried rice, especially when there was leftover rice made the night before. My mom would fire up the wok and stir-fried the rice with eggs, scallions, and a dash of soy sauce.
Today’s Thai style fried rice is low carb and paleo, using shirataki rice (or konjac rice) and the dish is loaded with vegetables and lean protein. I simplified the traditional Thai fried rice cooking steps and modified the seasoning sauce to make it gluten-free but the tastes are absolutely impeccable – good enough to satisfy your Thai food takeout cravings!
Ingredients for Thai Chicken Low Carb Fried Rice
Ever since I discovered konjac rice (AKA shirataki rice) I can’t stop using it in low carb Paleo fried rice recipes. My Keto fried rice with garlic chips is a perfect example.
For this Thai chicken fried rice version, you’ll need –
- Shirataki rice or konjac rice
- Chicken breasts
- Yellow onion and garlic
- Tomatoes
- Lime
- Leafy vegetable such as Chinese gai lan or Broccolini
Although this dish is Thai-influenced, I use accessible ingredients and you can easily swap the vegetables you have on hand or use a different protein. For example: use baby bok choy instead of Chinese broccoli, use scallions to replace onion for even lower carb count, skip the chicken and replace it with more crunchy vegetables like chopped carrots and celery.
What is shirataki rice or Konjac rice?
If you are in the low carb lifestyle, you are probably most familiar with shirataki noodles. Shirataki rice or konjac rice are basically made of the same ingredients but in a rice grain-like shape. The rice is made from 97% water and 3% fiber from the konjac plant (a water-soluble dietary fiber). It’s a common ingredient in Japan.
Konjac made products come in various shapes and flavors. The most common one is plain and in block shape. The color could be white or gray in color. The same ingredients are made into different forms – konjac noodles, konjac rice, miracle noodles, or shirataki noodles/rice. They are very low in calories and rich in fiber. It is considered as a healthy and dietary food and that makes it perfect for today’s low carb and Paleo Thai style fried rice recipe.
What does shirataki rice or konjac rice taste like?
Konjac rice or shirataki rice is actually taste-less and it absorbs the flavor well with sauce and seasonings. I recommend you follow the package instructions to drain, rinse, and saute the rice in a dry skillet with no oil until the majority of the liquid is removed.
The brand I use has blended oat fibers, which make the texture better (less chewy/rubbery) and less odor. The color is white and non-translucent and it takes on a flavor of a dish really well
Shirataki rice is a great time saver, compared to making cauliflower rice from scratch. It’s less messy and tastes better and that makes our low carb fried rice extra delicious!
How to cook shirataki and konjac rice?
- Open the packet and drain the rice through a large mesh strainer and rinse under running water.
- Gently saute the rice in a large cast iron or non-stick skillet with no oil over low heat until the rice grain starts popping and is no longer watery, about 10 minutes.
- Now it’s ready to be added to any dishes you like with seasonings.
Note: Since konjac (shirataki) rice is low carb and non-starchy, it’s best used in stir-fry dishes. It’ll not work to replace rice in sushi or dishes that need high starchy/sticky content to bind the ingredients together.
Also see a detailed blog post about what is shirataki rice.
Tips for making the best paleo low carb Thai fried rice, using shirataki/konjac rice
Here are the top tips I’ve accumulated for wickedly good Thai-style low carb fried rice –
- Be gentle with the rice – remember this rice is low carb and not real rice so saute them in a cast iron or non-stick skillet with a wooden spoon over low heat for about 10 minutes to remove the liquid then you can add it to any dishes you like with seasonings.
- A great sauce – I simplified the traditional Thai fried rice recipes and made it low carb/gluten-free with coconut aminos and a dash of fish sauce. If you happen to have a bottle of my homemade vegetarian oyster sauce, definitely add that to the fried rice. It’ll taste even more authentic. If the dish is not salty enough, add a dash of coco aminos and fish sauce to taste.
- Cook them separately – instead of adding leftover rice from a night before to the wok with everything else, the cooking steps are slightly different when using shirataki rice. Cook the rice in a separate skillet first then add it to the rest of ingredients so that the rice stays crisp and absorbs the flavor well.
How to serve shirataki/konjac made Thai fried rice
Serve it as a tasty low-carb side dish or as a meal in itself. This low carb Thai chicken fried rice packs with loads of flavor and a very small amount of carbs. It is a healthy and satisfying complete meal in itself!
While the fried rice goes well with practically any savory dishes, here are a few ideas –
- Whole30 Baked Salmon
- Honey sriracha chicken (keto friendly!)
- Vegetarian bibimbap
- Keto Ground Beef Recipe
- Keto Potstickers
- Low Carb Steamed Seafood
- Tuna Temaki Sushi
- Keto Bulgogi Sushi Rolls
- Homemade Egg Drop Soup
- Shrimp and Broccoli Stir-Fry
- More low carb recipes
More Low Carb Keto Chinese and Asian Food
Have a browse through all my Paleo Asian recipes for more ideas!
- Ginger Chicken
- Shirataki noodles with “peanut” sauce
- Keto lo mein shirataki noodles
- Thai Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Broccoli Fried Rice
- Kimchi Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Filipino Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Pineapple Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Paleo Hunan Beef Stir-Fry
- Omurice omelette (Japanese fried rice omelette)
- Thai Glass Noodle Stir-Fry (Pad Woon Sen)
- More Keto recipes
If you love fried rice and Thai food, this low carb chicken fried rice recipe is for you! It’s not only low carb but also Keto Paleo with accessible ingredients and excellent flavors! With just 7 gram net carbs, this is the Best takeout style Thai fried rice. One bite you’ll quickly fall in love!
So tell me, low carb fans, have I convinced you to give this a go??
If you give this recipe a try, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. My readers love sharing their tips and tricks with foodies like you all over the world and it helps my blog grow organically so that I can continue sharing awesome free content with you!
Low Carb Thai Fried Rice with Chicken (Paleo, Keto, GF)
Ingredients
- 2 packets shirataki rice or konjac rice, 7 oz. per packet
For the chicken:
- 0.75 lb chicken breast, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp each garlic and onion powder
- ⅛ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tbsp olive oil
For the stir-fry:
- 2.5 tbsp avocado oil
- 0.5 oz. garlic, about 3 cloves, finely minced
- 3-4 pinches coarse sea salt
- 3 oz. yellow onion, about half of 1 large onion, sliced
- 2 large eggs
- 1 large handful broccolini or Chinese broccoli
- 5-6 oz. vine tomatoes, about 2 medium, sliced
- 1-2 bulbs scallions, chopped, optional
For the sauce:
- 2.5 tbsp coconut aminos
- 0.5 tbsp fish sauce
- Half one whole lime wedges, serve on the side
Instructions
For the rice:
- Rinse and drain the shirataki (or Konjac) rice, following the package instructions. Saute the rice over a large cast iron or non-stick skillet with no oil over low heat. Stir periodically and gently until the rice grain starts popping and the water evaporates further, about 10 minutes. Set it aside.
For the chicken:
- In the meantime, in a large bowl add the sliced chicken with seasonings from salt to olive oil. Gently mix well. Set it aside in the fridge.
Chop veggies and prepare sauce:
- Prepare onion and garlic in one plate and tomatoes in a bowl. Dice broccolini to about 1-inch sections in diagonal shape. Combine the coconut aminos and fish sauce in one bowl.
For the stir-fry:
- Preheat a large skillet or wok over medium heat until it’s too hot to place your palm near the surface, about 2-3 inches away. Add 1.5 tbsp oil, Sear the chicken in a single layer over medium-high heat without touching until the bottom is golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Then use a fish spatula to flip and sear the flip side, about 2-3 minutes. The chicken should be almost cooked through before setting them aside along with the pan juice and oil in the skillet.
- Use the same skillet, add 1 tbsp oil. Saute garlic with a pinch of salt over medium-high heat for about 3 seconds then add onion. Stir fry until the onion sweats, about 10 seconds.
- Push the ingredients to the side of the skillet and add 2 eggs. Fry the eggs until they are half way cooked, then roughly break them up with a spatula.
- Add broccolini with 2 pinches of salt. Saute until it turns softer, about 1 minute.
- Add tomatoes and chicken, give them a quick toss then add the rice and sauce. Gently toss and scoop for about 30 seconds.
- Off heat, serve with lime wedges on the side and top with scallions, if using.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
This looks so good! Never heard of konjac rice so I can’t wait to try this. You can only have so much cauli rice before you want other options. 😉
Can’t wait to enjoy this delicious recipe! Thank you for a paleo way to have fried rice!
Thank you!
I love this with the Shirataki Rice! So simple and tasty!
We love Thai food so when I saw this recipe I immediately made it the same weekend. We didn’t have shirataki rice but I followed the instructions and made it with cauliflower rice and this dish is still very delicious! Next time, I’ll make a regular fried rice version. Can’t wait!
I need to try out shritaki rice! I’ve never heard of it but this looks amazing.
It’s super good, low carb, and takes on any dish flavor really well!