Discover the perfect balance of sweetness and savory in our Keto Coconut Caramel Chicken. This dish transforms everyday chicken into a delicious Vietnamese experience with its rich, caramelized coconut sauce that offers a unique twist on traditional flavors. Infused with the subtle sweetness of coconut, this recipe is designed to delight your taste buds while keeping you low-carb. The creamy caramel sauce envelops tender chicken pieces, creating a dish that’s both indulgent and satisfying.
To complement this flavorful chicken, we pair it with cilantro cauliflower rice. The cauliflower rice, infused with vibrant cilantro, lime, and chili, provides a light and aromatic base that contrasts the rich chicken. While you can make it with any cut of meat, I do recommend something with skin on as the sauce gets sticky and the meat can stick to the bottom of the pan.
Yields 2 servings of Keto Coconut Caramel Chicken
The Preparation
Coconut Caramel Chicken:
- 24 ounce bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks
- 1/2 cup allulose, or sweetener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 7 ounce canned coconut milk, ~1/2 can
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce, or soy sauce
- 2 1/2 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- salt and pepper, to taste
Cauliflower Rice:
- 400 gram cauliflower rice
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
- 1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 medium lime, juice and zest
The Execution
1. Gather and prep all of your ingredients.
2. In a pan (that you have a cover for) over medium heat, add the allulose and water. Stir frequently as it bubbles and reducing.
3. Once the mixture is thickened, add in the remaining ingredients for the Caramel Chicken EXCEPT for the chicken itself.
4. Stir to combine everything well, then add in the chicken drumsticks. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes, uncover the chicken and turn the drumsticks. Allow to cook, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on this and stir the mixture to stop the caramel from burning.
5. While the chicken finishes cooking, make the cauliflower rice. Add coconut oil and garlic to a pan over medium heat. Once fragrant, add in the cauliflower rice, chili, cilantro, lime zest and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until moisture has been pulled out of the cauliflower.
6. Serve the chicken on top of the cauliflower rice with extra sauce if desired. Squeeze lime juice over the top and enjoy!
This makes a total of 4 servings of Keto Coconut Caramel Chicken. Each serving comes out to be 558 calories, 36.5g fats, 7.3g net carbs, and 44.8g protein.
NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
24 ounce chicken drumsticks | 1252 | 61.17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 163.5 |
0.5 cup allulose | 45 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
1 tablespoon water | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
7 ounce canned coconut milk | 391 | 42.33 | 5.58 | 0 | 5.58 | 4.01 |
0.5 cup chicken broth | 7 | 0.26 | 0.55 | 0 | 0.55 | 0.8 |
1.5 tablespoon fish sauce | 9 | 0 | 0.98 | 0 | 0.98 | 1.37 |
2.5 tablespoon rice vinegar | 7 | 0 | 0.01 | 0 | 0.01 | 0 |
0.5 medium yellow onion | 21 | 0.09 | 4.77 | 0.66 | 4.11 | 0.64 |
1 teaspoon chili flakes | 6 | 0.31 | 1.01 | 0.49 | 0.52 | 0.21 |
0 none salt and pepper | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
400 gram cauliflower rice | 100 | 1.2 | 20 | 8 | 12 | 7.6 |
3 tablespoon coconut oil | 365 | 40.49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
3 teaspoon fresh garlic | 13 | 0.04 | 2.81 | 0.18 | 2.63 | 0.54 |
0.5 teaspoon chili flakes | 3 | 0.15 | 0.5 | 0.24 | 0.26 | 0.11 |
0.25 cup fresh cilantro | 1 | 0.02 | 0.15 | 0.11 | 0.03 | 0.09 |
0.5 medium lime | 10 | 0.07 | 3.53 | 0.94 | 2.59 | 0.23 |
Totals | 2230 | 146.13 | 39.89 | 10.62 | 29.26 | 179.1 |
Per Serving (/4) | 557.5 | 36.5 | 10.0 | 2.7 | 7.3 | 44.8 |
Keto Coconut Caramel Chicken
Ingredients
Coconut Caramel Chicken:
- 24 ounce bone-in skin-on chicken drumsticks
- ½ cup allulose or sweetener of your choice
- 1 tablespoon water
- 7 ounce canned coconut milk ~1/2 can
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce
- 2 ½ tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon chili flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Cauliflower Rice:
- 400 g cauliflower rice
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 teaspoon fresh garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- ¼ cup cilantro finely chopped
- ½ medium lime juice and zest
Instructions
- Gather and prep all of your ingredients.
- In a pan (that you have a cover for) over medium heat, add the allulose and water. Stir frequently as it bubbles and reducing.
- Once the mixture is thickened, add in the remaining ingredients for the Caramel Chicken EXCEPT for the chicken itself.
- Stir to combine everything well, then add in the chicken drumsticks. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes.
- After the 20 minutes, uncover the chicken and turn the drumsticks. Allow to cook, uncovered, for an additional 15-20 minutes. You will need to keep an eye on this and stir the mixture to stop the caramel from burning.
- While the chicken finishes cooking, make the cauliflower rice. Add coconut oil and garlic to a pan over medium heat. Once fragrant, add in the cauliflower rice, chili, cilantro, lime zest and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until moisture has been pulled out of the cauliflower.
- Serve the chicken on top of the cauliflower rice with extra sauce if desired. Squeeze lime juice over the top and enjoy!