Chicken biryani was one of my favorite Indian dishes growing up. I always ordered it from take it because it combined everything I wanted in one. We’ve turned a typical high carb dish in this low carb Easy Chicken Biryani dish. We use cauliflower rice as the base, but keep all the favors and textures you would normally find in a restaurant style chicken biryani!
What Can You Use For Low Carb Rice?
I think you already know the answer to that one – cauliflower! At first I was very skeptical. I grew up in an Indian household so chicken biryani was often on the menu along with rice. And, while I felt that nothing could really taste as good or make me enjoy chicken biryani again now that I am keto, I was wrong!! While this recipe will never out shine actual chicken biryani, it comes very close and is extremely delicious! The major difference is the low carb rice swap of cauliflower for real rice. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
I Am Obsessed With Low Carb Indian Recipes!
Why? Because Indian food is my favorite and for so long I thought I had to give it up. Again, I was wrong because some simple swap out and watching the carb count is all it takes to enjoy Indian food again!
The one we eat the most is our Simple Butter Chicken because Matt always ordered butter chicken and naan when we went out to eat Indian. We’ve even got Low Carb Naan for you to make and enjoy alongside! My personal favorite, and most underrated is the Chicken Jalfrezi so be sure to give that a try next time you’re craving Indian!
Low Carb, Easy Chicken Biryani!
Maybe we’re wrong. Maybe this won’t in any way shape, form or taste live up to restaurant style, rice based chicken biryani, but now you’ve got the option to find out! We don’t want you to feel restricted in your food choices or scared of certain foods like whole milk yogurt (used in this recipe). You’ll be surprised with how good this recipe is, and you’ll be craving this easy chicken biryani again before you know it!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Easy Chicken Biryani”
Easy Keto Chicken Biryani Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- 3/4 cup whole milk yogurt
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1.5 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp ground paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and sliced (optional)
- 6 cups fresh riced cauliflower
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped plus more for garnish
Instructions:
- Combine yogurt, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt, spices, and lemon juice in a medium bowl and whisk well. Stir in chicken cubes, cover, and marinate for 2-24 hours.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat, then add half of the chicken to the skillet. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally. Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken, adding butter if necessary. Remove chicken from skillet to a bowl and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and add 2 more tbsp of butter. Add the sliced onions and allow to cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Melt remaining butter (2 tbsp), then stir in jalapeno (if using), cauliflower rice, and season with remaining salt. Cook, stirring until cauliflower rice is tender and any liquid has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the chicken and fresh cilantro into the skillet and combine, heating through the chicken, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately with a garnish of fresh cilantro. Enjoy!
- <b>Note:</b> The chicken on it’s own is also a great recipe to meal prep and add to salads or quickly cook up another side of veggies for lunch/dinner if you don’t want to make the entire recipe!
Notes
Serving Size: 1/4th recipe **Most of the carbs are from the vegetables – feel free to leave out the onions or use less cauliflower rice if desired!
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
I made this meal yesterday, my wife and 1 y/o son loved it.
Thank You Very much its made my day. i really loved this recipe finally i am having Yummy biryani for the biryani lovers i can suggest you the best indian restaurants in chelmsford
Bawarchi Indian cuisine 313 Littleton Rd, Chelmsford, MA 01824 Ph : (978) 770-2777
Green Mountain Creamery Greek yogurt is the best and lowest carb yogurt I’ve found. I get it at Sprouts.
https://greenmountaincreamery.com/product/plain-5/
Loved this dish before I started Keto. Thank you for creating this Keto version…we loved it and was easy to make. Keep doing what you are doing….you make Keto so much easier to stick with.
scrumbucket@gmail.comhow many cups is in a serving?
I am not sure, just divide the recipe into 4 even portions and that is a serving.
How can I find this in MyFitnessPal. It’s not coming up by the title of the recipe ?
Sorry about that! Working on fixing that now.
WOW! This was so good my husband said he would eat it 5 times a day, everyday!
Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Made this last night, absolutely loved it. Swapped the yogurt for full fat Creme Fraiche and it worked fine. I’m a British Mum, living in France and working in Switzerland, so finding exact ingredients can be tricky, but so far all the recipes I have tried have been a huge success. Thank you!
Hi- what if cauliflower creates extreme discomfort and issues? What else can be used?
You could use another low carb veggie like broccoli or zucchini, or you could use miracle noodles “rice”.
I plan to use yellow cauliflower for the cauliflower rice instead of the white cauliflower. I can’t wait to cook this dish.
Would this taste good with kite hill almond yogurt!!!!
Yes, that would probably work 🙂
Can’t wait to try this!
I have to admit I was very skeptical about riced cauliflower because I was never a fan of cauliflower. But……..OMG it has become a major staple in my cooking. I am lazy so buy the frozen bags and use it as a substitute for ANY recipe that calls for rice. My favorites are Chicken Fried Rice and Stuffed Peppers (which I make quite often now).