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Tomorrow is Cinco de Mayo 2020 and it happens to fall on a Taco Tuesday. This year is a little different for our family celebration wise, as we are still quarantined in our home and have to create our own mini fiesta indoors.
But, that doesn’t mean we can’t bring the party to the kitchen! Since it’s a taco Tuesday AND Cinco de Mayo, I’m whipping up some of these keto loaded taco bowls and pairing them with our sugar-free spicy jalapeño margaritas to bring the flavors of our favorite Mexican restaurants to our home.
Chipotle Style Keto Taco Bowls
Before this whole pandemic started, my husband and I were a sucker for hitting up Chipotle at least once a month and enjoying their ever-famous burrito bowls (sans beans and rice for me, of course). But I always wished they’d have cauliflower rice as an option to get a better texture to my concoction there (side note, Chipotle did tell Bloomberg a little earlier this year that they’re working on cauliflower rice as an option—YES PLEASE!). So, I figured why not make a bowl dupe at home where I can have my cauli-rice and eat it, too?
From the cilantro and lime in the cauliflower rice to the spices on the chicken bites, this keto chicken taco bowl is a constantly craved dish in our house and makes for the perfect main course to serve on Cinco de Mayo, with the added benefit that each person in the household can choose their own toppings, just like the famous chain fast food restaurant, to make it their own. Perfect for those with picky eaters!
Using Kevin’s Natural Foods Sauce for the Taco Meat
Just like most restaurants, fast food or otherwise, there are a variety of toppings you can put on taco bowls, but the below recipe is going to talk about the main components that will act as a base for all your taco goodness: the perfectly sauced chicken and fresh cilantro lime cauli “rice.” Getting these main components down in flavor will bring all your other toppings to life.
That’s why, after much tinkering around, I ran across Kevin’s Natural Foods Classic Taco Sauce and knew right away upon tasting that it would work perfectly for this dish. I’m always one for homemade and mixing your own spices where possible, but this ready-made sauce brings a specific flavor and heat that I have yet to reproduce perfectly on my own. And, in all honestly, it’s a lot more convenient to use this natural, keto-friendly sauce than buying every dried pepper or smoked chile under the sun trying to mimic it. At only $5 a pack on Amazon (and with free fast shipping if you’re a Prime member) and long-lasting shelf life for future use, it’s a no brainer!
How to Make Keto Chicken Taco Bowls
As I mentioned before, we’re going to focus on the base of this keto taco bowl: the seasoned chicken bites and the cilantro-lime cauliflower rice. Both are super quick and easy to prep and create, that way you can spend the rest of your time prepping any of your other toppings, loading your bowl up, and most importantly enjoying your meal!
For the classic taco chicken, we’re going to utilize Kevin’s Natural Foods Classic Taco Sauce. They have a ton of great other sauce flavors (like their Lemongrass Basil sauce I used in this recipe over turmeric cauliflower rice), and you can use my code BACONANDCREAM10 for 10% off your order on their website! Alternatively, if you’re a Prime member you can also get a 3-pack of their sauces here with free, fast shipping.
- I typically use two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut up into small bite-size cubed pieces.
- After getting a tablespoon of olive oil nice and hot on a large skillet, you’ll add the chicken bites as one layer onto the skillet, letting them sizzle and cook on one side for a minute or two until browned.
- Then, you’ll flip each piece over and let them brown on all other sides until they’re fully cooked through—about 4-5 minutes total.
- Once the chicken is fully cooked through with a nice golden-brown sear on the sides, you’ll add in Kevin’s Classic Taco sauce, stir in evenly, and let simmer a bit to reduce.
That’s it! That’s all it takes for the chicken. Super easy and quick to whip up while you simultaneously work on the rice.
For the cilantro-lime cauliflower rice, we’re going to do the following:
- You’ll warm up 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon cooking oil on a skillet over medium heat. I prefer either olive oil or avocado oil for this particular recipe. Up to you!
- Then, you’ll throw in the whole frozen package of Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower. I like to cook this from frozen simply because I usually have it on-hand in my freezer just for recipes like this, and then I don’t have to hassle with ricing my own cauliflower. You can cook from fresh, too, just note that you’ll have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
- You’ll mix the cauliflower rice into the butter until it starts to thaw. At this time, you’ll add in the salt, pepper, and optional chili powder (I just like the added flavor this provides to “mask” the cauliflower’s distinct flavor).
- Once the cauliflower rice is nice and tender you’ll turn the heat down to low, adding in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a dash more of oil to coat if you prefer (I add the extra dash of oil to “coat” my cauliflower rice and make it a bit more slippery and glazed like the Chipotle rice texture). Stir together and take off heat!
Easy, peasy, cilantro-lime squeezy. The best part is you can make both of these dishes at the same time to cut down your cooking time even more!
Can You Use Beef Instead of Chicken for These Keto Taco Bowls?
You absolutely can! This sauce also works really well for beef taco bowls. I’ve tried it myself, using 2 lbs of 80/20 ground beef as well as trying it out with 2 lbs of 90/10 ground beef (I personally like 80/20 better in most recipes, but if you want the leaner meat then you do you, boo!) and it was just as tasty with a change-up in texture given the minced meat versus the cubed chicken. It was an invited change when we wanted something different!
So, if you’re more inclined to red meat, ground beef is an easy swap for this recipe without sacrificing any flavor. I imagine you could even do pork for this, as well, though I haven’t tried that myself. Additionally, if you want to stick to poultry but want to change up the texture, I suggest trying 2 lbs of ground turkey or ground chicken for an easy twist on the original recipe.
What Toppings Can You Use for Your Keto Taco Bowl?
The sky is the limit when it comes to toppings for your keto chicken taco bowls. Of course there are the common toppings:
- lime-drenched avocado (to make it like Chipotle’s, cut up a half of an avocado. Add some lime juice and a large pinch of coarse salt and stir together really well until the mixture gets creamy. Top like guac!)
- pico de gallo
- some more chopped cilantro
- shredded lettuce
- a lime wedge
- shredded cheese
- queso
- hot sauce
- salsa or salsa verde
- sour cream
If you’re feeling up to making another dish, I like to chop up some bell peppers and throw it in a pan with some olive oil, chopped onions (fresh or frozen), and a dash of garlic powder. Saute until the onions are starting to brown and the bell pepper is soft, then use it as another veggie-loaded topping for your bowls!
What Do I Need to Make This Keto Taco Bowl Recipe?
Aside from the before mentioned Kevin’s Natural Foods Classic Taco Sauce, you’ll need the ingredients listed below as well as the following kitchen utensils/equipment:
- two non-stick skillets
- silicone tongs (this makes it easier to move around and flip the chicken)
- Citrus press for the lime juice
- Kitchen shears to cut the cilantro with (I prefer to cut my herbs with shears where possible rather than a knife on a cutting board. This is not only faster and less messy, but it tends to keep in more of the oils of the herbs)
I hope you enjoy whatever you decide to create for Cinco de Mayo. If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think! What did you end up topping it with? Did you enjoy Kevin’s Classic Taco Sauce as much as I do?! Have fun with this recipe and make it your own. Until next time, Keto fam. 🙂
Keto-friendly Taco Bowls — Chipotle Dupe
Equipment
- Two Nonstick Frying Pans
- Silicone Tongs
- Citrus Press
- Kitchen Shears
Ingredients
Cllantro-lime Cauliflower Rice
- 1 package Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup cilantro chopped
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- dash chili powder optional
Classic Taco Meat
- 2 lb chicken breast cubed into bite-size pieces*
- 1 package Kevin's Natural Foods Classic Taco Sauce
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
How to Make the Cilantro-lime Cauliflower Rice
- Place a medium-sized skillet on the stove over medium heat. Add butter and oil.
- Once the butter has melted, pour in the package of Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower and stir to coat the cauliflower in the butter and oil. Mix until the cauliflower starts to thaw.
- Add in the salt, pepper, and chili powder and mix well.
- Once the cauliflower rice is tender, turn the heat down to low and add in the chopped cilantro, lime juice, and a dash more of oil to coat if you prefer.**
- Stir together until well incorporated and fragrant then take off heat. Set aside.
How to Make the Classic Taco Chicken Meat
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
- Once hot, add the cubed chicken to the skillet in a single layer. Let the chicken sizzle and cook on one side for a minute or two until browned.
- Flip each piece over and let brown on all other sides until the chicken is fully cooked through—about 4-5 minutes total.
- Once the chicken has a nice golden-brown sear on all sides, add in the Kevin's Classic Taco sauce. Stir to incorporate evenly, and let simmer a bit to reduce.
- Remove from heat.
- Spoon cauliflower rice into a bowl, then place the chicken over cauliflower rice. Serve with preferred toppings immediately or store meat and cauliflower rice separately in the fridge for up to three days.
Notes
** – Please note that this post may contain Amazon or other vendor affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from purchases made from links clicked, but this will in no way affect you as a consumer or cost you anything extra. It will, however, help support Bacon and Cream and enable me to continue creating content. Thanks so much for your support!