South American garden chicken with cauliflower rice

This South American saucy chicken dish is perfect over cauliflower rice. Usually made with potatoes, peas and carrots, I’ve traded these classic ingredients for less starchy low-carb counterparts while maintaining the authentic flavour.

Ingredients

Garden chicken

• 3 tbsp coconut oil or avocado oil

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 4 celery stalks, diced

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 tsp fine salt, more to taste

• 1½ tsp fresh thyme sprigs or fresh oregano

• 450 g boneless chicken thighs, skinless

• 125 ml pumpkin puree

• 225 ml chicken broth

• 175 g pitted green olives

• 1 lemon (optional)

Cauliflower rice

• 900 g cauliflower

• ½ tsp salt

• 110 g butter or coconut oil

Nutrition

Instructions

Garden chicken

1. Heat your pressure cooker on sauté mode.

2. Add in the oil, onion, celery and bay leaves. Sauté for 8 minutes, or until tender.

3. Add in the salt, herbs and chicken thighs. Cook for another 8 minutes, turning the chicken over occasionally to brown the thighs.

4. Add in the pumpkin puree, broth, and drained olives. Mix well.

5. Cancel the sauté function of your pressure cooker. Close the lid and set to pressure cook on high for 25 minutes.

6. Once the pressure has released, open the lid, use two forks or tongs to shred the chicken.

7. If you want to reduce the liquid, you can set it to sauté mode again and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

8. Squeeze the lemon into it, stir and serve hot!

Cauliflower rice

1. Using a grater or grater attachment on a food processor, shred the entire cauliflower head.

2. Melt butter or coconut oil in a skillet. Add the cauliflower and cook over medium heat for 5-10 minutes or until the riced cauliflower has softened a bit. Add salt while frying.

3. You can also cook the grated cauliflower in the microwave. Put it in a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave it for 5-6 minutes. Mix in the butter or coconut oil and let it melt.

Make it on the stove top

This garden chicken recipe can easily be made stove top by following the instructions up to the browning and then instead of pressure cooking, simmering over low heat for 45 minutes.