Low Carb Thai Basil Chicken Salad

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This low carb Thai basil chicken salad is how I enjoy Thai food at home these days, replacing the rice (carbs) with lots of shredded cabbage. When I eat out at a Thai restaurant, I totally enjoyed the rice & I did not worry one bit about the carbs. But when I am at home, I felt I had a lot of freedom to customise a dish to my needs, so I will think of ways of making a version of the “real thing” sans the carbs. This dish had also become one of my izakaya-at-home dishes to go with beer or sake. I reckoned since an alcoholic drink is already calorie-laden, eating a lower carb dish will lessen the damage :p

See Also:

• Low Carb Tom Yum Chicken Noodles
• Low Carb Tom Yum Shrimp Shirataki Noodles
• Thai Crispy Fried Egg (VIDEO)
• Thai Basil Chicken (VIDEO)

I choose shredded cabbage because at least the colour resembles rice. If I put a bed of salad greens, I am still kind of reminded that I am on a diet (lol). Another great replacement for faux carbs for this plate will be cauliflower rice, but that will involve cooking and meal prep.

INGREDIENTS (Low Carb Thai Basil Chicken Salad)

Ready-to-Eat Shredded Cabbage or Coleslaw Mix

The Don Don Donki outlet near my work place started selling shredded cabbage. Since then I have been buying this ready-to-eat cabbage repeatedly for my home salads. You can buy similar shredded cabbage or “coleslaw mix” from the supermarkets salad section.

Alternatively, shred cabbage thinly with a cabbage peeler (pictured above; I got this from Daiso), a mandolin or by knife.

Chicken & Aromatics

The main ingredients for the basil chicken – Thai holy basil leaves, minced chicken, cut red chilli, long beans or french beans, minced garlic & thinly sliced onion.

Sauces

The sauce for this dish made with oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauces, water and brown sugar. You also need cornstarch slurry.

STEP-BY-STEP (Low Carb Thai Basil Chicken Salad)

In a wok or a small pan, cook aromatics, French beans and minced chicken.

When the chicken is cooked on the surface, pour in the sauce and let it bubble and thicken a little. Then stir in the cornstarch slurry (pictured above) to further thicken the sauce.

When the dish is done, take it off the heat and stir in the holy basil leaves until they are wilted.

Place shredded cabbage (or any preferred salad mix) on one half of a large plate. Place the basil chicken on the other half of the plate. I don’t recommend putting the basil chicken directly on a bed of salad, as I had tried that before and salad became too soggy. You also do not need to worry about the lack of salad dressing, as the basil chicken sauce will flavour the salad nicely! A crispy fried egg will also enhance this dish greatly too (I forgot to make it). Enjoy!