Asian Chicken with Cauliflower & Broccoli Purée: under 5g carbs, flavorful and super quick.
Balancing work, family life and a ketogenic diet can be challenging. My top tip for making it easier is one word: prepping. Planning and prepping ingredients saves time, reduces stress and adds variety so you’re less likely to fall back on unhealthy convenience foods.
If you rely on prepared meals and thoughtful planning, you won’t get bored of the same bacon-and-egg cycle. Prepping a few components in advance makes dinnertime faster and more enjoyable.
For chicken dishes, prepping and freezing portions gives you a head start. Buy larger packs, use what you need and freeze the rest in meal-sized portions. When you defrost slowly in the fridge, the texture stays better than when using microwave or hot-water methods.
My other essential tip is: use the freezer. Frozen vegetables are a huge time-saver. Preparing fresh cauliflower and broccoli can be fiddly and messy; frozen florets go straight from the bag to a pan, cutting prep time significantly.
Follow these tips and you can make Asian Chicken with Cauliflower & Broccoli Purée in a flash.
Fresh vs Frozen produce: which one is best?
Is frozen produce less nutritious than fresh? Not necessarily. While truly freshly picked produce eaten quickly is ideal, most supermarket “fresh” vegetables are harvested early and spend days or weeks in transit or on shelves before you buy them.
Because produce begins to lose nutrients after harvest, frozen vegetables—which are typically blanched and frozen soon after picking—often retain more vitamins and minerals than supermarket fresh produce. If you don’t grow your own, frozen is a reliable, nutrient-dense choice even if the flavor can be slightly milder.
How to Make Asian Chicken with Cauliflower & Broccoli Purée
I prepped chicken thighs in advance by deboning and slicing them into strips, then freezing in portions. The night before cooking, transfer the portions to the fridge to defrost slowly—this preserves texture better than rapid methods.
If you don’t have prepped chicken on hand, buy boneless skinless thighs or remove skin and bones yourself (save the skin to bake into crispy chips). Cut the meat into strips so it cooks quickly and evenly.
For the purée, pour a bag of frozen cauliflower and broccoli florets into a deep saucepan. Cover with water, add salt and a pinch of turmeric, then bring to a boil with the lid on. After five minutes, drain and blitz with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in nutmeg, cream, Parmesan and butter, adjust seasoning and set aside.
For the chicken, heat olive oil in a wok or frying pan, add minced garlic and cook briefly. Add the chicken strips, passata (sieved tomatoes), spices—cardamom, cumin, paprika—salt, pepper and a splash of water. Toss on medium-high heat for about ten minutes until cooked through, tasting and adjusting seasoning as needed.
Reheat the purée, spoon onto plates and top with the chicken. The result is a healthy, flavorful, keto-friendly meal that’s ready in about 30 minutes and yields two portions. Minimal carbs, lots of protein and satisfying texture make this a great weeknight option.
This dish frees up time for family or relaxation while delivering comforting, home-cooked flavor without hours in the kitchen.
Enjoy!
- For the Asian Chicken:
- 600g boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp passata (sieved tomatoes)
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 30ml water
- For the Broccoli Cauliflower Purée:
- 500g broccoli and cauliflower florets (frozen or fresh)
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- Coarse Himalayan pink salt, to taste
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 15g double cream
- 15g Parmesan, grated
- 20g butter
- Fine Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Boil the cauliflower and broccoli in salted water with turmeric for about 5 minutes until tender.
- Drain and blitz with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in nutmeg, cream, Parmesan and butter; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a frying pan or wok, add minced garlic and cook briefly (about 10 seconds).
- Add chicken strips, passata, spices, salt, pepper and 30ml water.
- Cook the chicken over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until cooked through. Adjust seasoning as needed.
- Reheat the purée if needed and spoon onto serving plates.
- Place the cooked chicken on top of the purée and serve immediately.