Sometimes it’s hard to combine dairy-free with other types of diets. But these Thai Buddha Bowls are an easy crossover with paleo, primal, keto, and the Atkins diet. Most Thai-style sauces and dressings have added sugars, but the one in this recipe is virtually sugar-free, so the net carbs are extremely low. And it uses coconut and nut butter (with nut-free option) for “healthy” higher fat without dairy. If you can’t do coconut, see my Coconut Substitution Guide.
This keto Thai Buddha Bowls recipe with photo was shared with us by Atkins.com from Atkins: Eat Right, Not Less. Please note that this book is not completely dairy free.
Special Diet Notes: Thai Buddha Bowls
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, glutne-free, grain-free, optoinally soy-free, optionally paleo, keto-friendly, and Atkins-approved.
For peanut-free, nut-free Thai Buddha Bowls, you can substitute sunflower seed butter for the peanut butter.
For vegan Thai Buddha Bowls, substitute vegan chicken alternative or tofu for the chicken. If using vegan chicken alternative, skip steps 1 and 2, and prepare it according to the package directions. This vegan option might not be keto and paleo-friendly.
- 12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see post above for Vegan Option)
- ½ cup peanut butter or almond butter (for paleo; see post above for Nut-free Option)
- 3 tablespoons full fat or lite canned coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons hot water
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 2 teaspoons hot chili sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 ripe Hass avocado, thinly sliced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into noodle shapes
- 2 carrots, cut into noodle shapes
- 2 radishes, thinly sliced
- 8 sprigs cilantro
- Preheat your oven to 400 F.
- Grease an oven-safe skillet and place it over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 2 minutes per side, to brown the chicken. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 6 to 8 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and no pink remains. Let rest 5 minutes, then slice.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, coconut milk, hot water, fish sauce, sesame oil, ginger, chili sauce, and garlic until relatively smooth. Whisk well until smooth. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can whisk in more hot water.
- Divide the spinach and avocado among four bowls. Top with the chicken, zucchini, carrots, radishes, and cilantro. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.
2 Comments
I love all the noodle-shaped ingredients together! That with the peanut flavor, sure is hard to beat a recipe like this one.
This looks super good. I need to put it on our dinner menu for next week. Thanks for sharing.