Peanut chicken zucchini noodles are a delicious veggie-packed weeknight meal that is low-carb and meal prep friendly! Made with spiralized zucchini, peanut sauce, red pepper, cilantro, and lime- this recipe is bursting with fresh flavors.
Similar to zucchini noodle pad Thai, and spiralized veggie Thai noodles - these peanut chicken zucchini noodles recipe swaps rice noodles for spiralized veggies, as a low-carb alternative!
These peanut chicken zucchini noodles are big on flavor, but come together so quickly with a few meal prep staples! The sauce is sweet, savory, and zesty - and you can adjust the spice level to your liking.
It's a well-balanced, veggie-heavy meal that will leave you feeling satisfied but not overly full (like traditional noodles might)! With vegan and gluten-free options, this is a dish that is easily customized, and ingredients can be prepped ahead to store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Then when it comes to dinner, you have saved yourself 10 minutes of prep time!
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
- the peanut sauce combined with the chicken and veggies is absolutely delicious
- ingredients can be prepped ahead for meal prep and assembled when ready to enjoy
- it's a veggie-heavy, low carb dish that can be made gluten-free and vegan as well
Recipe Video
Watch the video below to see how to cook peanut chicken zucchini noodles! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
Ingredient Notes
- Shredded chicken - cooked ahead in the Instant Pot , in the oven, or in the Air Fryer.
- Zucchini- spiralized on the small ⅛ inch blade. See how to cook zucchini noodles for step by step photos showing how to spiralize zucchini.
- Peanut sauce - can be doubled or tripled and stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Homemade peanut sauce tastes so much better than store-bought, and can be assembled with just a few pantry staples.
- Cilantro - used as a garnish to add lots of fresh flavor! If you aren't a cilantro fan, swap for thai basil, or leave it out
- Lime - for zesty, bright, citrusy flavors. Could be swapped for lemon in a pinch, but lime is recommended for the best taste
step by step directions
Prepare the peanut sauce
In a jar or bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Add water as needed if the sauce needs thinning out.
Prepare Veggies
Spiralize the zucchini noodles, and thinly slice the red bell pepper.
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Cook
Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini noodles and bell peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes, using tongs to stir up the vegetables until softened to your liking.
Combine
Add the chicken and sauce and toss until noodles are evenly coated. Remove from heat.
Serve
Serve with crushed peanuts, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges.
Note - portion size is roughly 1.5 cups; you might wish to double the sauce and add in 4 oz uncooked spaghetti to bulk it out, or double the entire recipe.
FAQ
If you are eating right away, yes, add the zucchini noodles to the pan and cook for a few minutes until softened, before adding in the sauce and chicken. If you are preparing them for meal prep, nope! When you reheat the bowls in the microwave, your zucchini will cook through (see meal prep instructions below).
Sure, you can add in some whole wheat spaghetti, or rice noodles if you are not low carb. You could also supplement the zucchini noodles with other veggies such as spiralized carrots and cabbage!
Zucchini does not freeze/ thaw well! We do not recommend freezing, or storing for meal prep after cooking. Instead, see the directions below on how to prep the ingredients ahead for meal prep & store fresh in the fridge.
Variations
- Vegan - swap chicken for chickpeas, edamame, or tofu!
- Noodles - add spiralized carrots, thinnly sliced red cabbage, or supplement with whole wheat spaghetti just as we did with this spiralized veggie thai noodle bowls to make this meal a little more filling.
- Gluten-free - ensure that you are using gluten-free tamari, bragg's liquid soy seasoning, or coconut aminos for the peanut sauce instead of soy sauce
- Peanut sauce - swap peanut butter for almond butter if you prefer!
Storage + Meal Prep
These peanut chicken zucchini noodles do not store well after cooking. Instead, we recommend meal prepping ingredients ahead of time, then assembling when ready to enjoy!
To meal prep ahead
- Portion - divide the peanut sauce into condiment containers; divide chicken, spiralized zucchini, and bell pepper between four meal prep containers.
- Combine - Let sauce stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drizzle sauce over noodles, and toss everything up.
- Heat - heat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot! Or heat the whole batch back up in an uncovered frying pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Note - zucchini can be spiralized and peppers can be chopped 4 days ahead
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Peanut Chicken Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 zucchinis large; spiralized; should have 8 cups or more
- 2 red bell peppers thinly sliced or spiralized
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Peanut Sauce
- ¼ cup all natural peanut butter see note 1
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 teaspoons ginger finely grated; note 2
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce I recommend reduced sodium; note 3
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes note 4
To serve
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cooked, cooled, shredded
- ¼ cup crushed peanuts
- ½ cup cilantro leaves loosely packed
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Sauce- in a jar or bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Add water as needed if sauce needs thinning out.
- Cook- Heat oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini noodles and bell peppers. Cook for 5-7 minutes, using tongs to stir up the vegetables, until softened to your liking.
- Combine- Add the chicken and sauce and toss until noodles are evenly coated. Remove from heat.
- Serve- Serve with crushed peanuts, cilantro leaves and lime wedges.
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Tips:
- processed nut butters with added ingredients will alter the texture and consistency of this peanut sauce, so we recommend sticking with all natural. Almond butter also works great in this recipe!
- a microplane works great for this
- for a gluten-free version, swap for tamari, coconut aminos or liquid soy seasoning
- the spice is very mild with this amount; feel free to increase!
- the zucchini noodles and red pepper can be swapped for 4 oz uncooked spaghetti noodles!
- the serving size is roughly 1.5 cups; if you want to bulk it out, double the sauce and add 4 oz uncooked spaghetti, or double the entire recipe.
- this recipe does not store well after cooking
- Portion - divide the peanut sauce into condiment containers; divide chicken, spiralized zucchini, and bell pepper between four meal prep containers.
- Combine - Let sauce stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Drizzle sauce over noodles, and toss everything up.
- Heat - heat individual portions in the microwave until steaming hot! Or heat the whole batch back up in an uncovered frying pan over medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Video
Nutrition Information
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Alivia Segal says
This is my GO TO recipe for the last 2 years! I love it!