Blog Search

Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles

By: 0

Welcome to our CrossFit 2024 Nutrition Blog! YAY! We love food and trust that you do too. All the recipes you’ll see here have been personally made, taste tested and approved by our 2024 family members. Some may be first time original recipes while others passed down over the years by loved ones. We think you’ll enjoy them and lets be honest, who doesn’t love a new recipe to try? Enjoy!

Today’s submission was 2024 approved by our own Ally O’Keefe. Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles are a delicious, simple dinner. Paleo and gluten free, this easy dinner comes together in under 30 minutes! ? Shout out to the Clean Eating Couple website and to Liz & Tyler on this delicious meal. Bon Appétit!

Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles

prep time 5 minutes
cook time 25 minutes
total time 30 minutes
servings 4 people
calories 272 kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 lbs chicken
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup basil finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons parsley finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Trader Joe’s Kale Cashew Basil Pesto or homemade
  • 2 large zucchini spiralized with water squeezed out

Instructions

  • Heat one tbsp olive oil in pan. Sauté chicken until browned on all sides, about 20 minutes.
  • While chicken is cooking, halve tomatoes, spiralize zucchini and chop garlic/herbs
  • Once chicken is browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
  • Add an additional tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Heat olive oil, and add in 1 tbsp minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs to olive oil/garlic mixture. Sauté for 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft
  • Once tomatoes are softened, stir in pesto and return chicken to the pan.
  • Using tongs, gently toss in raw zucchini noodles, coating evenly in tomato/pesto mixture. Saute for an additional 1-2 minutes over medium heat until zucchini starts to soften.
  • Serve + enjoy.
  • Optional if not whole30 – top with parmesan cheese!

Notes

WW Freestyle note: Save 1.5 SP per serving by using olive oil spray instead of actual olive oil.

Can I use pasta instead?
Sure, you can use pasta instead of zucchini noodles in this recipe. It will however, not be whole30. For a paleo pasta I like Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi or Capello’s fettuccine and will sometimes even add them into this dish for extra volume/carbs. For gluten free pasta I like Modern Table Meals. You can also do half past and half zucchini noodles. I would just cook the pasta while the chicken is cooking and toss in when you would toss in zucchini noodles.

Can I make this nut free?
Yes, you can make this dish nut free by using a nut free pesto. I like this nut free pesto recipe from Primal Palate.

Help! My zucchini noodles are always soggy!

  • I commonly get asked how to avoid watery zucchini noodles. I have two tips for you for how to avoid soggy zucchini noodles. The first one is REALLY squeeze the water out of them. I use a thick, absorbent (and clean!) dish towel and squeeze the water out of the noodles hard. The towel should be damp when done.
  • I then lay the zucchini noodles out on a paper towel lined baking sheet and sprinkle with salt until I’m ready to use them. Typically I will squeeze them again and then add to whatever dish I’m making.
  • If you are going to meal prep this dish, I recommend not adding in the zucchini noodles to the dish until you are ready to serve. You can place the chicken/veggie mixture into a container and place your raw zucchini noodles on top. When you’re ready to eat, microwave or heat over the stove to avoid mushy noodles.