Whole30 Pesto Chicken Zucchini Noodles
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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
Instructions
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Heat one tbsp olive oil in pan. Sauté chicken until browned on all sides, about 20 minutes.
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While chicken is cooking, halve tomatoes, spiralize zucchini and chop garlic/herbs
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Once chicken is browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
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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.
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Stir in cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper and herbs to olive oil/garlic mixture. Sauté for 5 minutes or until tomatoes are soft
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Once tomatoes are softened, stir in pesto and return chicken to the pan.
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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.
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Serve + enjoy.
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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.
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