Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles For Two – I swapped the noodles with zucchini noodles and the results were fantastic!! (under 300 calories).
Each bowl is filled with chicken and vegetables and the sauce has the flavor combination of of salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors. Topped with crushed peanuts – it’s pretty hard to pass this up!
If you’re spiralizer has more than one spiral blade, use the thicker setting to replicate a thicker noodle feel. I tested out the Spirooli Spiral Slicer from Bed Bath and Beyond for this and it worked fine, but this spiralizer (affiliate link) is still my favorite.
How To Make Kung Pao Zucchini Noodles
A few tips on how to make perfect spiralized zucchini noodles for this dish:
- Trim your noodles to about 6 inches long so it’s easy to eat.
- Since zucchini releases a lot of water as it cooks, I used it to my advantage and purposely left the sauce a little thick.
- Don’t overcook your zucchini, I cook them for just under 2 minutes.
- Once the noodles cook and release their liquid, it thins the sauce and works out perfect.
- Once cooked, quickly remove it from the pan so it doesn’t continue cooking.
This is such a quick meal – you can easily halve this to make it for one, but if you want to make this for four, I would prep everything and cook it twice rather than doubling it and cooking it all at the same time so the chicken browns, and the noodles fit in the wok.
Kung Pao Chicken Zoodles For Two
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini, about 8 oz each, ends trimmed
- 1 teaspoon grapeseed or canola oil
- 6 oz skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ground ginger
- 2 tbsp crushed dry roasted peanuts
- 2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions along diagonal
For the sauce:
- 1 1/2 tbsp reduced soy sauce, tamari for gluten free
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 2 1/2 tbsp water
- 1/2 tbsp Sambal Oelek Red Chili Paste, or more to taste
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Using a spiralizer with the thickest noodle blade, or a mandolin fitted with a julienne blade, cut the zucchini into long spaghetti-like strips. If using a spiralizer, use kitchen scissors to cut the strands into pieces that are about 6 to 8 inches long so they’re easier to eat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, balsamic, hoisin, water, red chili paste, sugar and cornstarch; set aside.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Heat oil in a large, deep nonstick pan or wok over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium, add sesame oil, garlic and ginger to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the bell pepper, stir in soy sauce mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until thickened and bubbling, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in zucchini noodles and cook, mixing for about two minutes until just tender and mixed with the sauce. If it seems dry, don't worry the zucchini will release moisture which helps create a sauce. Once cooked, mix in chicken and divide between 2 bowls (about 2 cups each) and top with peanuts and scallions.
Last Step:
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