Nutrition: 617 Calories
Grilled chicken and rich almond-milk Alfredo over a bed of zucchini noodles. Creamy Garlic Chicken and Zoodles makes a delightful meal for lunch or dinner.
Zucchini noodles are one of my favorite low-carb pasta alternatives. They don’t take very long to prepare, and zoodles are easy to cook. Zucchini has a lot of water, so it’s important to salt the zucchini noodles and let them sit for about 20 minutes to pull the water out. I like to do this in a colander right over the sink. Make your zoodles, a spiralizer is the fastest but you can slice them with a knife too, and put them in a colander. Then, sprinkle them with a little salt, toss and let them sit. The water will drain right into the sink.
Pasta with creamy parmesan Alfredo and grilled chicken is a delightfully indulgent meal, and this lightened-up version is just as wonderful. For the chicken part of the Chicken and Zoodles, simply brush the chicken breast with olive oil and season with some season salt and garlic powder. Then, grill your chicken using a grill pan or outdoor grill. If you don’t have a grill available you can also cook the chicken in a fry pan; it’s just as delicious.
Almond Milk Alfredo
The basis for this garlic sauce, I learned from a friend in college. The original recipe does not include almond milk or parmesan. The reason I added it this time was because I didn’t have enough heavy cream. Mom moment, somehow with the busyness of life, I didn’t have the ingredients I needed, even with all my meal planning. So, I improvised, and the family loved it. The recipe starts with covering the bottom of a medium pan with olive oil, in my pan I used 4 tablespoons. Once the olive oil is warm, add crushed or minced garlic. Have your cream and almond milk measured and ready to go.
The garlic doesn’t take long to cook, less than a minute. So, as soon as it’s fragrant add the almond milk and heavy cream because burnt garlic doesn’t taste good. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring regularly. At first it’ll look like it’ll be separated, but I promise the sauce will come together. Let it simmer about 10 minutes while you’re working on the rest of the meal. Finally, add the parmesan stirring constantly until it’s melted, and then remove it from the heat. The Alfredo will thicken while you finish the chicken and zoodles.
Zoodles Freeze Well Too
Once the zoodles have drained for awhile, squeeze out as much water as you can. This last summer we grew zucchini in our garden, and we had more than we could eat. So, I froze zucchini noodles. Simply put the zoodles in a resealable bag at this point (after they’ve been salted and drained). Then, pull them out of the freezer for quick meal when you need them. I’ve found, for the best texture, simply warm the zoodles in a nonstick pan for 2-3 minutes tossing to warm through. Any longer than that, and they turn mushy. The same goes for the frozen zucchini noodles; thaw them out, drain the water and warm through. They are delicious topped with all kinds of pasta sauce.
Once the grilled chicken is cooked through, remove it from the heat and let it rest. To put together your meal, slice the chicken, place it on a bed of zucchini noodles and top with the Alfredo sauce and an extra sprinkle of parmesan if you want. Simple and easy, Creamy Garlic Chicken and Zoodles.
Creamy Garlic Chicken and Zoodles (Zucchini noodles)
Grilled chicken and rich almond-milk Alfredo over a bed of zucchini noodles. Creamy Garlic Chicken and Zoodles makes a delightful meal for lunch or dinner.
Total Time: 40 min
Prep Time: 10 min
Inactive Time: 10 min
Cook Time: 20 min
Ingredients
- 3-4 Medium Zucchini
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 5 Tbsp Olive Oil, Divided
- 4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast
- 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tsp Season Salt
- 2 Cloves of Garlic
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
- 1 Cup Almond Milk
- 1 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Directions
- Spiralize the zucchini (or cut with a knife) and put the zoodles in a strainer. Sprinkle the zoodles with kosher salt and toss to coat evenly. Let the zoodles sit in the strainer for about 20 minutes, so the salt can pull out water.
- While the zoodles are draining, coat the chicken with 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil using a basting brush and season with 1/2 the garlic powder and season salt.
- Heat a grill pan or non-stick pan over medium heat. Once the pan is heated, add the chicken to the pan seasoned side down. Season the other side of the chicken with another 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and remaining garlic powder and season salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, turning halfway through, so both sides are browned and cooked evenly. Once cooked, remove from the pan and let them rest.
- In a separate pan, medium sized, heat remaining olive oil, 4 tablespoons, over medium heat. Once heated, crush the garlic cloves and add to the pan. Sauté the garlic about 1 minute until fragrant, careful not to the it burn, and then add the heavy cream and almond milk. Let the sauce simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, while cooking the chicken and zoodles.
- Once the zoodles have drained for about 20 minutes, heat them in a pan on the stove about 2-3 minutes until heated through.
- While the zoodles are warming, add the parmesan cheese to the sauce, stirring constantly. Once a smooth sauce has formed, remove it from the heat.
- Serve the zoodles topped with sliced grilled chicken and sauce. Enjoy.
Nutrition:
Yield: 4 servings, Serving Size: 1/4 of Recipe (1 Medium Zucchini, 4oz Chicken)
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 617, Total Fat: 47.6g, Saturated Fat: 21.9g, Cholesterol: 116.2mg, Sodium: 1169.4mg, Carbohydrates: 10.1g, Fiber 2.3g, Sugars: 5.1g, Protein 10.5g
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