This flavorful peanut chicken zucchini noodles dish is a healthier and wholesome dinner that has lean protein, plenty of vegetables, and a delectable savory peanut sauce. Feel free to switch up the vegetables and meat, or skip the meat and replace with more vegetables or tofu. Readers have raved about this recipe for years and it’s a team favorite, too.
One reader, Sam, says: “This is absolutely amazing!! We’ve made it so many times, it’s a biweekly meal for us! I add more chicken because we just love it for lunches too! Thank you!”
This peanut chicken zucchini noodles dish works on so many levels because it’s:
- simple and light
- fresh-tasting and flavorful
- ready in 40 minutes
- pretty healthy
- super versatile – you can change up the vegetables and protein!
Just like we do when we make bruschetta chicken, we’re replacing regular noodles with zucchini noodles. But TRUST ME when I say you won’t even miss regular pasta. The zucchini noodles soak up every bit of the savory peanut sauce.
Tell Me About Peanut Chicken Zucchini Noodles
- Texture: Tender vegetables, shredded chicken, and zucchini noodles are coated in a rich, indulgent sauce. The garnishes – sesame seeds, cilantro, peanuts, chopped green onion – add more flavor, of course, and crunchy textures. One of my very favorite savory zucchini recipes to enjoy throughout the year, but especially during the summer when this veggie is in season.
- Flavor: The peanut sauce is easily the star of the show. As you can imagine from the ingredients used, it has a massive and sophisticated flavor that’s all at once sweet, savory, and lightly spicy.
- Ease: You’ll need to prep your veggies, spiral the zucchini, and make the sauce, but they’re all easy tasks.
Choosing the Right Ingredients
Don’t stray from the ingredients listed because each one serves a purpose to round out the flavors in this dish.
- Zucchini. Some stores sell zucchini noodles in the produce section, but you could also do this yourself at home with a spiralizer. If you’re not into zucchini noodles, you can use regular pasta (cook it first) or cut the zucchini into thin strips. See the recipe notes.
- Vegetables. You can use any vegetables, really, but I like using shredded carrots, cabbage, and sliced pepper. Make sure you thinly slice whichever vegetables you use.
- Sesame oil. Sesame oil is essential to this dish because of its unmistakable flavor – it cannot be skipped! You’ll also need a little in the peanut sauce, too. We also use it when making this flavorful honey garlic soy salmon.
- Chicken. I usually boil skinless boneless chicken breasts for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through, and then shred it. But you could also use up leftover chicken or buy a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat – whatever makes it easy for you. You could also use cooked beef, shrimp, salmon, tofu, or whatever your heart or diet desires.
Easy Peanut Sauce
The peanut sauce is made from only a few ingredients: peanut butter, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, fresh ginger, rice vinegar, and a little Sriracha for a kick. This recipe is a very loose adaptation of Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce and Chinese peanut sauce—the main difference is that my version features honey. Many readers end up making this peanut chicken zucchini noodles meal more than once, so my advice is to keep your pantry stocked with the sauce ingredients!
- Use Rice Vinegar. Sweet and delicate rice vinegar is a KEY signature flavor of this dish. Avoid using white wine or white vinegar, which are much too harsh. If you must, you can use cider vinegar, which is milder, but your sauce will not taste the same. Again, rice vinegar is best.
You’ll just need to whisk all of the ingredients together on the stove for about 5 minutes, or until the peanut butter has melted down and the flavors thoroughly combine. I usually do this as the vegetables cook to save some time.
More Favorite Dinner Recipes
- Pineapple Teriyaki Chicken
- Maple Sesame Salmon
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Baked Chicken Meatballs
- Citrus Chicken Quinoa Salad
- Cilantro Lime Chicken
- Lemon Thyme Chicken
Peanut Chicken Zucchini Noodles
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Mixing up weeknight dinners with this wildly flavorful peanut chicken and veggies dish. The sauce is inspired by two delicious Asian peanut sauces: Vietnamese peanut dipping sauce and Chinese peanut sauce. Keep in mind that it’s a very loose adaption as neither usually contain honey.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil (you’ll need more for the peanut sauce below)
- 2 teaspoons minced or chopped garlic
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup thinly sliced cabbage (I use red)
- 1 large bell pepper, thinly sliced (I use red)
- 1.5 lbs (about 680g) zucchini, spiralized into noodles*
- 2 large chicken breasts, cooked & shredded (about 2–3 cups)*
- Optional Toppings: 1 Tablespoon sesame seeds, handful of chopped cilantro, 1/2 cup peanuts, 1 Tablespoon chopped green onion
Peanut Sauce
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup soy sauce (I use reduced sodium)
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar*
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
- 1–2 teaspoons Sriracha or any hot chile sauce
Instructions
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of sesame oil and the garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, cabbage, and pepper slices. Cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are a little tender. (I usually begin the peanut sauce, step 2, during this time.) Once tender, add the zucchini noodles and shredded chicken to the skillet. Cook and stir for about 3 minutes until the zucchini is a little softer and chicken is warm. Turn off the stove and remove from heat. Set aside. (*If your skillet isn’t quite big enough, you can do this step in batches.)
- Combine all of the peanut sauce ingredients in a small saucepan over low heat. Whisk constantly until the peanut butter has melted and everything is combined. I usually use 2 teaspoons of Sriracha, but use the amount of heat you like.
- Once the sauce is heated through, pour over chicken/vegetables. Toss everything around until combined. Place on a serving dish (or not!) and top with sesame seeds, cilantro, peanuts, and green onion. Serve immediately.
- Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a few days. Reheat to your liking.
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Skillet | Spiralizer
- Zucchini: Some stores sell zucchini noodles in the produce section, but you could also do this yourself at home with a spiralizer.
- Chicken: I simply boil chicken until cooked through– about 12-15 minutes, then shred it. If you have leftover shredded, chicken from another recipe, use that. Or buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and shred the meat.
- Rice Vinegar: Rice vinegar is best for this sauce. Do not use white wine or white vinegar– they’re too harsh. Apple cider vinegar works as a substitute.
- Substitutions: See Choosing the Right Ingredients and Easy Peanut Sauce sections above for explanations of possible substitutions.
Keywords: peanut chicken zucchini noodles, thai chicken zoodles
This dish comes together quickly and is very delicious. I will be making it with beef in the future for a little change in flavor.
★★★★★
I’ve been eyeing this recipe for years and finally took the plunge last night. It was AMAZING, and my only regret is that I didn’t make a double portion (the leftovers are even yummier than the fresh product). Some notes:
-I boiled some rice noodles and combined that with the zucchini noodles to make it a bit more filling. This method also allows you to “sneak in” even more vegetables if you’re cooking for picky eaters- the smoothness of the rice noodles and the incredible peanut sauce make any additional peppers, zucchini, cabbage, etc. super palatable.
-I’m gluten free, so I subbed in tamari, which naturally has less sodium than soy sauce but didn’t compromise on flavor at all.
-I only could find frozen zoodles, so I prepared them according to package directions and then tossed them in where Sally’s recipe says to.
-Rotisserie chicken was a huge time saver!
★★★★★
This was fabulous & will def go into regular rotation. I was surprised that gram weights were not included for the peanut butter and honey, so for those who don’t like messing up measuring cups with those ingredients: peanut butter = 135 gms and honey = 112 gms.
★★★★★
Our new favorite recipe! I used stevia instead of honey (just a few drops), and omitted the cabbage to make it Low FODMAP. It was a total success! Super yummy – the sauce is nice and creamy with the peanut butter. You nailed it. And I’m so happy to have a new dinner recipe for the rotation.
★★★★★
This recipe turned out better than I imagined! I used rotisserie chicken and left out the cabbage (couldn’t find it at the store). The sauce is a prefect balance of sweet, savory and spicy… and nutty! I love having peanut as a garnish to provide some crunch. We will definitely have this again.
★★★★★
Sally, could the sauce be made ahead and frozen? Would like to do some ahead and have ready when needed.
Absolutely. I’d say you can freeze it up to 3 months.
Could I use powdered peanut butter (pb2) and water to save on calories in this recipe?
Hi Jennifer, we haven’t tested it so can’t offer any insight. Let us know if you give it a try!
This is a delicious recipe. Mine came out with a little darker sauce didn’t look as sparingly light as your photo shows. I must admit there was a lot of sauce. I did follow directions to the tee. But the end results are undoubtedly scrumptious! ❤️ From a 70 yr old who absolutely LOVES ❤️ to cook!!❤️
★★★★★
This was super yummy. I used rotisserie chicken and spiralized butternut squash (my daughter doesn’t care for zucchini) and it was fabulous
★★★★★
This recipe is AMAZING!! So easy to make, too! Especially if you use rotisserie chicken, definitely the way to go!
★★★★★
I didn’t believe the reviews. I mean come on, how good can it be? Well if I could give it 100 stars I would! It is FABULOUS!!!
★★★★★
I made this last night without a spiralizer and let’s just say, I BOUGHT A SPIRALIZER!! Along with your Vegetarian Chili and this recipe, you and the recipes are AMAZING. I love your site, you taught me how to make beautiful muffins too. Sally – thank you, I’m so grateful.
Thank you so much for making and trusting our recipes, Leslye!
I have to dress up veggies for my hubby to eat them. This was AWESOME! The bombdiggidy as we say in our household! I followed the recipe with the exception of adding a half of an onion. There is nothing not to like about this recipe. It takes a little bit of prep time but it’s totally worth it. I made the zoodles, I think that adds to the freshness of the recipe. Shrimp would be great in this also. Sally rocks baking, and dinner dishes too as I just learned. Thank you, Sally! Keep them coming!
★★★★★
If you use pre-packaged zucchini spirals, how much do you need to use?
You’ll want about 6 heaping cups of zucchini noodles.
Very tasty recipe. We loved it and it has much potential to add other items. I do agree to be careful with zucchini spirals as to when you add them to keep crispness. Also sometimes the noodles need to be cut for easier eating. Will have this again now I know about Tahini & Tamari. Thank you.
If you were to use pasta noodles, like fettuccine or linguini, how much would you need to make this?
Hi Vicki, 1/2 lb would be plenty.
Wondering if I am planning to use this for lunch meal prep if I would be better served to leave the zucchini noodles separate and microwave them quickly when I am heating my lunch and add. So maybe they don’t get limp during the week?
Hi Terry Anne, you can absolutely do that if you’d like. Hope you enjoy it!
This looks like a great recipe! Couple of questions, please: Instead of spiralizing the zucchini, do you see any problems using pasta noodles and adding thinly shredded zucchini like you do with the carrots? And, have you ever used almond butter instead of peanut butter? Me and other folks in the family are allergic to peanuts but I think this recipe sounds amazing and would like to make it. Thank you!
Hi Karen, that should work just fine! You can use almond butter (or any nut butter) in place of peanut butter. Hope you enjoy this one!
Hi Sally,
Was wondering if I could omit the cabbage with something else?
Hi Laura, absolutely — simply add in more of the other vegetables. Enjoy!
Has anyone tried this as a cold lunch?
Hi Maria, many readers (our team included!) love this recipe as a cold lunch. Let us know if you give it a try!
As this recipe appeared in my search for “lunch meal prep”, my intention is to make this ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator to eat throughout the week. However, my experience with zoodles is such that they immediately begin liquefying after spiralizing. How do you suggest the zoodles be prepared to avoid liquefication? Thanks!
We do cook the noodles down in this recipe, although you could cook them down less (or not at all — some readers have done this) for a crunchier noodle that should last a bit longer. Regardless of how they are prepared, they will start to lose their freshness a bit as the week goes on. Hope you enjoy this recipe!
My husband and I love this recipe. I was wondering if you could use tahini instead of peanut butter.
★★★★★
Hi Marilyn, so glad you love it! We haven’t tested this recipe with tahini but would love to hear how it goes if you do.
Hubby and I both thought this was a delicious meal. Zucchini spirals make a tasty, healthy substitute for noodles. I can’t wait to try this with shrimp. Thanks for such an amazing recipe!
★★★★★
What is the nutritional values for this recipe? What is the serving size? When some one says a recipe is healthy I expect this info.
Hi Robin, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients, and many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076.
Do you recommend any substitution for the soy sauce? I am allergic to it, and soy is not really all that good for you.
Hi Dawn, There are many substitutes that would work including tamari and coconut aminos. Enjoy!
Made this tonight-we both loved it, so tasty! I did figure out the calorie content of all the ingredients and I must say- it’s not diet food!! We got 3 servings instead of 4, guess we need to use smaller serving bowls-lol!
We LOVE this recipe. Enough that I want to take it for a potluck and convince others that zoodles are amazing and oodles of fun to make. My question is this…. if I make the sauce and have everything chopped chicken cooked and shredded, do you think I could cook it in the crockpot? I know it sounds strange, but I love it fresh and this is our only heating source. I was running off doing it in steps. I have up to 4 hrs of crockpot time. Maybe it would be better to do it all separate and combine to just warm? Any ideas?
Hi Hannah! We haven’t tested this recipe in a crockpot, but fear the low and slow cooking could lead to soggy, flimsy zucchini noodles. Perhaps combining just to keep warm may work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Nutritional Values???!!!???
Hi Karen, We don’t usually include nutrition information as it can vary between different brands of the same ingredients, and many recipes have ingredient substitutions or optional ingredients. However, there are many great online calculators where you can plug in your exact ingredients like this one: https://www.verywellfit.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4157076