Zucchini noodles are one of my favorite ways to use up tons of zucchini. You can check out my other ways to deal with the summer bounty over on my 5 Ways to Use Up Large Amounts of Zucchini. You can use zucchini noodles for all sorts of Italian style pasta sauces. But my favorite way to use them is in Asian style stir fries. Any flavor of stir fry you like can be turned into zucchini noodles, with no need for added rice. Simply spiralize a couple pounds of zucchini and stir fry with your choice of veggies, protein, and stir fry sauce. Today I have my recipe for sesame chicken zucchini noodles finally written down for you. We both love the flavors of sesame chicken, so it’s nice to have a healthy version complete with lots of veggies.
Let’s talk about how to make these Sesame Chicken Zucchini Noodles!
To create the wide ribbon like noodles, use the spiral slicer blade on the spiralizer, (that’s what it’s called on the Paderno 3-blade spiralizer). The 3mm or the 6mm blades make more traditional zucchini noodles, but I love to mix things up with these pappardelle style zucchini noodles. You can spiralize your other veggies, but I prefer to cut them up because they add a different texture to the finished dish that way. The main idea with the rest of the veggies, is to keep them thinly sliced so they cook fast enough. Also before starting any kind of stir fry, it’s always helpful to prep the sauce, and have the chopped garlic and ginger ready to go. Stir fries come together quickly, so it takes the stress out of cooking to have everything prepped ahead. Once the stir fry is done, sprinkle it with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
For extra zucchini noodle inspiration, try some of my other favorites below:
5 from 2 reviews 2 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced, 8 ounces 1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced, 10 ounces 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and thinly sliced, 7 ounces 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 Tablespoon minced ginger 1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1 1/2 pounds 2 Tablespoons avocado oil, or stir fry oil of your choice 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Sesame Stir Fry Sauce:
1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce, tamari, or coconut aminos 2 Tablespoons maple syrup 1 Teaspoon sambal oelek chili paste, or chii flakes 2 Tablespoons rice vinegar, or freshly squeezed lime juice 1 Tablespoon tapioca starch 1 Teaspoon toasted sesame oil Cut the chicken thighs up into 1″ pieces, and set them aside while you make the sauce. Stir all the ingredients together for the sauce until the tapioca starch is completely dissolved. Preheat a very large skillet, at least 15″ wide over high heat. When the pan is almost smoking hot, add 1 tablespoon of the avocado oil along with the cubed up chicken. Stir only as the chicken browns, and cook 3-4 minutes or until the chicken is just done. Remove it from the pan and set it aside. Add the remaining oil to the pan along with the carrots, onion, and bell pepper. Stir as the veggies brown for 3-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Add the minced garlic and ginger, and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Then add in the zucchini noodles. Stir fry the zucchini noodles until just softened around 3-4 minutes. I find tongs to work really well for this, just be sure you get tongs that are nonstick friendly. When the zucchini noodles have softened but are still slightly crunchy, add the stir fry sauce and cook just until the sauce thickens and the noodles soften, about 1 additional minute. Remove the str fry from the heat, sprinkle with the sesame seeds, and serve immediately.
