For years, my Sunday night ritual centered on a bowl of noodles. Garlic noodles to be exact – buttery, creamy, a little salty and sweet. Since going grain free, I stopped my ritual and I occasionally miss that bowl of noodles. It’s not necessarily the taste I miss, but the comfort of a meal in a bowl, turning a fork round-and-round to collect a mass of goodness, and the spaghetti sauce. I love spaghetti sauce. My youngest does too and many times, I’ve walked into the kitchen only to find her eating spaghetti sauce out of a bowl like soup. I’ve craved noodles soaked in sauce and finally found a remedy.
Have you seen people talking about the vegetable slicer? The one that turns ordinary vegetables into noodles? I saw this little machine months ago, but kept thinking it wouldn’t be worth it. I was wrong. Two weeks ago I paid the $30 and started slicing. For the next 6 days in a row, I sliced, sautéed, and twirled zucchini noodles around my fork. It’s incredible how happy this made me.
I’ve served the noodles with other sauces and vegetables, but pairing them with chicken parmesan is my favorite. The chicken is pounded thin, dredged in almond flour and eggs, fried in ghee, and topped with a bit of cheese. I serve it over salted and sautéed zucchini noodles …. yum, a new Sunday night tradition.
Chicken Parmesan with Zucchini Noodles
I prefer to use ghee in place of olive oil in this dish because ghee has a higher smoking point. This way I know the oil won’t burn and oxidize while I’m cooking. You will have leftover spaghetti sauce. You can store it in the freezer for later use. Serves 4
For the Noodles:
2 pounds zucchini, cut into noodles using a noodle slicer
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
For the Chicken:
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded (click here for a great how-to video)
Celtic sea salt
1 cup almond flour
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons ghee (click here for an easy homemade recipe)
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano or Mozzarella (omit if Paleo) (I use Pecorino Romano in place of Parmesan because it’s more economical and has a nice salty bite.)
For the Spaghetti Sauce:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (24-ounce) jar crushed tomatoes (I prefer Eden Organic)
1/2 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
Directions:
Place zucchini noodles in a colander and season with salt. Toss. Let sit for 20 minutes. Place a clean dish towel on the counter and pour zucchini on to towel. Fold towel over zucchini and gently press to dry noodles.
Preheat broiler to high. Season chicken with sea salt. Place flour in one flat-bottom dish and the eggs in another. Heat large skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add ghee, melt, and swirl to coat. Dip chicken into the eggs, then the almond flour and place into the pan. Repeat with remaining chicken pieces. Cook, without moving, for 4 minutes until bottom is golden brown. Flip chicken and cook another 4-5 minutes until second side is golden brown. Remove and place on a cooling rack set over a large baking sheet (this keeps the crust from getting soggy). Place a piece of mozzarella (or some shredded Pecorino Romano) on each piece of chicken. Broil until melted.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When garlic begins to sizzle, add tomatoes, salt and Italian seasoning (try to stand back a bit, as the sauce may splatter). Simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Wipe now-empty skillet with paper towels and pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in pan and heat over medium heat. Add zucchini noodles and using a pair of tongs, toss, until hot, about 2 minutes.
Serve chicken with marinara and zucchini noodles.
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I rave about myself every night at the dinner table, “Honey, can you believe I made this??” And it’s all thanks to you!! (and teaching me that organic butter is welcomed and embraced! No more fat free, yay!!
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I’ve had this spiral-slicer on my Amazon wish list for months! Looks like a fantastic investment.
Geeeeet out! And then get it straight to my face.
Omg. That chicken looks perfect! Love the zoodles, too. Yum, yum, yum!!
What a great idea for someone who is obsessed with noodles and doesn’t want all the carbs! (ME!) Thank you for letting us know about the cheap gadget that’s totally worth the money!
A perfectly healthy & well rounded meal!
My mandolin makes zucchini noodles. We just had them last night with a nice meaty spaghetti sauce. I can’t wait to try your chicken Parm! Thanks, Carrie.
I LOVE this receipe….thank you.
Linda Wells
Question about almond flour… I know you soak your nuts and dehydrate them which I’m going to start doing because of stomach issues. Said issues extend to almond flour as well (I completely over dosed on your delicious grape nuts cereal). So, hOw do you deal with almond flour. Do you make your own from nuts you have soaked:dehydrated?
Good question. I recently started using blanched almond flour because the skins are what contain the phytic acid that gives me tummy troubles. I also go easy on the almond flour since it contains a lot of omega-6 fatty acids and if I let myself, I would eat almond flour baked goods all the time!
You can make your own almond flour, by soaking, dehydrating and then then pulsing them in the food processor until finely ground (be careful you don’t turn it into almond butter). The baked goods with homemade almond flour will be a bit more dense, but still taste really great!
You’re so right zucchini noodles are the best for satisfying those old pasta cravings.
I love your zucchini noodles!
Hi! I wanted to let you know that I used some of your information on my blog, and cited and linked you on one post: http://gabhousewife.blogspot.mx/2012/09/other-resources.html
If you disagree, please let me know to edit the post.
Regards, Gaby
I appreciate the mention!
HA, totally didn’t mean to put that comment up. it was from another article about some very deviant issues. please delete that. sorry…..
i was going to ask, do zucchinis really make a good substitute for spaghetti noodles? i would LOVE to swap them out, but it’s just difficult to believe that they would match the texture of spaghetti. do they?
I’m not going to say they taste “just” like noodles, but the texture is similar (when cooked properly…if they are overcooked, they get soggy) and are a fantastic substitute. My oldest daughter doesn’t like zucchini very much, and last night she commented how much she loves these.
that’s great. i will definitely be trying this then. i’m trying to eat healthy while still getting some of the meals i love. and, it’s perfect for autumn!
never had zucch noodlse its a must try
want!
I need to get a spiral slicer. This dish looks delicious!
Spaghetti Squash works just as well and you can freeze it,cooked. I have a problem with the chicken,however. Vegetarian and vegan diets are more sustainable and healthier. Plus it is difficult to know what the chicken’s diet has been….GMO is transgenic therefore the chicken may not be ‘organic’ if one is trying to limit GMO food in their diet.
Thank you for sharing. We all come from different points of view. I believe in a traditional diet closer to what our ancestors ate that’s rich in good fats, pastured meats, cultured dairy, vegetables and some grains (if one can tolerate grains, which presently I cannot). This diet has helped me overcome many major health issues.
Made this last night and it was phenomenal!!! Thank-you!!!
Have you tried making pasta from chickpea flour?
I haven’t. Have you given it a try?
I was going to try making my own this week as soon as my chickpea flour arrives. I’ve have had it before (a local place here makes it fresh sometimes for purchase) and it’s really delicious. But I feel I must warn you, chickpea flour has an awful bitter taste before it is cooked! I learned this the hard way last year when trying to prepare something else (no tasting your batter!)
There is a classic Persian cookie that uses ROASTED chickpea flour (you can just roast it yourself) called naan-e nokhodchi (literally: chickpea bread) that I need to perfect. It can be a little rough due to the fragility of the dough.
Anyway, I was going to give this chickpea pasta recipe a try: http://backtoherroots.com/2011/09/27/chickpea-and-flaxseed-homemade-pasta-vegan-gluten-free/
Thanks for the info!
I LOVE LOVE this!! So easy and tastes absolutely delicious. I purchased the spiral spliced specifically for this recipe, but after having used it will be using it much more. That tool is amazing!! I look forward to more “pasta” dishes in my menus now!! My three-year-old loves the “noodles” as well and has quite taken to enjoying his veggies like this!!
so you dont rise the salt off the noodles?
I don’t rinse them afterwards. Drying them with a towel removes much of the extra salt and also the bitter juices that the salt pulls out of the zucchini.
I’m not familiar enough with spiral peelers etc – but wouldn’t a julienne peeler work okay? I’m trying to save money and reduce the number of large gadgets etc…
A julienne peeler will work well also. I’ve even used a vegetable peeler before and had success.
How about the shredder tool on the food processor?
That’s a great idea!
My family LOVED this even my 3 year old daughter ate every bite.
I’m so glad! Thanks for the feedback!
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