Garlic Butter Chicken Zucchini Noodles (Printable)
Tender chicken with spiralized zucchini in rich garlic butter sauce. Ready in 35 minutes.
# What You'll Need:
→ Chicken
01 - 1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
02 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
03 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1/2 teaspoon paprika
→ Garlic Butter Sauce
05 - 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
06 - 4 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
08 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
09 - Juice of 1/2 lemon
→ Zucchini Noodles
10 - 4 medium zucchinis, spiralized
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
→ Garnish
12 - 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
# How to Make It:
01 - Season chicken pieces evenly with salt, black pepper, and paprika, coating all sides.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken and sauté for 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
03 - Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining butter to the skillet along with minced garlic, Italian herbs, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
04 - Add spiralized zucchini to the skillet and sprinkle with salt. Cook, tossing gently with tongs, for 2-3 minutes until just tender-crisp. Avoid overcooking to prevent mushy texture.
05 - Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Add lemon juice and toss everything together until evenly coated and heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
06 - Divide the mixture evenly into 4 meal prep containers, ensuring balanced portions of chicken and zucchini noodles in each.
07 - Top with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and chopped fresh parsley just before serving or reheating.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The garlic butter sauce transforms simple ingredients into something that feels fancy enough for guests
- It's the meal prep miracle that actually tastes better the second day because those flavors really marry together
02 -
- Zucchini releases water like crazy, so if you're meal prepping this, store the sauce and noodles separately and combine when reheating
- Don't walk away from the garlic once it hits the pan, it goes from fragrant to burned in seconds and there's no coming back from that bitter taste
03 -
- Pat your zucchini noodles with paper towels before cooking to remove excess moisture and prevent that watery sauce situation
- Let your butter come to room temperature before melting it, it'll incorporate more smoothly and coat everything better