Creamy Mediterranean Chicken with Zucchini Noodles is an easy, rustic, flavorful low-carb meal that only requires one skillet and 9 ingredients! Ready in 30 minutes and perfect for weeknight meals!
Creamy yet light, refreshing yet rich in big bold flavors, protein-forward, and low-carb, this Creamy Mediterranean Chicken with Zucchini Noodles is comfort food at its finest!
Sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, and garlic in a rich (dairy-free) creamy sauce make this meal so enticing!
Gluten-free, dairy-free, and easy to throw together any night of the week, this flavor-blasted dinner recipe is here for the whole family.
Plus, it is easy to customize to your heart’s delight using any variety of protein, fresh vegetables or fresh herbs.
If you love zucchini noodles, you’ll also get a kick out of my Thai Zucchini Noodles, Vegan Red Curry Zucchini Noodle Bowls, and my Keto Shrimp Scampi with Zucchini Noodles.
Let’s face it – vegetable noodles will never be as scintillating as regular pasta, but they leave you feeling energized and are a fun way of enjoying healthy recipes.
Let’s discuss the fresh ingredients needed for this simple zucchini recipe!
Ingredients for Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Zucchini Noodles:
Avocado Oil: Used for cooking the chicken, avocado oil has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor, which is ideal in applications like this. If you don’t keep avocado oil on hand, you can use olive oil, ghee, or butter.
Chicken: Boneless chicken breasts are the main star of the show here! We simply cut two large chicken breasts into thin strips then brown them in a skillet. If you prefer boneless chicken thighs, ground turkey, or ground chicken, feel free to make the swap.
Sea Salt & Pepper: Used to season the chicken and the sauce, use sea salt and black pepper according to your personal taste. Note that sea salt really helps enhance the individual flavors of each ingredient so if you ever feel a dish tastes bland, add salt until the flavors shine through.
Fresh Garlic: Bringing that rustic flavor to the dish, minced garlic goes a long way in leveling up the deliciousness of this simple meal. Adjust the amount up or down according to your personal taste.
Full-Fat Canned Coconut Milk: Used in place of cream to make a creamy sauce, we use canned full-fat coconut milk. This is an incredible ingredient for those who love creamy dishes like this but don’t do dairy due to an intolerance, allergy, or preference.
Just be sure to use full-fat coconut milk that comes in a can for the best result, not coconut milk found in a carton as it won’t bring the right consistency to the sauce.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives: Kalamata olives and sun-dried tomatoes bring that iconic briny flavor that is common in Tuscan or Mediterranean food.
Zucchini: The supporting actor! Fresh zucchini noodles are our low-carb vegetable noodle of choice to help soak up that delicious creamy sauce. You’ll need a spiralizer (either a handheld spiralizer julienne peeler or a countertop spiralizer or spiral slicer will work!) to spiralize the veggie noodles.
I use two medium zucchini squash, which makes the dish very chicken-forward, but you can use 3 to 4 zucchini depending on how many noodles you’re going for. I’ve found medium sized to larger zucchini work best for getting the most robust noodles when using my Paderno spiralizer.
Small zucchini work best for handheld spiral slicers as they fit into the opening better.
You can also use sweet potatoes for sweet potato noodles or butternut squash for the noodles if you prefer!
Optional Additions:
If you love artichoke hearts, capers, cherry tomatoes, or other fresh vegetables, toss them in! You can also add in pesto sauce, your favorite pasta sauce, or fresh basil if you love it. I like drizzling fresh lemon juice over the zoodles as well.
For a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes. I’ve found this to be a nice addition because it offsets the richness of the meal and gives it a little kick.
Let’s make this fresh and delicious dish for a low carb healthy dinner recipe!
How to Make Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Zoodles:
Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (I recommend using a 12-inch skillet if you have one).
Once the skillet is very hot, add the strips of chicken breast and arrange them into an even layer. Sprinkle the chicken with sea salt and pepper.
Allow the chicken to brown undisturbed for 3 minutes. Stir the chicken and allow it to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pieces have a nice golden crust.
Stir in the garlic, canned coconut milk, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives and bring the mixture to a full boil.
Stir in the gluten-free flour until all the clumps are out and continue to cook the sauce at a boil until it is nice and thick, about 4 minutes.
Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and stir them into the sauce as best you can. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the zucchini noodles have reached your desired level of doneness (I do about 3 to 5 minutes for al dente noodles).
Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt to your personal taste. You can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired, and if you do cheese, grate fresh parmesan cheese over everything before serving.
Serve and enjoy!
Store any leftovers of this zucchini noodles recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The way I see it, this is a fabulous zucchini pasta recipe during the summer months when there is just an abundance of zucchini.
And that’s it! A quick and easy zoodles recipe that you can easily put on repeat any time the craving for something saucy strikes.
Double or triple the recipe to meal prep for weekday lunches or dinners!
If you love zucchini noodle recipes, also try my Chicken Chow Mein Zoodles and my Avocado Pesto Zoodles with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.
Enjoy this lusciously creamy low-carb dinner recipe that will surely take you on a metaphysical vacation to the Mediterranean!
Creamy Mediterranean Chicken with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into strips
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 15-oz. can coconut milk
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes
- 1/2 cup kalamata olives chopped
- 2 Tbsp gluten-free all-purpose flour or tapioca flour
- 2 to 4 medium-sized zucchini squash spiralized*
Instructions
- Spiralize the zucchini using your spiralizer.
- Heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet (I recommend using a 12-inch skillet if you have one). Once the skillet is very hot, add the strips of chicken breast and arrange them into an even layer. Sprinkle the chicken with sea salt and pepper. Allow the chicken to brown undisturbed for 3 minutes. Stir the chicken and allow it to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, or until the pieces have a nice golden crust.
- Stir in the garlic, canned coconut milk, sun-dried tomatoes, and olives and bring the mixture to a full boil. Stir in the gluten-free flour until all the clumps are out and continue to cook the sauce at a boil until it is nice and thick, about 4 minutes.
- Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and stir them into the sauce as best you can. Cover the skillet with a lid and cook until the zucchini noodles have reached your desired level of doneness (I do about 3 to 5 minutes for al dente noodles).
- Taste the sauce for flavor and add sea salt to your personal taste. You can also add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired, and if you do cheese, grate fresh parmesan cheese over everything before serving. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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I made the Mediterranean chicken dish, but used asparagus instead of olives. I also added artichoke hearts. Delicious!
Sounds so delicious! Thanks so much for sharing your experience, Sue!
I’m allergic to coconut. Can you suggest a substitute for the coconut milk in this recipe, please? It looks so yummy!
Hi Dana! You can use half & half or heavy cream 🙂