This Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole takes a spin on the original Pad kee mao Asian stir fry and puts in casserole form. A Paleo Noodle Zoodle Chicken Casserole with tons of flavor, Thai spices, and simple healthy ingredients! Light, high protein, low carb, and delicious.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
My latest obsession, among many, is making the most out zoodles in the form of spiralized comfort food. I don’t know about you, but sometimes plain zoodles (zucchini noodles) get boring. Heck, unless your bugs bunny, we all like to eat vegetables that have some “Ooompf !” Don’t me wrong, I love the extra veggie consumption spiralized vegetables add to dishes, but with that also needs to come more substance and/or flavor, ya know? You know I know that you know.
Anyway, comfort food in the form of casseroles and Asian food are my JAM… err Jelly? Yes, noodle bowls, spicy Thai, creamy chicken curry, homestyle tuna (zoodle) and chicken casserole favorites. GLORIOUS I tell you!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
So just add this Paleo Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole to the list. Gosh I’ve been wanting to try this for so long. Drunken noodles are amazing, but when you make them into zoodle chicken casserole form, they are even more amazing. Why? Because you can transport them as a stir fry noodle potluck dish, make for meal prep, or feed the whole family around the table.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
I know my Thai and Chinese foodie friends are shaking their head at me now. I might have just butchered this Asian dish, but hey, don’t knock it till you try it.
The reason I chose to create a Paleo Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole out of the original, or pad kee mao, is really for 2 reasons. Well, besides the comfort food zoodle recipes obsession mention above.
- Pad kee mao, includes egg. In most Thai recipes, anyway. It also contains a copious amount of veggies, herbs, spices, and lean protein. The secret really is in the stir fry sauce, which makes for the perfect casserole concoction.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
- Drunken Noodles (pad kee mao) is one of the best of Asian comfort food stir fry noodle dishes! THRIFTY TOO! No, it doesn’t include alcohol. I think everyone has their take on this dish, but from what I’ve heard, Drunken Noodles came about by someone who came home drunk, had the munchies, and made a dish with just the available ingredients. Aka “Drunkard’s Noodles.” Oh and according to wikipedia, the other slight variation describes this dish as a stir noodle recipe that pairs well with alcohol. I’ll let you choose what to believe, mm mm k?
In my opinion, Drunken Noodles stir fry is the Oriental version of Mac N Cheese or any other skillet/one pot wonder. It’s simple. It’s cozy. And you can tailor it to your liking . Ha, which is exactly what I did. Chicken Casserole form ya’ll! Low carbish. Veggies packed. Protein Packed. EGGCELLENT! I used, gluten free tamari soy sauce, palm sugar, peppers, chicken, Thai basil, and birds eye chili peppers with extra jalapeños. Gasp! I know, more spice. Don’t worry, you can De-spicy this dish. It’s a word. I promise.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Ready to get your zoodle chicken casserole on? Yes you are! Just don’t get drunk, capeesh?
Yields 5-6
Paleo Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole takes a spin on the original Pad kee mao Asian stir fry and puts in casserole form. Light, healthy!
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or breast (the darker meat works best)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce/paste (available in most asian sections at store. Or use Sriracha)
- 2-3 tbsp gluten free Tamari soy sauce mixed with 1 tbsp dark sugar (coconut palm sugar, dark brown sugar, or molasses). This creates a dark soy sauce.
- Pinch of ground ginger
- kefir lime or 1/4 tsp lime zest (a splash of juice works too)
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional finely diced Thai bird's eye red pepper for extra spicy
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 cup stir fry veggies (i.e. broccoli, snap peas, etc.)
- 2-3 tbsp tapioca starch or potato starch/flour
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 16 oz (or about 3-4 c Zucchini noodles- zoodles) This equals about 1-2 large zucchini
- 3 eggs
- 2-3 tbsp coconut milk
- Thai basil
- 1 Thai red pepper (see notes for other pepper)
- optional sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Clean your chicken then dice your chicken meat into small slices/cubes. Set aside.
- Slice veggies and spiralize your zucchini. If you don't have a spiralizer, just cut julienne style. I use this spiralizer . Make sure to pat your zucchini noodles extra dry with a towel. To remove excess water.
- Next Mix your stir fry sauce. Whisk together the fish sauce, chili sauce, ginger, tamari + sugar (to equal the dark soy sauce), lime, pinch of pepper. Taste and adjust with more tamari/sugar if needed. For Paleo option, use palm sugar or molasses.
- Preheat oven to 350F and greased casserole dish. Set aside.
- Place meat, garlic, onion, oil in skillet or large pan. Sauté 5 minutes.
- Add your stir fry veggies, sliced red pepper, sauce, and 2-3 tbsp tapioca starch. Stir fry 10-15 minutes until chicken no long pink (but not overcooked) and starch is mixed well with the meat/vegetables.
- Place (Zucchini noodles) zoodles at the bottom of your casserole dish
- Add the Chicken stir fry with sauce on top of zoodles; evenly.
- Next whisk your eggs and coconut milk. Pour over casserole dish.
- Bake 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the egg mix is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and garnish with Thai basil and optional sliced Thai peppers.
- Salt/pepper to taste. Sesame seeds to sprinkle over top, if desired.
Notes
If you don't have thai red pepper, you can use any other spicy red pepper. I also added jalapeno for extra kick! thai red peppers are Available in the Asian foods section or produce section of some supermarkets, or at some Asian markets.
8x 11 casserole dish is what I used. But 9 x13 should be okay, just won't be as thick in pan once cooked.
Don't over cook chicken during the stir fry.
Estimated Nutrition Per Serving
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Grab a plate, or bowl, or whatever. Fork optional. Feel free to face plant. No rules with this zoodle chicken casserole dish!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
If you were to make an Asian dish into a healthyish casserole, what would you make?
I’m game for more!
YUM! #Paleo Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole! A light spin on a favorite Asian dish!
Click To Tweet
Cheers!
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
The post Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole {Paleo} appeared first on Cotter Crunch.