A healthy rendition of a traditional drunken noodles recipe. It's made with zucchini noodles, plenty of fabulous vegetables and juicy chicken. This wonderful recipe is gluten free, dairy free, low carb, paleo and Whole30!
Does this dish actually taste like drunken noodles?
This recipe has been a VERY long time coming. There is this [un]healthy obsession I have with a damn good drunken noodle dish, and I’ve been wanting to turn my favorite Thai dish into something Whole30 compliant for ages.
I’ve been thinking up this fabulous recipe for a while now, and you will not be let down!
I thought it was going to be hard to really get those full and vibrant flavors from a traditional drunken noodle dish into this healthy, whole30 version but boy was I mistaken. My husband polished off this dish in under 2 days…
He has issues, right? Nah. This dish is just that good. He’s my garbage disposal, and I adore him for it…
More Whole30 recipes like this:
The Best Whole30 Curry Meatballs
Whole30 Zucchini Noodle Bolognese
Does this dish actually taste like drunken noodles?
This recipe has been a VERY long time coming. There is this [un]healthy obsession I have with a damn good drunken noodle dish, and I’ve been wanting to turn my favorite Thai dish into something Whole30 compliant for ages.
I’ve been thinking up this fabulous recipe for a while now, and you will not be let down!
I thought it was going to be hard to really get those full and vibrant flavors from a traditional drunken noodle dish into this healthy, whole30 version but boy was I mistaken. My husband polished off this dish in under 2 days…
He has issues, right? Nah. This dish is just that good. He’s my garbage disposal, and I adore him for it…
More Whole30 recipes like this:
The Best Whole30 Curry Meatballs
Whole30 Zucchini Noodle Bolognese
Whole30 Zucchini Noodle Bolognese
Would this Whole30 recipe work well for meal prep?
I know how daunting it can be to get through a Whole30… especially if it’s your first one! For that reason, I’ve done my best to be your go-to resource for anything and everything Whole30 related!
These Whole30 drunken noodles can be your go-to yummiest dinner ever. They work very well if you'd like to meal prep for the week. Since there is two pounds of chicken in here, it should last at least a few days!
Seriously, make this for the whole family, and they’ll never make fun of your Whole30 journey again. Guaranteed.
I’ve got lots and lots of fresh and exciting Whole30 recipes coming your way this month, so start getting excited! I’m also doing my best to get a new Whole30 meal plan out in the next week or two.
If you want to check out some really wonderful Whole30 recipes that can be made in under 30 minutes, I've got you covered. Here is a compilation of some of MY FAVES!
How to make Whole30 drunken noodles
Spiralize the zucchini first. I like to use the "C" blade on my Inspiralizer. Feel free to spiralize it as thick or as thin as you'd like! Add the spiralized zucchini to a large colander and place it over the sink. Add a few teaspoons of kosher salt and massage it well into the zucchini.
Let it sit for about 20 minutes, as this process will release a lot of moisture. Rinse the zucchini well with cold water and let it drain for another 10-15 minutes. Pat it as dry as you can with a kitchen towel and set aside.
Season chicken with salt and pepper and cover with arrowroot flour. Mix well until is coated evenly. In a large frying pan, add half the oil and let it coat the entire surface of the pan. Once the pan has heated up for a few minutes, add the diced chicken.
Cook for 7-10 minutes, about 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through (go ahead and grab a piece and cut it in half to double check!) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a large bowl and set aside.
Add the other half of the oil to the pan and toss in the onions, carrots, and broccoli. Cook over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until it is soft when pierced with a fork. This will take about 7 minutes. Add bell peppers and snow peas. Cook an additional 3-5 minutes until they are a little bit soft.
Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add basil and chiles. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. While the stir fry is finishing up cooking, prepare the sauce.
How to make the fragrant sauce
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients.
Once the vegetables are cooked through, add the cooked chicken back into the pan and stir everything together.
Add the sauce to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Once the mixture begins to simmer, turn the heat to medium-low and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spiralized zucchini. Let this all cook for approximately another 5 minutes until the zucchini noodles have reached your desired level of doneness.
Mix the arrowroot flour with water and slowly drizzle into the stir fry, stirring frequently. You may add a little bit more if you’d like the sauce even thicker.
Serve with fresh squeezed lime, Thai chiles and Thai basil as garnish.
You're going to be absolutely floored by the authentic flavor combinations coming from this delicious dish. I can't wait to start making this dish more and more often.
It's time to add these drunken noodles into the weekly rotation.
They are such a darn good addition to any meal plan, and I know I'll be making them again very soon! 🙂
Whole30 Drunken Noodles
Ingredients
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil
- 2 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs washed, patted dry & cubed
- 8 large zucchinis
- 3 red bell peppers sliced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 32 ounces frozen vegetables I used an Asian stir fry mix
- 1 cup Thai basil chopped
- 3 Thai chiles minced
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Sauce
- 1 cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup chili garlic paste See notes for Whole30 recipe!
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
- 1 heaping teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 lime juiced
- ½ lime zested
Instructions
- Spiralize the zucchini first. I like to use the "C" blade on my Inspiralizer. Feel free to spiralize it as thick or as thin as you'd like! Add the spiralized zucchini to a large colander and place it over the sink. Add a few teaspoons of kosher salt and massage it well into the zucchini. Let it sit for about 20 minutes, as this process will release a lot of moisture. Rinse the zucchini well with cold water and let it drain for another 10-15 minutes. Pat it as dry as you can with a kitchen towel and set aside.
- In a large frying pan, melt the ghee and let it coat the entire surface of the pan. Once the pan has heated up for a few minutes, add the diced chicken and a few sprinkles of salt and pepper. Cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently until the chicken is cooked through (go ahead and grab a piece and cut it in half to double check!) Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a large bowl and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of ghee to the frying pan and toss in the bell peppers and onion. Let it cook for about 5 minutes until soft and tender. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add basil, chiles and frozen vegetables and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 15 minutes until the frozen vegetables are cooked through, stirring frequently.
- While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
- Once the vegetables are cooked through, add the cooked chicken back into the pan and stir everything together.
- Add the sauce to the pan and turn the heat to medium. Once the mixture begins to simmer, turn the heat to medium-low and add the spiralized zucchini. Let this all cook for another 5-7 minutes until the zucchini noodles have reached your desired level of doneness.
- Serve with fresh squeezed lime, Thai chilis and Thai basil as garnish.
Rebecca says
I’m definitely going to make this tonight. Do you think shrimp would work as we had chicken last night ..
Yes, absolutely use shrimp.
Lisa says
That looks delicious!
Thank you!!! They are so, so good.
Eric Olson says
I love Thai food and Pad Kee Mao is my favorite noodle dish. To now be able to enjoy it Whole30 with this delicious recipe has scratched another food off the Temptation To Stray list. This recipe is so flavorful. Thank you!
I love turning indulgent Asian-inspired classics into homemade Whole30 recipes... I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Barbara says
made this tonight minus all the heat (sorry, not into that.) It was very flavorful. If I wanted a little more flavor and a touch of heat, what would you recommend?
Hi there, good question. For a touch of heat, I might recommend adding some red chili pepper flakes. I may even add some paprika, that would bring it up a notch, too! 🙂
April says
This looks yummy, but would you mind making the prep and cook times accurate on your recipes? I've been looking for Whole30 recipes to pin to Pinterest that take minimal prep time, had pinned this one because you put the prep time at 10 minutes and cook time at 20 minutes, and realized the recipe actually takes over an hour to make! Thanks for sharing, though. 🙂
Hi there, I'm so so sorry about that! I should have clarified that cook time meant actively in this recipe. Since most of the time is spent just waiting for it to cook down on the stove (without touching it), I didn't add that. But yes, you are completely right and again, I'm sorry. I hope you at least enjoyed it! 🙂
Kate says
So, so good. I hope other people come across this post and make this dish because it is delicious. Do you have any "spin-offs"? My fave Thai place makes a drunken pad Thai that I sorely miss.
Hi there, thank you so much for the kind feedback Kate! Actually, we went out to Thai food tonight, and I'm itching to create this Phad Thai Gaeng Dang they have there (I know, the name is absolutely nuts!) It's basically a hybrid of creamy curry and phad thai... yum, yum. I'll have to say come back soon and take a peek around for more spin-offs like this!
Donna says
The flavors in this were amazing, but mine came out pretty soupy despite letting the noodles sit in a colander with salt. I should have added a bit of arrowroot to thicken up the sauce, but it still tasted great nonetheless. Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Donna! I'm so sorry to hear that yours was soupy. I will amend the recipe and mention that if it is too liquidy, it would be a good idea to make an arrowroot slurry.
Did you squeeze out the water from the zucchini noodles after they sat in the colander and dry them?
Dominique| Perchance to Cook says
This looks amazinnnnng! I just did a Whole30 and wish I saw this recipe sooner! 🙂
Ah, you have to make it regardless of whether or not you're Whole30ing... it's delish!
blofmitt says
I'm always looking for reasons to use my spiralizer, great recipe!
Elaine @ Dishes Delish says
I love your healthy dishes and this drunken noodle dish looks fabulous! That's great that you lift weights! I really should get into doing that! Thanks for the noodle recipe!
Thanks so much! Lifting weights is definitely a lot of fun... let me know if you make this dish!
sugarlovespices says
I would skip the chicken for me, but add it for my husband. For the rest, love the ingredients, the preparation and the look of it. Thanks!
Thanks so much for the compliments 🙂 Yes, this would be awesome as a vegetarian dish, too!
Karly says
At first I really didn't believe you when you said these were healthy-- they look way too good to be true! I need to make these ASAP!
It really is a healthy dish... please let me know what you think! 🙂
Jennifer says
This looks wonderful but I am confused. I recall reading in the whole 30 "rules" that you cannot create "cheats" meaning you cannot replicate an unhealthy non whole30 dish using all whole 30 approved ingredients. This included noodles. Is this recipe truly Whole 30 compliant?
Hi there! Such a great question... I would absolutely consider this dish compliant, as there are a large number of Whole30 compliant dishes that are made with spiralized vegetables... zucchini noodles are the base of many Whole30 recipes. I would say something like whole30 pancakes would be more applicable, but simply because the 'noodles' are just made from zucchini, I think you're good to go!