Mediterranean Chicken Over Zoodles

Do you ever eat a meal so deliciously healthy it puts you in a good mood? Mediterranean Chicken Over Zoodles is THAT dish for me. I seriously love when a whole meal consists mostly of vegetables but doesn’t necessarily feel that way. 🙂 Most Americans are under-consuming vegetables and over-consuming simple carbohydrates in the form of bread, pasta, and sugary treats. What’s the solution? Substitute vegetables for simple carbohydrates. I know you all knew that–I was just testing you. One of my favorite ways to do that is to use zucchini noodles (zoodles) in place of pasta noodles. Zoodles give you the mouth-feel of pasta and fill you up without weighing you down. Zoodles will easily take on the flavor of the dish you are using them in.

If you haven’t made or used zoodles before, don’t be nervous. They are super easy to make. You will have to buy a spiralizer (this is the one I use) or look for them pre-spiralized at your local grocery store. My spiralizer is hands-down one of my favorite kitchen tools.

Mediterranean Chicken Over Zoodles would pair nice with a dry white wine. Who am I kidding? It would pair nice with whatever wine you have in your pantry. Bottoms up and happy cooking!

Mediterranean Chicken Over Zoodles

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. chicken breast, divided into 8-12 pieces
4-6 medium zucchinis, spiralized to equal 8 cups of zucchini noodles
2 lemon
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup kalamata olive, halved
1/4 cup feta or goat cheese, or more
4 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Combine spices together; divide in half. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut one of the lemons into thin slices. in In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, lemon slices, bell pepper, onion, kalamata olives, and one tablespoon of olive oil. Season with half of the seasoning; mix until vegetables and chicken are well-coated.
Spread on a greased baking sheet and bake for 30-35 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Remove lemon slices after baking.
With ten minutes of bake time left, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini noodles to pan. Season with other half of the seasoning mix and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until zucchini noodles are slightly tender. If you cook zucchini noodles too long they may get watery.
Serve chicken and vegetables over zoodles. Top with feta or goat cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

NOTES

Dairy-free: Omit cheese.
Paleo: Omit cheese.

Gina Schade

Gina is a certified health coach, author of The 90/10 Life Cookbook and director at Beautycounter. She helps her clients create a toxin-free complexion they feel 100% confident in!

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