This Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken is dressed with a sweet & savoury peanut dressing. The perfect lightened up meal thats ready in under 30 minutes and packed with summer vegetables.
Zucchini noodles AKA zoodles has been a thing for a really long time but I never caught on to the trend because... well... the thought of eating raw zucchini was kinda off putting. This might be because of my raw vegan days, where I would try to convince myself eating raw zucchini with pureed mango was good (it wasn't). Awhile ago, I received a electric spiralizer from a friend and it's just been sitting on the dining table waiting to be used! I had a TON of zucchini in the fridge so why not, heck I'm gonna give this whole zucchini noodle thing a try.
Originally, I was thinking of just keeping it simple and pouring some spaghetti sauce over it but then realized I ran out of marinara sauce. Okay, time to improvise. Noodles noodles... what do I usually make with noodles? PAD THAI! My first shot at making this, I kept it the zucchini's raw. It left this slightly bitter taste that I wasn't a huge fan of but heck, the sauce was darn delicious. The next day, surprisingly I as craving zoodles! This time I slightly sautéed the zoodles and it came out perfect! I also had a ton of jackfruit on hand and thought it would be delicious to use some as chicken in this recipe. Yep- it was. Winner winner!
Okay, so what the heck is in this Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles? We got:
- zucchinis, used as the noodles
- carrots
- red bell pepper
- scallions
- cilantro
- peanuts
- seasoned jackfruit "chicken"
And that all gets dressed with a delicious sweet, salty & sour peanut sauce.
Of course, if you want to bump up the protein content you can also combine some crumbled tofu to the jackfruit or completely swap out the jackfruit with tofu! I baked my jackfruit in the oven, but I've also made it over the stove top on a frying pan and it comes out just as delicious!
I hope you guys try & love this Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken recipe! Seriously, I highly recommend! It's:
- light
- fresh
- flavourful
- veggie packed
- satisfying
- & super DUPER tasty!
Tips & Tricks to making Zucchini Noodles taste good:
- Slightly cook the zucchini noodles to get rid of the bitter taste. As well, generously season with salt and pepper.
- To ensure the noodles do not end up soggy or over-cooked, drain any excess liquid after quickly frying the vegetables.
- Enjoy this Zucchini Noodle Pad Thai dish hot or cold! It tastes like a noodle salad cold and a hearty meal warm.
Love noodles? Me too! Here are some more of my favourites:
If you recreate this Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken recipe please share it and let me know what you think by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
PrintPad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken
This Pad Thai Zucchini Noodles with Jackfruit Chicken is dressed with a sweet & savoury peanut dressing. The perfect lightened up meal thats ready in under 30 minutes and packed with summer vegetables.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 25
- Yield: 2 Servings 1x
- Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan fish sauce (or sub more soy sauce)
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tbsp ginger
- 3 tbsp water to thin as needed
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ c peanut butter (62g)
- 1 lime, juiced
Zucchini Noodle Salad
- 1 can jackfruit (300g)
- 2 medium zucchini (400g)
- 1 medium carrot (100g)
- 1 c red pepper thinly sliced (120g)
- 2 scallions, green parts only
- handful of of peanuts (around ¼ cup)
- handful of cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.*
- In a small bowl combine soy sauce, vegan fish sauce, rice vinegar, coconut sugar, garlic, ginger, water and red pepper flakes.
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Shred the jackfruit using two forks and then squeeze out any excess liquid. Add 2 tablespoon of the dressing and mix well. Spread the jackfruit on a lined baking tray and drizzle a bit of oil and toss. Place the jackfruit into the oven 15 minutes or until lightly browned.
- Add the peanut butter and lime juice in dressing bowl and whisk until combined.
- In a large pan over medium high heat, add the spiralized carrots and cook for 1 minute. Add in the spiralized zucchini and bell pepper, and season with salt and pepper. Allow to cook for 3 minutes. Let it sit for a couple minutes and drain any excess liquid. Add in the finished jackfruit along with the sauce and mix to combine. Serve with green onions, crushed peanuts or cashews and cilantro.
Notes
- The jackfruit can also be prepared on the stove. Follow the same directions, but instead of placing it into the oven fry the jackfruit over medium high heat until heated through and lightly charred.
SAVE IT FOR LATER!
Vee says
This was so delicious!! Will definitely be making again
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Vee!
Thank you so much for your feedback, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Cass says
Hey do you think this would be good to make ahead of time or would it get soggy?
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Cass! I think you could make it ahead of time for one day. It might get a bit dry the next but if you try let me know how it goes!
Catherine says
Delicious really really good
★★★★★
Lisa Kitahara says
Hi Catherine,
Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoyed!
Colleen says
SO easy and delish! Only sub I made was maple syrup for coconut sugar because I didn't have any CS - worked just fine! Thanks for another awesome recipe, Lisa! Can't wait for a cookbook <3
★★★★★
Rebecca Rose says
Soooooooooooooo yummy! I had no cilantro, but didn't matter. Was packed with flavor! Thank you for this recipe!
★★★★★
Koko says
Easy steps and the result was perfect 👌 I added some tofu karaage with the jackfruit, and they matched well;)) Will try it again!
★★★★★
Louise says
Okay, I have to admit I used noodles instead of zucchini ( because I didn’t have any :{ ). But I wanted to try this pad thai recipe with jackfruit chicken anyway! I was intrigued and excited because I haven’t eaten jackfruit in this way.
But this recipe was incredibly different, tasty, fun, and adventurous. I absolutely enjoyed the dressing/sauce. It was refreshing, savory, and (just enough) sweet!! I also amped up the spiciness to my preferences (but even if you don’t it was enough). 😀 It was flavorful and balanced.
I’ve only tried a few of Okonomi Kitchen’s recipes but it’s evident how absolutely creative Lisa is! They also make a plant-based living or just cooking in general incredibly simple, accessible, and adventurous!! (AND DELICIOUS!) They make it not as daunting to incorporate vegetables into your diet.
★★★★★