It’s prime season at the farmers market and I have been loading up. I made chicken with zoodles, tomato and feta this week and it was amazing! I had some zucchini and roma tomatoes left over and decided to try the combination. WOW! Especially when you throw in some spices and fresh herbs. Looking for some lean protein? Add in some healthy organic chicken. The presentation is pretty too. No chef skills needed here, friends!
Zucchini has a ton of benefits and is pretty inexpensive when found locally. Zucchini is known to help with weight reduction and boosts a healthy nutritional value. It helps to promote eye health, has been shown to lower homocysteine levels and helps with asthma symptoms. Zucchini contains high quantities of Vitamin A, folate, potassium, Vitamin C and fiber.
About a month ago, I was asked to be a guest vendor at my local farmers market. I knew I was going to be preparing simple, healthy and delicious dishes from ingredients at the market. I had such a wonderful time shopping around and chatting with the local farmers. I love asking them about their farming practices and hearing their recipe ideas. A few of the many things that I love about shopping local and supporting the farmers in my community. While at the market last month, I made these zoodles and they were a HIT! Since the event, I’ve been receiving zoodle recipe requests and wanted to create a delicious but simple combo.
I thought the zoodles would pair well with my Farm Fresh Tomato, Basil and Feta Salad recipe and some healthy chicken. I grill chicken throughout the week as part of my food prep, but you can cook it on the stove or bake it as well. The recipe pairs well with the farm fresh tomato, basil and feta recipe (as a topping or side), but you can keep it simple with diced roma tomatoes pan cooked in a little avacado oil and spices. I’ve made it with homemade pasta sauce too! I encourage you to be creative and experiment with the different options when combining flavors and ingredients in this meal.
Chicken with Zoodles, Tomato and Feta
2-3 Large Zucchini (4-5 small)
4 Chicken Breasts (organic if possible)
3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced (or use the recipe above and cut the portions)
Feta Cheese (unless using the farm fresh recipe above)
Fresh Basil (small handful)
1 to 2 tsp Fresh Garlic, chopped (I love garlic, so I use a lot!)
1/2 Tbsp of Italian Seasoning
Salt and Pepper (optional and to taste)
Avacado or Grapeseed Oil
directions:
zucchini: using a zucchini spiralizer, carefully prepare your zucchini into spirals. in a large skillet, boil a cup to a cup and a half of water. gently toss and cook (steam) your noodles until they are a little soft but not falling apart. once cooked to your desired texture, drain and set aside.
*I am not a fan of boiling with a lot of water because the vegetable has water and makes the noodles runny. i prefer to cook in a skillet and slightly steam with a little hot water.
tomato mixture: In a stove top pan, heat a little oil and add your garlic. cook just a few minutes while stirring around. it will not take long for it to cook. add in your tomatoes and italian seasoning. once cooked down, remove and set aside.
chicken: if you’re cooking your chicken on the stove, pound or butterfly your chicken to thin it out for cooking. season with salt and pepper (if desired). heat your skillet and add a TBSP of oil. add your chicken to the pan and cook on both sides until the center is no longer pink.
let’s plate it up: carefully dish out a serving of your zoodles onto a clean plate. add your chicken and top with your desired tomato seasoning. add feta (unless you’re using the above recipe with feta in it) and some chopped up fresh basil to create your meal. I served mine with a side of asparagus, but additional veggies are not necessary.
Note: I used the Veggetti Pro Spiralizer (click on the link below).
Veggetti Pro Table-Top Spiralizer, Quickly Spiral Slice Vegetables into Healthy Veggie Pasta
