Kirbie's Cravings

Garlic Butter Chicken With Zucchini Noodles

Butter Garlic Chicken and Zucchini Noodles is a light and healthy meal loaded with flavor. Tender chicken cooked in soy garlic butter sauce pairs perfectly with lightly cooked zoodles for a delicious dinner. It’s an easy low-carb recipe.

overhead photo of Garlic Butter Chicken With Zucchini Noodles in a pan

Garlic Butter Chicken with zoodles is an easy recipe for weeknights – it takes only about 30 minutes to make. I like that it is both filling and not too heavy at the same time.

The chicken is coated in a really simple sauce, but it is full of flavor. This dish is similar to my garlic butter steak bites, but I made a few tweaks to the sauce and replaced the steak with chicken.

Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter
  • Minced garlic cloves
  • Soy sauce
  • Olive oil
  • Chicken tenders or boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
  • Chopped fresh parsley
  • Olive oil
  • Spiralized zucchini

close up photo of a fork twirling zucchini noodles with garlic butter chicken

Recipe Steps

Cook the zucchini: Saute the zoodles in oil and garlic until the zucchini is crisp-tender. Add the soy sauce and stir to coat. Drain off the excess liquid and set the zucchini aside.

Cook the sauce: Melt the butter in a saucepan with the garlic. Cook until the garlic is golden and then stir in some soy sauce.

Cook the chicken: In the same skillet that you cooked the zucchini, brown the chicken pieces over medium-high heat. Once they are browned, add the garlic butter sauce and stir until the chicken is cooked through.

Finish it up: Reduce the heat to low and add the cooked zoodles. Cook everything together for about a minute so everything is warmed through. Garnish with parsley for serving.

Recipe Tips for the Best Results

For the best tender, juicy chicken, don’t overcook it. When you first add it to the pan, cook it long enough so it’s browned. It’s okay if it’s not cooked through at this point – it will finish cooking when you add the sauce.

Zucchini has a lot of moisture which will release when you cook it. So, be sure to drain off the excess liquid when you take the zucchini out of the pan. That way, your sauce won’t be watery.

Don’t cook it very long when you add the cooked zucchini to the chicken. About a minute is long enough to warm it up without overcooking it, which can make it mushy.

Variations

I like to keep this recipe simple, but you can add a few other ingredients to change it up.

  • If you want a kick of heat, add some red pepper flakes or sriracha when you make the sauce.
  • Some grated Parmesan cheese is nice to add for serving. It adds some texture and flavor.
  • A sprinkle of black pepper is a nice garnish.
  • Squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the top for an extra pop of flavor.
  • You can serve this dish with other cooked vegetables to make it more filling. I think broccoli or green beans would work well.

close-up photo of garlic butter chicken

Storage Tips

Leftovers will keep well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. I don’t recommend freezing it because the zucchini will break down after it’s been thawed.

More Zucchini Noodles and Chicken Recipes

garlic butter chicken with zucchini noodles

Garlic Butter Chicken with Zucchini Noodles

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 28 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Tender bites of chicken coated in an easy and flavorful garlic butter sauce. This low carb meal comes together in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 3 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 lb chicken tenders cut into bite-sized cubes
  • 2 tsp parsley finely chopped

Zucchini Noodles

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 large zucchini spiralized
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Instructions

Zucchini

  • In a large skillet, add oil and garlic and bring the skillet to medium-high heat. Add in zucchini. Cook until zucchini is tender but still crisp. Pour in the soy sauce. Stir and mix until zucchini is evenly coated in soy sauce. Taste and add more if needed.
  • Drain liquid from zucchini. Remove zucchini from skillet and set aside.

Chicken

  • Add butter and garlic to a small saucepan. Cook over low medium heat until butter is melted and garlic starts to brown. Stir in the soy sauce.
  • Add oil to large skillet and bring the skillet to medium-high heat. Add in chicken pieces. Sear chicken on both sides until they are lightly browned.
  • Pour sauce over chicken. Finish cooking the chicken in the sauce, making sure that the chicken is evenly coated.
  • Reduce heat to low. Add drained zucchini noodles back in and stir in with the chicken for about 1 minute. Be careful not to let the zucchini cook further because that will cause the zucchini to release more liquid. Sprinkle chicken and zucchini with parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

  •  I use this spiralizer.*
  • *Some of the product links contained in this post are affiliate links. Much like referral codes, this means I earn a small commission if you purchase a product I referred (at no extra charge to you).

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25of recipe, Calories: 308kcal, Carbohydrates: 7g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Sodium: 1025mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, NET CARBS: 5

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

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