Thai Peanut Chicken and Sweet Potato Noodles

We’re in the thick of the holiday season and the urge to eat baked goods for every meal of the day is very real at the moment. I’ve seen several ginger-molasses and snickerdoodle cookie recipes on social media that I’d arm wrestle Santa for. Can you relate? That said, I’ve been even more intentional than usual about cooking healthy meals at home so I don’t have to think twice about indulging a little extra over the next month or so.

In addition to my Christmas cookie cravings, I’ve also been dreaming about a big bowl of gluten-free Pad Thai from my favorite Thai restaurant here in town. In the spirit of making healthy choices though, I decided to make a healthy, Pad Thai(ish) dish at home. Thai Peanut Chicken and Sweet Potato Noodles swaps rice noodles for vitamin-rich sweet potato noodles, and will curb your craving for take out in just 15 minutes!

If you’ve been on the fence about ordering a spiralizer, or asking for one for the holidays, this dish is going to send you over the edge. It. Is. Incredible! Skinny spiralized sweet potatoes are sauteed with broccoli and chopped chicken then tossed with an easy peanut sauce made with fridge and pantry staples. Like I said, this dish goes from skillet to bowl in 15 minutes, which is a fraction of the time it takes to pick up take out or wait for the delivery driver to arrive – plus it’s a TON healthier.

If you’re like me and wanting to indulge without the guilt this holiday season, whip up this light and tasty dish tonight – and fight your dining partner for the leftovers to take for lunch the next day. Trust me when I say, if you don’t, you’ll regret it!

Start by whisking together the Thai peanut sauce ingredients. That’s peanut butter, gluten-free chicken broth, low-sodium gluten-free Tamari or soy sauce, rice vinegar, gluten-free chili garlic sauce, sesame oil, ground ginger, and minced garlic. 

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Set the sauce aside then peel and trim 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, and then send them through your spiralizer fitted with the skinnest noodle blade. I used my Paderno Spiralizer for these guys.

Ok, time to cook! Heat a large, 12″ skillet over medium-high heat with 1/2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil then add 2 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper then saute until cooked through, and then scoop the chicken onto a plate and set aside.

Turn the heat down a touch then add 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil to the skillet plus the sweet potato noodles and 2 cups broccoli florets. Season with salt and pepper then saute for 5 minutes. Next add 1/4 cup water to help soften the noodles and continue sauting, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potato noodles are al dente, another 3-5 minutes. If you want your sweet potato noodles on the softer side, continue cooking, but just know they might break up into smaller pieces.

Last step is to add the chicken back into the skillet along with the Thai peanut sauce then toss until everything is well coated and heated through.

Scoop the noodles into bowls then top with tons of chopped peanuts and green onions. Totally easy, right? And trust me, totally DELISH! Hope you love this lighter take out fake out recipe!