Thai Peanut Chicken Sweet Potato Noodles are a healthy, gluten free twist on your favorite Thai takeout order. Easy, colorful, and delicious!
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 gluten free cookie recipes on social media that I’d arm wrestle Santa for.
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 Sweet Potato Noodles swaps rice noodles for vitamin-rich sweet potato noodles, and will curb your craving for take out in just 15 minutes!
Watch How to Make It!
Spiralized Sweet Potato Noodles
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!
How to Make This Recipe
Start by whisking together the Thai peanut sauce ingredients. You’ll need:
- Smooth peanut butter
- Chicken broth
- Low sodium gluten free Tamari
- Rice vinegar
- Chili garlic sauce
- Sesame oil
- Ground ginger
- Minced garlic
Set the sauce aside then peel and trim 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, and then send them through z spiralizer fitted with the skinnest noodle blade.
Time to cook! Heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add 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 more extra virgin olive oil to the skillet. Add the sweet potato noodles plus broccoli florets, season with salt and pepper, then saute for 5 minutes.
Next drizzle in a little 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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 2 chicken breasts, ~1lb, cut into bite-sized pieces
- salt and pepper
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled then spiralized using thinnest blade, noodles slightly trimmed
- 4 oz broccoli florets
- 1/4 cup water
- Toppings: chopped peanuts, green onions, chopped cilantro
For the Thai Peanut Sauce:
- 2 Tablespoons smooth peanut butter
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free chicken broth
- 1-1/2 Tablespoons gluten free reduced-sodium Tamari, or low-sodium soy sauce if not GF
- 1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon gluten free chili garlic sauce, or more or less
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
Directions
- Whisk together Thai Peanut Sauce ingredients in a small bowl then set aside.
- Add 1/2 Tablespoon oil to a large, 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken then season with salt and pepper and saute until cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate then set aside.
- Turn heat down to a little above medium then add remaining 2 Tablespoons oil. Add sweet potato noodles and broccoli, season with salt and pepper, then saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water then saute until noodles are al dente, another 3-5 minutes (if you like a softer sweet potato continue cooking but know that the noodles will break up a bit.) Add chicken back into the skillet along with the Thai Peanut Sauce then toss until the noodles are well coated and everything is heated through. Scoop into bowls then serve with toppings.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Great recipe! This meal had SO much flavor! I really enjoyed it but I have to say this fed us for dinner and had leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Can’t wait to try it!
Seriously delicious and I, too, plan to add this into the approved family meal rotation. Both my husband and my 2.5 year old loved it! Borrowing my sister’s Paderno spiralizer and having so much fun with it!
Nom nom nom. Made this for dinner tonight and it was awesome. My kiddo (in his 20s) wasn’t impressed with the sweet potato noodles at first (“Are you sure these aren’t just really long pieces of carrot, Mom?”) until he realized how much healthier they were in comparison to actual noodles. Then he had two helpings and put up the leftovers for his lunch tomorrow. Thanks for another great recipe, Kristin. Not only healthy and delicious, but filling too!
Great dish, loads of flavor. You don’t miss the noodles at all!
So glad you agree, Kelly!
This looks terrific.
Quick question. I have a small little handheld spiralizer. (I think it was $10 from BB&B) I have noticed that harder vegetables like carrots don’t do as well with it.
Do you think that I could put the sweet potato in the microwave to parcook it slightly to make it a bit softer to go through the handheld?
(Trying to not go out and get the bigger counter spiralizer at this time.)
For sure – I think that’s a great idea! I’d lightly pierce with a fork before microwaving for maybe a minute to start with?
Great recipe! My spiralizer struggled a bit with the sweet potatoes but this recipe was delicious and reminded us of a healthier pad thai. I also mixed in some zucchini noodles for a green veggie. Thank you for another great recipe.
You bet, Briana! Love your suggestion of cutting the sweet potato noodles with zoodles to lower carbs if you need it, and to pump up the health factor. Great idea!
Just made this tonight and it was soo good!! Hubby and I loved it. :)
So glad to hear it, Candy! :) Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
I bought a spiralizer months ago but really haven’t used it. This sounds awesome. My kids won’t like it (and one can’t do soy or coconut aminos), but I’ll make it for myself! I need lunches during the week anyway.
I can’t do chili sauce (no nightshades) so I’m thinking just a bunch of garlic? That sound suitable?
For sure! It mostly adds heat, so you’d probably be fine with just the one clove in the sauce recipe!
I cut this in half (ish, maybe more like 2/3 than a half portion came out) for myself tonight. It’s amazing!!! I followed it to a T but used a little but less oil and just added chicken stock as it dried out. MY sweet potato noodles also broke down quite a bit because I forgot and got caught up playing with my dogs. Whoops. Still freaking amazing. Thanks !!!!! I love making my Friday night – just me and no husband – dinner from your site. Very approachable cooking even for a seasoned cook like me. LOVE YOU
THANK YOU, Cori!! So glad you loved it and found the dish easy to make! :)
I made your Fall Brussel Sprouts salad for thanksgiving, and it was a huge hit! The fried shallots were awesome! Yum, yum! I had two recipe requests!
Love it!! Thanks for sharing the recipe, Emily!
Made this last night. SO GOOD! A welcomed break from the heavy foods of Thanksgiving. This will be added into our meal rotation! Thank you so much!
Wohoo!!! Glad to hear it, Megan! Thanks for leaving feedback! :)
This recipe was just what I needed this week! I am currently on the Whole 30 and needed something new to add to my meal plan! All I had to change was using almond butter vs peanut butter and found a compliant chili garlic sauce & unfortunately had to leave off the chopped peanuts – but cashews to the rescue. :) Still was totally delicious!
Oooo, I bet cashews were delicious in here. So glad you were able to make it work!
I just had this for dinner and it was delicious. I didn’t have any ginger and overcooked my sweet potato, but the flavor is excellent.
*next time, I’ll just chop my potato small. My spirulizer really struggles with sweet potatoes.
*I used freshly ground black pepper and you could really taste it through the richness and heat of the sauce.
Great dish. Such a keeper. Thank you.
So glad you enjoyed it, Melissa!! Thanks for the great feedback! :)