Chicken & Pancetta Zoodle Recipe (Video)

Chicken and pancetta makes an ever so delicious zoodle recipe. This rich and creamy sauce is made with chopped pancetta, sun-dried tomatoes, mascarpone cheese, and grated parmesan cheese. This zoodle recipe is one that your sweetheart will LOVE!

Chicken & Pancetta Zoodle Recipe

I love Italian food and this zoodle recipe really hits the spot!

Zoodles are a great substitution for pasta. They are light, nutritious, have a neutral flavor and they look pretty too. I know quite a few people out there have not been impressed with zoodles and let me tell you a couple of secrets.

• fresh is the key-don’t use frozen zoodles, at least not when you are actually trying to substitute them for pasta.
• don’t cook them-YEP, you heard me! Make your sauce, have your zoodles all ready to go and toss them in the sauce before serving, just like you would with pasta.

How to make Zoodles

There are quite a few different tools available to spiralize your zucchini. Spiralizers come in a wide variety, including countertop, hand-crank, electric and hand-held. They also range largely in price.

I use a ten-dollar hand-held jobber that suits me just fine. I picked it up at Bed Bath and Beyond (and no, I don’t get paid for saying that) and it is pretty sturdy. If you don’t want to buy a spiralizer, you can always use a vegetable peeler to peel your zucchini in to strips or use a cheese grater.

Versatility

I developed this recipe a few of years ago, per my sister’s request to make her “something,” only not using zucchini. She ate it rolled up in low carb tortilla shells. It would be great baked in sweet bell peppers and is also very delicious on top of spiralized carrots.

What you will need:

• 5-6 zucchini
• 1 chicken breast, approx.1lb., cut in to small strips
• 4 ounces pancetta, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 4 ounces mascarpone cheese
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• fresh basil, for garnish
• kosher salt
• olive oil, for cooking

How to make Chicken & Pancetta Zoodle Recipe

Spiralize or peel four and a half cups of zucchini, about four to five zucchinis. Lay out on paper towels to extract some of the moisture.

Cut the chicken breast in to bite-size pieces and add to a skillet with olive oil. Salt the chicken and cook over medium heat. When the chicken has mostly cooked, add the pancetta to the skillet and cook until crisp. Next, add the garlic and cook until softened.

Tip:

It is important to not overcrowd your pan when cooking meats. Use a large enough skillet to give the meat room to spread out, otherwise it will cause the temperature to lower and the meat to sweat, giving off excess moisture and preventing it from browning.

If you don’t have sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil) on hand, remove the sun-dried tomatoes from the jar and place on a paper towel to drain of most of their oil.

Chop the tomatoes into small thin strips. Add the tomatoes and chicken broth to the skillet. Allow the broth to reduce to one-third, then add the mascarpone cheese and parmesan cheese.

Turn off the heat and add the zucchini to the mixture to coat the zoodles with the sauce. Don’t cook the zucchini, it will become soggy and limp. Top with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Have you made this RECIPE? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

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Looking for another great low carb, gluten free pasta style dish? Try our spaghetti squash lasagna or keto lasagna.

Have you made this RECIPE? Please leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Share your photos and tag @hungerforspice on Instagram and hashtag it #hungerforspice.

Join our email list! You’ll receive the lastest email each time a new recipe comes out.

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