Zoodle Chow Mein Recipe

This Zoodle Chow Mein recipe combines tender chicken, mushrooms, onions, ginger, garlic, and spiralized zucchini in a savoury coconut aminos sauce. Featured on Cook the Books: Celebrity Edition Season 3, this quick one-pan meal prepared by host Shahir Massoud delivers fresh flavour and satisfying texture in only 15 minutes.

The Inspiration

Chow mein is known for its savoury combination of noodles, vegetables, aromatics, and protein cooked together over high heat. The name refers to stir-fried noodles, and countless versions can be found with different meats, vegetables, sauces, and noodle styles.

This Zoodle Chow Mein replaces conventional wheat noodles with spiralized zucchini. The zucchini strands provide the appearance and movement of noodles while creating a lighter, vegetable-forward base. Since zucchini cooks very quickly, the complete dish can be assembled in the same pan in approximately 15 minutes.

This recipe comes directly from The Clean Plate by Gwyneth Paltrow and is featured on Cook the Books: Celebrity Edition Season 3 with host Shahir Massoud. Rather than simply imitating traditional chow mein, it uses familiar stir-fry techniques to create a fresh dish built around chicken, mushrooms, vegetables, and a simple sauce.

Ingredients

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Kosher slat
4 tablespoon olive oil
½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 shiitake, oyster or maitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove grated
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 large or 3 small zucchinis, spiralized
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons coconut aminos
Kosher salt

Method

Cut the chicken into ½ inch thick slices, then cut the slices into 2-inch pieces. Season generously with salt
In a large non-stick pan or wok, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring for 2 minutes or until beginning to brown. Add the mushroom and cook, stirring often for 1 minute.
Push the onion and mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the chicken to the empty side. Cook until the chicken starts to brown on the first side, then flip over and cook for another minute or two until almost cooked through.
Stir in the mushroom-onion mixture, then add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 30 second, adding a little water if the pan looks dry.
Add the zucchini noodles, sesame oil and coconut aminos and season everything with a big pinch of salt. Toss to combine, taste and adjust the seasoning, and serve.

Serving Suggestions

Serve Zoodle Chow Mein immediately after cooking so the zucchini noodles remain lightly tender and do not release too much moisture. Use wide, shallow bowls and arrange the chicken and mushrooms over the spiralized zucchini so every serving displays the full combination of ingredients.

A light cucumber salad can add a cool contrast to the warm stir-fry, while a simple broth-based soup can turn the recipe into a more complete dinner. Since the Zoodle Chow Mein is already seasoned with ginger, garlic, sesame oil, and coconut aminos, accompanying dishes should remain relatively simple.

For entertaining, prepare and measure the ingredients before guests arrive, then cook the complete dish shortly before serving. The fast cooking process makes it possible to bring the Zoodle Chow Mein to the table while the chicken is hot and the zucchini strands are still fresh and structured.

Final Thoughts

This Zoodle Chow Mein recipe demonstrates how a small number of fresh ingredients can create a quick and flavourful dinner. Chicken provides satisfying protein, mushrooms contribute savoury depth, and onions become lightly sweet as they cook. Garlic, ginger, toasted sesame oil, and coconut aminos bring everything together.

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