Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

I love carbs. I have proclaimed my love for all things wheat on this blog and in articles I have published on the Mediterranean diet. 

Our cheap little spiralizer

I have tried my hand at cauliflower crust pizza and other wheat like substitutes and was left less than impressed but zucchini noodles, or zoodles, is one trend I wholeheartedly love. Our favorite way to serve zoodles is cold or room temperature (cooking them gives them a soggy texture I do not enjoy) perfect for the warmer weather headed our way.

You don't have to go out and spend a ton of money on a spiralizer for this dish, we have an inexpensive little gadget that does the trick but if you wanted to spiralize harder veggies like beets or butternut squash you may want to invest in something a bit fancier.

I made enough pesto for 3 recipes of this dish, so portion out the remaining pesto into small containers and freeze the leftovers for another day. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. 

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Zoodles

Ingredients:

2 Chicken Breasts
1 tbs Italian Seasoning (salt free)
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1/4 C Red Wine Vinegar
1/4 C Olive Oil
2 medium Zucchini, spirialized into noodles
1 C Grape Tomatoes

Pesto
3 C Basil leaves, packed
3/4 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 oz Parmesan Cheese, grated or crumbled
4 cloves Garlic

In a quart size freezer bag combine 1/4 C olive oil, red wine vinegar, Italian seasoning, and garlic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Make pesto by combining basil, cheese, garlic cloves and 3/4 c extra virgin olive oil in food processor until it forms a paste and is free of lumps.

Grill chicken over medium heat for about 12 minutes, turning once. While chicken is cooking grill tomatoes for 5 minutes. 

In a large bowl combine cold zucchini noodles with sliced grilled chicken breast, tomatoes and about a third of the pesto.

I would imagine that this would make great leftovers but we ate it all.