Spaghetti Squash Chicken Pad Thai

Yep. You read that correctly. I said it. Spaghetti Squash Pad Thai! And I would even venture as far as saying that this is probably one of the best recipes I have posted in a while. At least definitely one of the most creative and refreshing ones. Now back to the squash. Does that sound enticing? or a bit weird? From where I stand, probably both. So here’s a brief background about this recipe. It all started with a “Spaghetti Squash Sesame Noodles” recipe I found online. I was intrigued, and kind of fascinated all at once. You’re telling me that I can get the deliciously indulgent taste of sesame noodles without the carb-loaded guilt? Then sign me up for that! Then I thought about it a minute longer and wondered what my favorite noodle dish would taste like spaghetti squash-style. Introducing Spaghetti Squash Chicken Pad Thai!

I had so much fun coming up with this recipe. If you’ve been following my blog for a while (or even if you simply saw my previous recipe…), you’ll know that I’m a big fan of noodles. But every now and then, I need to find ways not to eat them as often. This was a great way for me to eat a low-carb meal, with the delicious flavors of my favorite Asian dish. Please note that this is very loosely inspired by the actual Pad Thai recipe. I didn’t use Tamarind paste or fish sauce for example but it was still delicious. Part of my goal as a food blogger is to encourage people to come up with creative ways to cook even if they don’t have crazy ingredients. In fact, it’s even more fun to beat the challenge it creates. Bon appétit!

I mean… just look at these strands! They sure look as good as noodles to me!

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Total time: 20 minutes with pre-cooked squash, (1hr from scratch)

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 small spaghetti squash
• 2 chicken tenderloins (use shrimp for shrimp pad thai)
• 2 green onions
• 1 egg
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 piece of ginger the size of a nail
• 1 tbsp peanuts, roasted, unsalted
• some sprouts (Alfalfa, mung beans…)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• a tiny pinch of red chilli flakes
• olive oil/vegetable oil
• Sriracha

Directions:

1. If you haven’t cooked the squash yet, check out my “Spaghetti Squash 101” technique here.
2. Meanwhile, prep all the vegetables: mince the green onions, ginger, and garlic clove, and roughly chop the cilantro and peanuts. Cut the chicken in small pieces.
3. Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, sugar and chilli flakes.
4. Then, cook the chicken. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add the poultry, season with salt and pepper and cook it for about 4-6 minutes depending on the size. Set aside.
5. In the same pan, crack the egg and stir constantly to scramble it. Set aside and cut in strips.
6. Finally add the white parts of the green onions, the garlic and the ginger in the pan (with a light drizzle of oil if needed). Add the spaghetti squash and the sauce and stir so that all the strands are well coated. Add back the chicken and the eggs and stir once more.
7. Garnish with a light drizzle of sriracha and lime juice, the rest of the onions, fresh sprouts, cilantro and crushed peanuts. Enjoy!

Temps total: 20 minutes si la courge est pré-cuite, (1hr autrement)

Ingrédients: 

• 1/2 petite courge spaghetti
• 1 blanc de poulet (ou des crevettes pour un pad thai de crevettes)
• 2 oignons verts
• 1 oeuf
• 1 gousse d’ail
• 1 morceau de gingembre de la taille d’un ongle
• 1 c.s de cacahuètes, grillées, non salées
• des jeunes pousses/graines (Alfalfa, soja…)
• 2 c.s de sauce soja
• 1 c.s de vinaigre de riz
• 1 c.s de jus de citron vert
• 1/2 c.c de sucre brun
• une toute petite pincée de flocons de piment rouge
• huile d’olive/huile végétale
• Sriracha

Etapes:

1. Si vous n’avez pas pré-cuit votre courge, suivez ma recette ici.
2. Pendant ce temps, préparez les légumes: émincez les oignons, le gingembre, l’ail, la coriandre et concassez les cacahuètes. Coupez aussi le poulet en petits morceaux.
3. Faites la sauce. Dans un petit bol, mélangez la sauce soja, le vinaigre de riz, le jus de citron vert, le sucre et le piment.
4. Puis, faites cuire le poulet. Faites chauffer de l’huile dans une poêle, ajoutez les morceaux de poulet, assaisonnez de sel et de poivre et laissez cuire pendant 4-6 min en fonction de la taille. Réservez.
5. Dans la même poêle, cassez l’œuf et mélangez énergiquement pour le brouiller. Mettez de côté et tranchez le en fines lamelles.
6. Enfin, ajoutez la partie blanche de oignons, l’ail et le gingembre dans la même poêle (avec un peu d’huile si nécessaire). Ajoutez les lamelles de courge spaghetti et la sauce et mélangez le tout. Ajoutez ensuite le poulet et l’œuf.
7. Garnissez d’un filet de sriracha et de jus de citron vert, du reste des oignons, des pousses de soja, de la coriandre et des cacahuètes concassées. Bon appétit!

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