Thai chicken with zucchini and carrot, along with noodles, makes for a no-reheat meal prep that’s awesome for lunch or dinner. You can easily make this ahead of time, store it, and then take it with you for lunch. It’s endlessly customizable and tastes better than takeout!
I used to get chicken pad Thai for work lunches sometimes. I love it, but…..without fail, it left me feeling sluggish and it was WAY TOO MUCH food for me. Have you ever tried making traditional pad Thai at home? It’s got so much sugar in it, and can be kind of greasy! Not something that leaves you feeling like you’re ready to conquer the rest of your day, right?
So naturally, I set out to create an easy version I could make at home, like this no-reheat Thai chicken bowl.
The peanut sauce MAKES this dish. And granted, that’s not pad Thai per se. But neither is this. It’s simply Thai-inspired.
The rest of the ingredients? You can change them if you like. Here’s how:
How to make substitutions in this Thai chicken recipe
- Try bell peppers, sugar snap peas, peas, radishes or cabbage! Or some combination of all of these. I like to slice bell peppers thinly, or use peas straight from the freezer. Cabbage is nice because it adds a little bit more crunch to this dish.
- Make this with shrimp or salmon instead of chicken.
Vegan or vegetarian?
- Simply swap out the chicken for one package of firm tofu. The directions in the recipe will stay the same and this meal will be just as delicious. Just make sure the tofu is well-drained and patted dry before cooking; otherwise it will be soggy.
- You could also use edamame or tempeh if you’re not into tofu. Please read the package for cooking instructions if using edamame. You don’t need to marinate it (but you can, if you want!)
What about the noodles?
- This dish would work with any pasta of your choice, but rice noodles give it more of a Thai flavor and texture. It also makes it a gluten-free dish.
- You could also use buckwheat noodles or soba noodles (soba noodle are made from buckwheat). They are also gluten free but the taste is a bit nuttier.
- I personally wouldn’t use rice or quinoa in this meal, because it wouldn’t be as delicious to me, but you totally can if you’d prefer.
Allergic to peanut butter?
- I would try this recipe with SunButter to replace the peanut butter in the sauce. You may have to heat up the sun butter to make it easier to mix into the sauce, though.
Storage and reheating notes for this Thai chicken bowl
This meal lasts in the fridge for up to four days. I didn’t test it in the freezer, but you’re welcome to! You don’t have to reheat this meal as it’s excellent cold, but if you did it’s best to reheat it in the microwave or on the stove.
Happy prepping!
If you end up making this no-reheat Thai chicken bowl, DM us on Instagram @workweeklunch! Let us know what you thought!
More Awesome Thai Recipes
- Thai-Inspired Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- No-Reheat Crunchy Thai Chicken Wraps
- Thai Coconut Curry Soup with Chicken
- Chicken Pad Thai Zoodles
- Tasty Thai Chili Garlic “Noodles”
No-Reheat Thai Chicken, Zucchini and Carrot Bowls
Ingredients
Chicken/tofu marinade
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar or agave
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 lime 2 for the marinade, 1 for garnishes
Peanut sauce
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup nut butter
- 1 tablespoon sriracha optional
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp agave, maple syrup or honey plus, more as needed
everything else
- 6 oz rice noodles or any pasta
- 16 oz chicken breast chopped, sub shrimp if desired
- 1 zucchini sliced into long strips (or spiralized)
- 2 cups shredded carrots (can just use whole carrots, chopped)
- 3/4 cup green onion chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Mix the soy sauce, brown sugar and juice from 2 limes together (taste to adjust) and pour the mixture in a zip-top bag with the chicken. Set aside.
- Combine all the peanut sauce ingredients in a bowl. Mix, taste and adjust flavors to your preference. Set aside.
- Cook rice noodles/pasta according to the package.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large skillet over medium heat, followed by the chicken. Cook for 7-10 mins (3-5 mins if using shrimp), stirring frequently until cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add remaining oil to the skillet, followed by the zucchini, carrots and 1/2 of the green onions. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 5 mins, stirring, until tender-crisp.
- Add the cooked chicken, noodles and 1/2 of the peanut sauce to the skillet (reserve the rest). Reduce heat and toss to combine well.
- Divide the noodle mixture into three containers. Garnish with remaining green onion and a lime wedge. The remaining sauce should be stored in smaller containers or one larger one to be added to the meal right before eating (this helps get the noodles unstuck, if that happens).
Brandi S says
Did I miss something here? The peanut sauce is REALLY salty. Luckily, I hadn’t poured it all in the zucchini noodles. I then made a sauce with more peanut butter and less soy sauce. Maybe the amounts are supposed to be switched with the peanut butter and the soy sauce? Other sauce recipes have a higher ratio of peanut butter to soy sauce.