This Chicken Zoodle Casserole takes a spin on the original Pad kee mao Asian stir fry and puts it in casserole form. A paleo friendly zoodle casserole with tons of flavor, Thai spices, and simple healthy ingredients! A delicious, light, high protein, low carb recipe.
My latest obsession, among many, is making the most out zoodles in the form of spiralized comfort food. I don’t know about you, but sometimes plain zucchini noodles get boring. Heck, unless your bugs bunny, we all like to eat vegetables that have some “Ooompf !” Don’t me wrong, I love the extra veggie consumption spiralized vegetables add to dishes, but with that also needs to come more substance and/or flavor, ya know? You know I know that you know.
Anyway, comfort food in the form of casseroles and Asian food are my JAM… err Jelly? Yes, noodle bowls, spicy Thai, creamy chicken curry, homestyle tuna (zoodle) and chicken casserole favorites. GLORIOUS I tell you!
So just add this paleo drunken chicken zoodle casserole to the list. Gosh I’ve been wanting to try this for so long. Drunken noodles are amazing, but when you make them into chicken zoodle casserole form, they are even more amazing. Why? Because you can transport them as a stir fry noodle potluck dish, make for meal prep, or feed the whole family around the table.
I know my Thai and Chinese foodie friends are shaking their head at me now. I might have just butchered this Asian dish, but hey, don’t knock it till you try it.
HOW TO MAKE EASY DRUNKEN CHICKEN ZOODLE CASSEROLE (1 MIN):
The reason I chose to create a paleo drunken chicken zoodle casserole out of the original, or pad kee mao, is really for 2 reasons.
Well, besides the comfort food zoodle recipes obsession mention above.
- Pad kee mao, includes egg. In most Thai recipes, anyway. It also contains a copious amount of veggies, herbs, spices, and lean protein. The secret really is in the stir fry sauce, which makes for the perfect casserole concoction.
- Drunken Noodles (pad kee mao) is one of the best of Asian comfort food stir fry noodle dishes! THRIFTY TOO! No, it doesn’t include alcohol. I think everyone has their take on this dish, but from what I’ve heard, Drunken Noodles came about by someone who came home drunk, had the munchies, and made a dish with just the available ingredients. Aka “Drunkard’s Noodles.” Oh and according to wikipedia, the other slight variation describes this dish as a stir noodle recipe that pairs well with alcohol. I’ll let you choose what to believe, mm mm k?
In my opinion, Drunken Noodles stir fry is the Asian version of Mac N Cheese or any other skillet/one pot wonder. It’s simple. It’s cozy. And you can tailor it to your liking . Ha, which is exactly what I did. Chicken Casserole form ya’ll! Low carbish. Veggies packed. Protein Packed. EGGCELLENT! I used, gluten free tamari soy sauce, palm sugar, peppers, chicken, Thai basil, and birds eye chili peppers with extra jalapeños. Gasp! I know, more spice. Don’t worry, you can De-spicy this dish. It’s a word. I promise.
Ready to get your chicken zoodle casserole on? Yes you are! Just don’t get drunk, capeesh?
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Easy Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5-6 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Paleo friendly Drunken Zoodle Chicken Casserole takes a spin on the original Pad kee mao Asian stir fry and puts in casserole form. Light, healthy!
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast (diced)
Ingredients for Stir Fry Sauce:
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tbsp chili garlic sauce/paste (available in most asian sections at store. Or use Sriracha)
- 2–3 tablespoon gluten free Tamari soy sauce mixed with 1 tablespoon dark sugar (coconut palm sugar, dark brown sugar, or molasses). This creates a dark soy sauce. *
- Pinch of ground ginger
- ¼ tsp kefir lime zest or regular lime (a splash of lime may be substituted)
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional finely diced Thai bird’s eye red pepper for extra spicy
Other Ingredients for the casserole:
- 16 oz (or about 3-4 c Zucchini noodles- zoodles) This equals about 1-2 large zucchini
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 tbsp olive oil or sesame oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2–3 tablespoon tapioca starch or cornstarch
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup cut stir fry veggies (i.e. shredded cabbage, sliced carrots, broccoli floret, snap peas, etc.)
- 3 eggs
- 2–3 tablespoon coconut milk
Garnish/Topping:
- Thai basil
- 1 Thai red pepper (see notes for other pepper)
- optional sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a medium casserole dish. Set aside.
- Pat chicken dry with a paper towel then dice into small pieces for stir frying. Set aside.
- Spiralize your zucchini. If you don’t have a spiralizer, just cut julienne style. I use this spiralizer . Make sure to pat your zucchini noodles extra dry with a towel. To remove excess water. Place zucchini noodles (zoodles) at the bottom of the casserole dish and set aside.
- Next prepare the stir fry sauce. Whisk together the fish sauce, chili sauce, ginger, tamari + sugar (to equal the dark soy sauce), lime, pinch of pepper. Taste and adjust with more tamari/sugar if needed. For Paleo option, use coconut sugar or molasses.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add oil. When the pan starts sizzling add the onion and garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the chicken brown for 5 minutes, stirring often.
- Add your stir fry veggie mix, sliced red pepper, sauce, and 2-3 tablespoon tapioca starch. Mix until well coated then stir fry 10 minutes or until chicken is no long pink (but not overcooked).
- Transfer the chicken stir fry with sauce on top of zoodles in the casserole dish; spread evenly.
- Next, whisk the eggs and coconut milk.
- Pour the egg batter evenly over the casserole dish then place the dish in oven and bake 25-30 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the egg mix is cooked through.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with Thai basil and optional sliced Thai peppers.
- Season to taste to taste.
- Sesame seeds to sprinkle over top, if desired.
Notes
- For soy free option use coconut Aminos in place of tamari sauce
- If you don’t have thai red pepper, you can use any other spicy red pepper. Thai red peppers are Available in the Asian foods section or produce section of some supermarkets, or at some Asian markets.
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Category: Main
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: Asian American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 264
- Sugar: 6.2g
- Sodium: 1094.9mg
- Fat: 13.7g
- Saturated Fat: 4.3g
- Carbohydrates: 12.1g
- Fiber: 2.2g
- Protein: 23.1g
- Cholesterol: 137.5mg
Grab a plate, or bowl, or whatever. Fork optional. Feel free to face plant. No rules with this zoodle casserole dish!
If you were to make an Asian dish into a healthyish casserole, what would you make?
Cheers!
Loved this so much! For some reason, it was liquidy after 30 minutes. I kept baking it but it it seemed to overcook things. I did add a lot of veggies but didn’t change anything else. I want to make this again so if there are any ideas (or maybe I was expecting it to firm up when it doesn’t)?
Hi Elena! Thanks for feedback! This is an older recipe we’re working on updating. My recommendation with two first bake the zoodles. Placed them on a baking sheet and put them in the oven at 3:50 for about 15 to 20 minutes to bake and dry out. That helps remove excess moisture. Does that make sense?
Yes, good idea! Ultimately it was so tasty anyway I’d do it again but I’ll try this addition since it makes no more work to do this while sautéing. Awesome! Thanks!
Yummy recipe! thanks for sharing! I swapped out the zoodles for spiralized sweet potato noodles and it was delicious!
Oh love it! Definitely try the sweet potato noodles!
I just made this and oh my gosh, it really exceeded my expectations. This casserole is unreal!! Thank you so much for creating this-definitely becoming a staple in my kitchen!
I’m so glad! Thanks for feedback abbey!
This recipe was so delicious! I raved about it! Posted it on my Facebook page and sent it to a friend. I would absolutely make it and highly recommend it!
Oh thank you! So glad you enjoyed it. thanks for sharing and feedback Janet!
Pad Kee Mao is in my regular cooking rotation. Using Zoodles really appealed to me. However I found the stir fry sauce to be WAY too salty for me, glad I tasted it before adding to the dish. I used my pad kee mao sauce as a substitute, it has less dark soy sauce and the addition of oyster sauce. I followed the rest of the recipe as written and it was delicious.
The flavors in this recipe came together marvelously! I was a little skeptical about the taste of the sauce at first, but once everything baked…no more worries, just seconds and empty plates. I used frozen zoodles, veggies, and chicken breast. Everyone in the house enjoyed.
Very tasty, thanks!
Oh I am so glad! Good call on the frozen zoodles!
Do the zoodles get mixed with the stir fry veggies or do they go in the casserole dish without being “stir fried” with the other veggies first?
Good question! I just updated the notes, but if you watch the video you can see the zoodles go at the bottom of the casserole, not in the stir fry. Hope that helps! Let me know if you try it Cheryl!
This dish is amazing! It tastes better than takeout!
awesome!! so glad. THanks sarah!
Can you make this without the eggs? It sounds delicious but I can’t eat eggs.
I haven’t tried it without eggs. You could try it similar to my tuna zoodle casserole. Maybe add chickpea flour to help??
Could I use gluten free flour or cornstarch instead of the tapioca starch?
Yes, that should work fine too Lydia. Keep me posted
THIS LOOKS AMAZING! Definitely adding to the weekly rotation!
Thanks, Kellie! It’s a good one, for sure. I hope you enjoy! 😀
I have always wanted to try zoodles! Love the flavors in this casserole.
Love me some zoodles! They are definitely a staple around here 😉
This looks amazing! I love the use of zoodles, and I love drunken noodles, so this is a definite win!
Thank you so much, Katie! Drunken zoodles are ze best. Definite win;)
Hi. I’m baking my drunken noodles and have been tasting them along the way. It already tastes good. I was surprised at how much salt is in it though when I saw the nutritional facts. Is this safe to eat?? We want the antiinflamitory effects but were concerned about high blood pressure.
totally understand. You can reduce the salt or use reduced sodium tamari sauce. Or coconut aminos. Those will help reduce salt content.
Hi! Looks so good! I need it to be egg-free as well…how would you recommend modifying the recipe? Thank you!
You might be able to try this with a coconut cream and coconut flour mix. Kinda like my Tuna zoodle casserole. I can send you that link
Are the eggs added to hold it all together or should it be more like a quiche?
Kinda a mix between both. It’s really to hold it together but the eggs puff up a little . Does that help?
It does, thank you! I am new to your website and have to say that I am loving it!!
Wonderful!! Keep me posted! And happy to help.
Can’t believe I’m only just coming across this recipe – omg I am going to have a ball filling this with veggies! It’s like the easiest way to eat your 5-a-day without noticing you are ha! Love the casserole spin to this too! Thank you!
Oh Whit! I think you will LOOOOOVE this one!
Sorry to reply to a comment… I’m on my iphone and can’t find how to leave my own comment.
I made this dish last night! I didn’t realize we had accidentally used the chicken for something else (poor chicken was double booked), so I had to make it with no meat. I’m so glad I did! This dish was delicious! I was skeptical the whole time I was making it to be honest. The fish sauce scared me ..”anchovy extract”, the coconut milk, the lack of cheese in a casserole… Etc. It was unique and delish! I will definitely make it again- with or without chicken. 🙂
Oh so good to hear! So you didn’t use Chicken? Just the egg/veggie? Very cool! And if you ever need substitutes for sauces that scare you (fish sauce) LOL, just message me!
Could you substitute tofu for the chicken?
I think tofu work great!! Keep me posted
Ps I would press it so it’s not too watery before you bake
I love the recipe it sounds delicious, however I don’t eat eggs as they don’t agree with me. Can you advise of a substitute I can use for the eggs.
You could try just adding a bit more starch. Do you have arrowroot or corn starch? can you handle dairy?
This sounds awesome! I love the idea of making it into a casserole.
Can’t believe this is good for you!
It’s so good! let me know if you try it Amy!
Asian noodle dish have to be some of my very favorite foods; I love ramen and yakisoba and chow mein and lo mein; this looks like it took all of those dishes about 10 steps up. O_O 🙂
oh me too! love chow mein!
drunken noodle is one of my fav…so clearly this is happening at home!
YAY! keep me posted on if you try it
This looks amazing! Do you think it would work cooked in a slow cooker over several hours on low rather than 30 minutes in the oven? Would be fantastic to get home to a ready cooked meal like this!
Are you wanting to just make it as zoodle bowl vs Casserole? Let me know. I think we could do the stir fry in slow cooker on low, then add zoodles last 20-30 minutes or so.
My question exactly! Would be great to make this in a slow cooker and having it ready to eat in the evening. Just worried that some of the softer veggies and noodles would become too “mushy”…
I would just shorten the time and add zoodles last. I might try this weekend!
Looks wonderful! This dish not only looks like something I would be making soon but it has also given me a bunch of ideas 🙂
wonderful! Keep me posted Indu!
I’m honestly so excited about this and how this will influence my dinner making decisions.
woohoo! let me know what you think Hannah!
yay! Keep me posted Hannah!
As much as I love zoodles, they do get boring. Not in this dish though! So much flavor in here, I’m loving all the ingredients and the easiness of it!
right?!! So agree!
I totally agree — veggies in the form of casseroles and comfort food are so much more satisfying at this time of year. I can’t wait to try this delicious dinner!!!
I agree! plus you can jam more into the dish! Haha
I really think you’re trying to apply to be Vegas’ personal chef. You’re posting all her favorites! there’s nothing that kid won’t do for Asian food. This may have to happen soon…
I think so. I aim to please Vegas and The kiwi. Haha!
Drunken anything sounds good right now! 😉
Haha amen to that!
Looks delicious! Do you think this can be frozen?
I think so, but I would not bake it beforehand. Just assemble, freeze, then bake before serving. Or you could bake it all and freeze, but the zoodles might get a little soggy once reheated. Let me know if you try it!
I have ventured into trying more Asian dishes and this one looks delicious and you make it look so easy. The colors are so vibrant and the ingredients healthy, that this is a perfect dinner that includes everything you need. Yum!
wonderful! Let me know if you try it Ali!
Can you make this without egg?
You could but it would really hold together. YOu could try using a chickpea pancake (socca) mix and add on top. I have chickpea pancake and socca recipes on my site. THoughts?
Yum, yum, yum! This looks so good and healthy! I love the incorporation of the zoodles too!
thanks Luci! we love zooooooodles! hehe
This looks so creamy and delicious it’s hard to believe it’s healthy!
right?? so so so good too!
Oh girl, Asian food in the form of casseroles is my jam/jelly too, and I’ll take it over mac and cheese any day! This looks divine!
you are my food twin, i just know it! <3 you so!!
One of my friends and my bf are OBSESSED with pad kee mao! I had been meaning to make a homemade healthier version using the classic wide rice noodles, but now I’m 200% sold on the zoodles! This dish looks soooo inviting and is definitely a healthier change up. Bravo, m’dear!
ohhh i so should have made the zoodles wider. DARN! Next time. And thanks friend!
Bahaha – nope, I won’t get drunk – at least not on booze – but, if I could get drunk off of feasting (my eyes) on this – then am soused! You say “butchered” I say, “fusion” – this looks all kinds of scrumptious, lady!
haha well I might have had wine while making this. 😉
How creative is this! I love Pad Kee mao, and this is just such a smart way to healthify it. Pad Thai needs a makeover, an does does orange chicken…
I shall me your makeover guru! That sounds like a fun challenge! Haha really!