Slow Cooker Chicken Marinara with Basil and Zucchini Noodles

Slow Cooker Chicken Marinara with Basil and Zucchini Noodles

Adapted from: Happy Healthnut

Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time:  4 hours
Total time:  4 hours 10 mins
Servings:  4

Ingredients

3-4 chicken breasts, boneless & skinless
1 onion, sliced
1 1/2 to 2 cups of homemade marinara or your favorite store-bought marinara
sea salt and pepper
4 medium zucchini
¼ cup fresh basil
shaved parmigiano regiano to taste (optional)

Directions

• Place the sliced onion in the bottom of the slow cooker

• Generously season the chicken with sea salt and pepper and place it in the slow cooker on top of the onions  

• Pour the marinara sauce over the chicken

• Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours

• When the chicken has cooked through, remove it from the slow cooker and set aside to cool enough that you can handle it

• In the mean time, spiralize your zucchini noodles. I like to do about 1 zucchini per person

• Place the noodles in a colander fitted over a bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and allow the noodles to sit for about 5 minutes. The excess water will fall into the bowl. Discard that.

• When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred the meat (I use two forks) and place it back into the slow cooker to warm in the sauce.

• Taste the chicken and sauce and season with sea salt and pepper

• Tear up the fresh basil into pieces and toss it in with the zucchini noodles.

• To plate, lay a bed of zucchini noodles on the plate, spoon the chicken along with some of the sauce over the noddles. Garnish with Parmesan cheese (optional) and extra basil. Enjoy!

This recipe is awesome!!  I had just bought the Veggetti (I bet you've seen it) and was excited and nervous to try it.  It's become one of my favorite kitchen gadgets!!  The Veggetti turns zucchini into the perfect noodles. No need to cook them. You just twist (or "spiralize"), sprinkle them with sea salt, and let them sit for about 5 minutes. The sauce from the hot chicken and the cold, crisp noodles compliment each other perfectly! You can heat them if you want, but it’s not necessary.  My parents were my guinea pigs and, unless they were lying to me, they loved it too!