Chicken Lo Mein w/ a Kung Pao Twist (Low Carb & Gluten Free)

This evening I was in the mood for "Chinese".  I decided to combine several of my favorite dishes into one delicious meal.  It's a little bit "Chicken Lo Mein", "Chicken w/ Broccoli", and "Kung Pao Chicken" all rolled into one.  Since I am not eating wheat, I substituted "zucchini noodles" for the traditional Lo Mein "noodles".  I made them using my new Spirelli tool (I love it).  This meal was so delicious and fresh -- both hubby and I loved it.  I snapped a couple pics below as well as the recipe I threw together.  Enjoy!

BOOM!

You don't miss the traditional "wheat based noodles" at all

Chicken Lo Mein w/ a Kung Pao Twist

INGREDIENTS:

3 boneless chicken breast halves, diced
1-2 tablespoons oil (I used extra virgin coconut oil)
2 -3 cups fresh broccoli florets, steamed until tender-crisp
1 cup carrots, finely shredded or julienned
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
3 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup mushrooms, sliced (optional)
2-3 Tablespoons Tamari, more or less to taste (I used low sodium)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons peanut butter (more or less depending on desired thickness of sauce)
Freshly ground black pepper
Cayenne pepper (I used between 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon)
1/3 cup toasted peanuts
2 medium-large zucchinis, shredded into noodles

DIRECTIONS:

In a large non-stick skillet, add enough oil to barely coat pan and heat on medium-high.  When oil is hot add diced chicken breast and stir fry until white and no pink remains.  In a separate medium non-stick skilled, add a small amount of oil and lightly saute red bell pepper and shredded carrots; add mushrooms, if using.  

In the skillet with cooked chicken breast, turn heat to low-medium and push cooked chicken to the outer edges of skillet making a well in the center of the pan.  Add minced garlic and lightly cook; add Tamari, sesame oil and peanut butter to the center well area, stirring until the peanut butter melts and mixes in with the wet ingredients and juices from the chicken (you may need to add some water to thin sauce out a bit).  Mix chicken and sauce together and add black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.  

Toss steamed broccoli florets and lightly cooked carrots, red peppers and mushrooms into the chicken mixture, tossing until everything is well coated.  If you need to thicken sauce, add and melt a little more peanut butter into the pan.  If you need to thin it a bit, add more water (I steam my broccoli in a glass covered Pyrex dish in about 2/3 cups of water for about 4 minutes on high and reserve that water to thin the sauce with).  Taste for seasoning and adjust as necessary.  In the pan used to cook the carrots and peppers, add a small amount of oil and lightly saute the shredded zucchini noodles until desired doneness (this only takes a few minutes).  Add noodles to each serving plate or bowl, top with chicken and veggie mixture and toss together, adding additional Tamari or seasoning, if needed.  Top with toasted dry roasted peanuts.