Greek Zoodle Salad

There are some differences between the US and the UK that I expected. Like driving on the other side of the road (and looking in the other direction before crossing the street as a result), temperatures reported in Celsius, measurements in metric units, spellings like 'prioritised' and 'colour'. And then there are things I didn't expect like zucchini aren't called zucchini, they're called courgette. Or cilantro is called coriander, which I thought was a completely different spice altogether.

The first time I went to the grocery store by my flat, it took me over an hour to find everything and even then, I didn't really find everything. I gave up on blueberries and limes. Crunchy healthy stuff is in an aisle called 'free from' as in 'free from gluten' or 'free from nuts' (although almond butter is in the aisle so...).

The second time I went, I was a little more patient (and a little less hungry) in finding my ingredients. With a Greek salad inspired zoodle dish in mind, I navigated the produce section for familiar vegetables. It took me awhile to find pepperoncini (my Spanish flatmates tell me the English don't have true peppers) and am now the proud owner of a very large jar of pepperoncini, from the Mediterranean section of the international aisle--logic.

I'm not a fan of olives so I skipped those but otherwise, went for a crunchy Greek 'pasta' salad. But instead of pasta, I used zoodles. With zucchini called something else over here, zoodles are also lost in translation. Coodles? Croodles? Crasta? Nothing is quite as good as zoodles, I'm afraid.

Chicken is browned in a large skillet. Once the pieces are browned on both sides, zoodles are added to the pan to cook slightly. Slowly but surely, the tomatoes, cucumber and pepperoncini are added to the pan as well. This quickly became an easy one-pan dish. I've also made this without the zoodles and added extra cucumber to keep it crunchy.

 

Topped with feta cheese and olive oil, we have a summer classic in the making!

Recipe

• 1 lb. chicken breast, diced (or stir-fry cuts)
• Fresh ground pepper
• 2 zucchini (or courgettes), spiralized
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 large cucumber, chopped 
• 3-4 large pepperoncini, chopped
• Feta cheese for topping

1. In a large frying pan, heat olive or vegetable oil. Add the chicken pieces. Brown on each side, turning carefully and reducing heat as oil gets hotter. Sprinkle with ground pepper.
2. Once the chicken has been browned, add the zoodles.
3. Continue by adding the cherry tomatoes, cucumber and pepperoncini. Stir to incorporate with the chicken and zoodles.
4. Cook until the vegetables are soft and the tomatoes have started to blister. 
5. Remove from heat and top with feta cheese. You can enjoy this hot or cold, I preferred it slightly warmed.