Description
Loads of scallions, chopped garlic, sesame seeds, crispy bits of ground chicken, your favorite gluten-free pasta, and a punchy umami-rich sauce make these fragrant scallion noodles absolutely irresistible. It’s the perfect back-pocket weekday dinner, but also a crowd-pleaser that you can make for guests or as simple yet impressive date-night-in fare!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces gluten free pasta – we like to use spaghetti, linguine, or for a short pasta shape, Mafalda
- 2 tablespoons neutral oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 10-12 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced – a few of the dark green parts reserved for garnish
- 6-8 cloves of garlic, grated with a microplane or very finely chopped
- 1 – 1 1/2 teaspoons Gochugaru, Aleppo, or regular chili flakes, to taste (optional – if using regular chili flakes use less – they’re spicier!)
- 1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, plus more to garnish
- 1/3 cup coconut aminos
- 2 tablespoons tamari (gluten free soy sauce)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- Salt and pepper to taste, if desired
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions, but undercook by about 1 minute to prevent the pasta from getting overly soft once added to the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, you can continue with preparing the recipe. Drain pasta and set aside.
- Make the sauce. Add the coconut aminos, tamari, and rice vinegar to a small jar or measuring cup and stir to combine.
- Cook the ground chicken, scallions, and garlic. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, immediately reduce the heat to medium and add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil and tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom. Add the ground chicken and press into a flat layer. Allow to sear for a minute or two until it easily releases from the bottom of the pan and cook, breaking up with a spatula, until cooked through and the liquid released from the meat has evaporated. Move the chicken to the side of the skillet and add 1 tablespoon sesame oil to the open space. Add white and light green part of sliced scallions, garlic, and chili flakes (if using). Sauté briefly – for about 1 minute, stirring continuously – until garlic is fragrant and scallions are lightly wilted – being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Finish making the sauce. Fold the sautéed scallion, garlic, and chili flake mixture into the ground chicken and add the cilantro and sesame seeds, stirring to combine. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes until cilantro has wilted. Add the coconut aminos, tamari, and rice vinegar mixture to the skillet and stir again, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a brief simmer and immediately turn off the heat – you don’t want too much of the sauce to evaporate.
- Assemble the pasta. Add the pasta to the skillet and toss together using tongs to coat the noodles with the ground chicken sauce (a large spoon is helpful to scoop the meaty bits of sauce onto the noodles!). Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper if desired. Garnish with reserved scallions and additional sesame seeds. Serve and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove top
- Cuisine: Asian