These low-carb, keto, gluten-free, Chicken Zucchini Boats are stuffed with chicken, homemade tomato pasta sauce, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese. These easy and flavourful stuffed zucchini boats are the perfect easy weeknight dinner that comes together in a few simple steps. All you need are a few simple ingredients!
You will love these delicious zucchini boats. Stuffed with shredded chicken, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and cheddar cheese, this zucchini boat recipe is a quick and easy meal that your whole family will love.
This is one of my go-to recipes that I’m super excited to share today. It’s so easy to make, can be made ahead of time, can use up leftovers, and can be frozen for later. It really ticks all the boxes for a great meal.
Got extra zucchini? Try my Zucchini noodles with Tomato Sauce and Shrimp, Zucchini Casserole Recipe, or these 10 Low-Carb Zucchini Dinner Recipes. They’re so delicious and easy to make!
Ingredients
- Zucchini — Make sure to get zucchinis that are firm with unblemished skin. Avoid over large zucchinis as they’ll be watery for the chicken zucchini boats.
- Olive oil — I use olive oil but you can use another neutral oil such as avocado oil.
- Chicken — This stuffed zucchini recipe is perfect for using up leftover chicken if you have some. You can also save time by shredding a store-bought rotisserie chicken. it’s up to you. You can even use ground turkey, ground beef or Italian sausage too. You can also make the vegan version of that and replace chicken for black beans and cheese for vegan cheese.
- Tomato sauce — I use a sugar-free tomato sauce but feel free to use what you have on hand!
- Cheese — I love cheese, and this recipe uses both mozzarella and cheddar cheese. The more, the merrier.
- Salt and pepper — Season the zucchini boats to taste.
- Parsley — I love adding a handful of fresh chopped parsley for a pop of colour and freshness.
Instructions
Prepare the Zucchinis
- Cut the edges of the zucchini and slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Using a spoon, remove the flesh from the center of the zucchini halves.
- Chop the scooped-out zucchini and set it aside for later.
Make the Filling
- Add olive oil, chicken, and chopped zucchini to a large non-stick skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the chopped zucchini is soft.
- Add 1 cup of tomato pasta sauce and salt and black pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute or so.
Prepare the Casserole Dish
- Pour ½ cup of tomato sauce into a 9×13” casserole and spread well.
- Place the zucchini halves on top.
- Stuff the scooped-out zucchini halves with the chicken mixture.
- Pour the remaining tomato sauce (about 1/2 cup) over the zucchini and cover the casserole or baking dish with aluminum foil.
Bake the Chicken Zucchini Boats
- Bake the zucchini for 30-35 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and add shredded cheese. Bake for another 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with parsley before serving.
- I use mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese, but you can use any cheese of your choice to change up the flavour. I also like Monterey Jack cheese or a salty parmesan cheese.
- Shred your own cheese for these chicken zucchini boats! I know it can be a little bit of extra work, but store-bought shredded cheese comes coated with a powder to prevent them from clumping. This can make the cheese grainy when melted. So shredding your own cheese gives you a smoother finish.
- Want to change things up? Try using homemade marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce! You can also get different flavoured tomato sauces such as tomato basil, roasted garlic, spinach, mushroom, and more to change up the recipe! See what’s in your pantry and go with it!
- For an extra spicy kick, sprinkle on some crushed red chili flakes, red pepper flakes or use a spicy cheese. You can also add some sliced jalapenos on top of the chicken mixture before adding the cheese.
- You can also add more veggies like onions, red bell pepper and so on. Also for more flavor add Italian seasoning or oregano.
- You can also make this recipe with summer squash instead of zucchini.
- You can make the stuffing ahead of time and store it in the fridge for 3 days before adding it to the zucchini boats.
Nope! Just make sure to give the zucchinis a thorough clean and pat them dry. If you really want to peel the zucchinis, you are welcome to, but I keep the skin on.
You can store leftovers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Reheat the chicken zucchini boats in the oven or microwave until warmed throughout.
I recommend freezing only the stuffed chicken filling and stuffing it into freshly scooped zucchinis before baking. It’ll make preparing the chicken zucchini boats much easier!
If you need some chicken for this chicken zucchini boats recipe, you can quickly poach it beforehand. Here’s how:
- To a pot, add chicken breasts and aromatics of your choice, such as garlic, bay leaves, thyme, etc.
- Cover the chicken with water by an inch or two.
- Bring the pot to a simmer over medium heat and then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Allow the chicken to rest on a cutting board for 5 minutes before shredding it. You can easily shred the chicken with two forks.
Watch the Chicken Zucchini Boats Web Stories.
Chicken Zucchini Boats
Video
Ingredients
- 3 medium zucchinis cut in half lengthwise
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups sugar-free tomato sauce
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste optional
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the edges of the zucchini and slice each one in half lengthwise.
- Using a spoon or a melon baller, remove the flesh from the center of the zucchini halves.
- Chop the scooped out zucchini flesh and set aside.
- Pour ½ cup of the tomato pasta sauce into a 9×13” casserole and spread well.
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F
- Add olive oil, chicken, and chopped zucchini to a large non-stick skillet. Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the chopped zucchini is soft.
- Add 1 cup of tomato pasta sauce and salt and black pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute or so.
- Stuff the scooped out zucchini halves with the chicken mixture.
- Pour the remaining pasta sauce (about 1/2 cup) over the zucchini and cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
- Bake the zucchini for 30-35 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and add shredded cheese. Bake for more 3-5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Garnish with parsley.
Notes
- No need to peel the zucchinis before using them. Just make sure to thoroughly wash it and pat it dry.
- Try using homemade marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce.
- Add some chili flakes or jalapeno to add some heat to the chicken zucchini boats.
- To store: Store leftover chicken zucchini boats in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: Reheat leftovers in the microwave or oven until warm.
- To freeze: Freeze the chicken filling in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This reminds me of a recipe I used a few years ago.. I added a little seasoning to the chicken, zucchini when I was sautéing and substituted parmesan cheese for the cheddar. Angel hair pasta was the side dish.. next time a simple spinach salad. Thanks for sharing
Mm.. Sounds delicious. I love that you served it with angel hair pasta.
a very easy dish i just use can chicken was in a hurry but it was good thank for sharing
You’re very welcome! Happy you liked it!
Love it
Happy you liked it!