These 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!

5-Ingredient Chicken Zucchini Boats in a white casserole

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 Zucchini Dinner Recipes. They’re so delicious and easy to make!

Key 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. You can also make this recipe with summer squash instead of zucchini.

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 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.

Tip: 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.

Instructions to Make Chicken Zucchini Boats

Prepare the Zucchinis

Cut the edges of the zucchini (keep the skin) 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.

left: tomato sauce in a white casserole. right: zucchini boats in a white casserole

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.

Photo Collage (and shown): two photos of a white casserole containing chicken zucchini boats

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.

overhead view of 5-Ingredient Chicken Zucchini Boats in a white casserole

Recipe Tips

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!

overhead view of zucchini boats in a white casserole

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