Jul
31
Delicious, low carb bbq chicken stuffed zucchini boats topped with cheddar cheese. These flavorful, easy zucchini boats are a great way to use leftover chicken and make the perfect weeknight dinner!
Welcome to Day 2 of #AKZucchiniWeek 2018!
MY LATEST VIDEOSThe past week I’ve been nonstop listening to Demi Lovato (thinking of her), making double batches of healthy peanut butter granola bars and eating juicy peaches drizzled with the new honey cinnamon RXBAR nut butter (the only downside is that the peach juice rolls down my hands). Oh and I finally tried Dave’s Killer Bread bagels — they are fabulous and definitely a must try!
As far as dinner goes, we haven’t been able to grill anything for dinner lately because Tony had a little incident involving our grill and the fire extinguisher. Everything is okay, except well… the grill.
Of course, A LOT zucchini has been making an appearance in our home due to preparation for zucchini week! Since you all requested more savory recipes this year, I decided to whip up these easy stuffed zucchini boats. My mom used to make them all the time with enchilada sauce, but since I’m a straight up BBQ drinker lover, I decided to switch it up.
Tony doesn’t love zucchini that much unless it’s hidden in things (like in this bread), so luckily Abra and I got to gobble these stuffed zucchini boats up all week.
Meal prep these zucchini boats
This recipe make AMAZING leftovers, packs in 36g of protein per serving and is wonderful for meal prep. Just make ahead and bake, allow to cool, then place two boats in a meal prep container. Once ready to eat, microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until warm and cheese is melted.
Options to make this recipe your own
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make these but please know that this recipe is versatile. If you’d like you can use canned or homemade enchilada sauce instead of BBQ sauce.
If you want to keep these vegetarian, try using cooked lentils or black beans instead of chicken.
The options are endless, so use your imagination!
SEE HOW TO MAKE THE ZUCCHINI BOATS:
GIVEAWAY
Every time you make a zucchini recipe from Ambitious Kitchen now through 8/5/18 and use the hashtag #AKZucchiniWeek on Instagram, you’ll be entered to win a Cusinart Food Processor! USA only. We can’t wait to see your pics!
BONUS RECIPE
If you subscribe to Ambitious Kitchen’s newsletter, we’ll send you a bonus #AKZucchiniWeek recipe this Saturday (8/4/18). Sign up here to get deliciousness delivered to your inbox.
If you make this stuffed zucchini recipe, don’t forget to leave a comment and rate the recipe below. And of course, if you have Instagram, we’d love to see your creations — don’t forget to tag #ambitiouskitchen! You can also join our AK Facebook community group here.
Cheesy BBQ Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats
Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com
Nutrition Information
- Serving size: 2 boats
- Calories: 398
- Fat: 17.1g
- Saturated fat: 8.0g
- Carbohydrates: 24.9g
- Sugar: 12.1g
- Fiber: 3.9g
- Protein: 35.8g
Recipe type: Dinner, Poultry
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
- Olive oil, for greasing pan
- 4 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise (look for zucchini that is similar in size)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ red onion, finely diced
- 1 pound (about 2 1/2 cups) cooked shredded chicken breast (can also be from a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup low sugar bbq sauce, divided (I like Stubb’s Spicy BBQ Sauce), plus more if you like it extra saucy
- 1 1/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
- To garnish:
- Cilantro
- Green onions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan with olive oil.
- Using a spoon, scoop centers from zucchini while leaving a 1/4-inch rim to create boats. (See note section for what to do with leftover zucchini pulp.) Place zucchini in the greased pan; they should snuggle pretty tightly in there, but if you can’t fit them all in, you can use two pans. Brush zucchini with a little olive oil (about 1 tablespoon or so). You can also simply spray them with an all natural oil-only cooking spray.
- Add ½ tablespoon of olive oil to a medium skillet and place over medium heat. Add in onions and garlic, and saute for 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl then stir in shredded chicken, 1/2 cup bbq sauce and ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese.
- Spoon bbq chicken mixture evenly into zucchini boats. Top each with 1 tablespoon bbq sauce (or a little extra if you’d like it more saucy) and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese.
- Cover with foil, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until cheese has melted and zucchini is tender. Once done, sprinkle the tops with cilantro and green onion before serving. Serves 4; 2 boats per person.
*You can save the zucchini pulp for smoothies! It’s nutritious and incredibly delicious. Here’s what I suggest: Add zucchini pulp to a freezer safe container. Add to smoothies when you want a little nutritional or fiber boost. No need to thaw!
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