Looking for easy keto dinner ideas? These chicken parmesan stuffed zucchini boats are a slam dunk. This easy keto dinner recipe is not only healthy, it's made with just simple ingredients and is excellent for the entire family! You don't have to be on a low carb diet to fall in love with these delicious chicken stuffed zucchini boats. 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. 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.
Why You'll Love These Chicken Zucchini Boats
There are many reasons to adore this recipe:
- Low-Carb and Keto-Friendly: Perfect for those watching their carb intake.
- Family Favorite: These zucchini boats really are a family favorite, even to those that aren’t trying watch their carbs.
- Easy to Make: The ground chicken makes them quick and easy to make without a lot of mess or pre-baking.
- Versatile: This recipe is very simple and basically has two parts.
- Healthy and Nutritious: Made with fresh ingredients, it's a nutritious, high in protein and low-carb.
- Meal Prep Friendly: These chicken zucchini boats reheat beautifully and are one of my favorite dish to meal-prep!
- Customizable: Want to change things up? Try using homemade marinara sauce, BBQ sauce, Alfredo sauce, or pesto sauce instead of tomato sauce!
Ingredients You'll Need
- 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. Choose medium sized zucchini so you have plenty of room to stuff, but also so they can cook all the way when baked.
- 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.
- Seasoning: I like to keep things simple and use some Italian seasoning, garlic powder and salt, and pepper.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prepare the Zucchini:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Cut the edges of the zucchini and slice each one in half lengthwise. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise, then use a spoon or melon baller to scoop the center flesh and seeds from the zucchini. Cut each zucchini in half lengthwise. Then use a spoon or melon baller to scoop the center flesh and seeds from the zucchini. Slice the zucchini length wise and use a small spoon or teaspoon to remove the inside of the zucchini and form a "boat." Place the hollowed zucchini in a 9×13 baking dish.
- Using a spoon or a melon baller, remove the flesh from the center of the zucchini halves. Using a spoon, scoop out the zucchini leaving a 1/4 inch rim so it doesn't fall apart. Using a small spoon, gently scoop out most of the seedy flesh.
- Chop the scooped out zucchini flesh and set aside. *I like to chop up the gutted zucchini and save it for zucchini fritters, mix it into my scrambled eggs the next morning, toss it with a salad, or add it to a dinner casserole the next night. Save for another use.
- Place the zucchini on the prepared baking sheet cut-side up and lightly coat with cooking spray. Place zucchini halves on the baking sheet, cut side up. Wash and dry the zucchini, then slice in half lengthwise. Use a grapefruit spoon or paring knife and spoon to remove the seeds from the center. Discard the seeds. Pat the zucchini halves with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.Place zucchini halves on the baking sheet, cut side up. Brush with some avocado oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Sprinkle the flesh with a little salt and place the zucchini flesh down on paper towels. Once the flesh is removed, sprinkle a little salt over zucchini, and place them flesh side down on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Pat the zucchini halves with a paper towel to remove excess moisture.
Prepare the Chicken Filling:
- Add olive oil, chicken, and chopped zucchini to a large non-stick skillet. Heat up olive oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, swirl skillet around to get it all coated with oil. Heat up olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat.
- Sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes or until the chopped zucchini is soft. Cook for about 5 minutes or until tender, stirring often with wooden spoon.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and chop the ground chicken until no longer pink. Once mushrooms and onion are tender, push them to one side of the skillet, add a little more olive oil if needed, then add ground chicken. Add the chicken Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add spices: onion and garlic powders, Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper, mix them in, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally for 8-10 minutes, until chicken is cooked through.
- Add minced garlic to skillet, stir it in until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Mix in about 2 cups of tomato sauce with the chicken and turn the heat to low so it can simmer and absorb the sauce for a bit (you don't want it to be too runny, so if you're using a thin sauce you may need to use a little less). Add 1 cup of tomato pasta sauce and salt and black pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute or so.Add in marinara sauce, stir it in well, bring to low boil then reduce heat to medium-low, and let simmer uncovered for about 8-10 minutes. Add the marinara sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 2 minutes.
- Mix in 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup of your parmesan to the chicken and sauce mixture; stir until melted. Then in a medium size mixing bowl combine the cooked chicken, cream cheese, ranch dressing, shredded cheddar and buffalo sauce. In a mixing bowl, combine chopped chicken, alfredo sauce, grated Parmesan cheese, diced red bell pepper, and black pepper to taste.
Assemble and Bake:
Read also: Creamy Keto Ranch Chicken Recipe
- Lightly coat baking dish with oil spray, then lay zucchini halves skin down.
- Spoon the mixture onto your zucchini boats, and then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and parmesan over top. Fill each of them with the chicken marinara mixture. It's completely fine if they overflow in baking dish. Scoop the chicken mixture into the zucchini boats. Top the chicken with parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Scoop the chicken mixture into the zucchini boats and sprinkle with shredded Italian cheese blend. Stuff the scooped out zucchini halves with the chicken mixture. Stuff the boats with the Buffalo Chicken mixture and top with mozzarella cheese. Stuff the boats with the chicken mixture and top with cheese. Spoon the mixture into each zucchini boat. Top the mixture with the remaining mozzarella and some parmesan. You can even toss in some additional pesto.
- Pour ½ cup of the tomato pasta sauce into a 9×13” casserole and spread well.Pour the remaining pasta sauce (about 1/2 cup) over the zucchini and cover the casserole with aluminum foil.
- Bake uncovered in the center rack for 25 minutes, and then switch your oven to broil for a few minutes to brown the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is browned around the edges. The zucchini should be fork-tender but firm. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top, then add dish to oven for 23 to 28 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes. Bake for 15 minutes, until the zucchini becomes slightly tender. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned. Bake the zucchini for 30-35 minutes. Remove the casserole from the oven and add shredded cheese.Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.
- After 23 min, carefully poke a couple of zucchini with tines of fork to see if they're cooked. Zucchini should feel tender, if they still feel tough, continue cooking for an additional 4-6 minutes.
- Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley, basil, or Italian herbs if desired. Sprinkle chopped fresh basil all over. Serve warm as-is, over rice, with a side salad and enjoy! Season with salt and pepper.
Tips and Variations
- Add More Veggies: Also for more flavor add Italian seasoning or oregano. You can also add more veggies like onions, red bell pepper and so on. In addition to the chicken, I’ve made this before with more vegetables like onions, peppers, and mushrooms.
- Spice it Up: For an extra spicy kick, sprinkle on some crushed red chili flakes, red pepper flakes or use a spicy cheese. If you like you food a little spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to the mixture with the seasoning.
- Use Different Sauces: You can also get different flavoured tomato sauces such as tomato basil, roasted garlic, spinach, mushroom, and more to change up the recipe!
- Try Different Cheeses: I use mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese, but you can use any cheese of your choice to change up the flavour.
- Make it Vegetarian/Vegan: You can also make this recipe with summer squash instead of zucchini. You can easily make these zucchini boats without chicken by swapping in tofu, lentils, or quinoa. Can I freeze zucchini boats? I don't recommend freezing cooked zucchini as they'll get soggy.
Serving and Storage
Serve warm as-is, over rice, with a side salad and enjoy! Leftover storage: leftovers can be stored refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Store any leftovers in an airtight container.
To reheat chicken zucchini boats? You can reheat them in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes. Time will vary per microwave. Or use the oven preheated at 350° Fahrenheit, and place boats in an oven-safe dish and cook for about 10 minutes or until warmed thru.
If you plan to freeze, make the buffalo chicken filling ahead of time and freeze it instead. Simply make the filling as directed, allow it to cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container up to 2-3 months for the best texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Should I peel zucchini? Nope! Just make sure to give the zucchinis a thorough clean and pat them dry. Zucchini skin is very soft, tender and delicious so it's not necessary to peel it. Make sure you wash them before cooking. If you really want to peel the zucchinis, you are welcome to, but I keep the skin on.
- Do I have to remove the seeds? Technically, no, you don’t have to remove the seeds. But you won’t have room to stuff them. You can cook everything separately and just serve it altogether if you don’t feel like removing the seeds.
- What do you do with the zucchini flesh that you scoop out? I like chopping it up and adding it to stir fry or using it in an omelet. You can also throw it in soup. Definitely don’t discard it, though. It’s full of nutrients!
Read also: Low-carb chicken nuggets recipe.
Read also: Chicken and Brown Rice: A Healthy Choice