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Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

Name: Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and shredded); 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (Frank’s Red Hot); 2 tablespoons butter (unsalted butter, melted); 3 large zucchini; 2 tablespoons blue cheese crumbles (for garnish); 2 stalks celery (diced, for garnish); 2 tablespoons ranch dressing (optional)

Author: Laurie Fleming
Published: May 17, 2023

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Spicy, cheesy and delicious, these buffalo chicken zucchini boats are the perfect low carb side dish or dinner option.

They take just minutes to put together, and are a riot of flavors and textures. Try this to use up all of those extra zucchinis you have, or whenever you’re craving for buffalo chicken-anything!

Baked Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats topped with melted cheese and ranch dressing.

Zucchinis, in my opinion, are among the most versatile veggies out there. They have a very subtle flavor and taste, and can be seasoned and cooked in SO many different ways.

I’ve used my Air Fryer to try a lot of different zucchini recipes- everything from air fried hasselback zucchini to Air Fryer ranch zucchini chips and even keto Air Fryer zucchini fries.

And then I thought, why not use them as a vessel to hold a delicious and cheesy filling. And here we are!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Low carb and healthy: If you love buffalo chicken, you’ll love this healthier version of the recipe. It packs in the exact same flavors, but in a delicious low carb form.
Quick and easy: Putting them together takes just a few minutes, and baking gets them ready in no time!
Delicious: They’ve got the perfect balance of the cheesy, salty and spicy flavors, and are sure to be a hit with everyone in the family.

Ingredients For the Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats Recipe

Close-up of a Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boat filled with shredded chicken and garnished with green onions.

Chicken: Use any kind of cooked boneless chicken you have. Leftover rotisserie chicken works wonderfully for this recipe. I love using my leftover Crockpot shredded chicken here!
Hot Sauce: I love using Frank’s Hot Sauce or my homemade buffalo sauce here. You can make do with pretty much any kind of hot sauce you have at hand.
Butter: I love using melted, salted butter. You can use unsalted butter if that’s what you prefer.
Zucchini: Choose firm, ripe zucchini that don’t have any soft spots. Medium sized zucchinis are best, since they have the perfect balance between softness and firmness.
Blue Cheese: Fresh blue cheese crumbles work best with buffalo sauce.
Garnishings: Get creative here and use whatever you prefer. Chopped celery and ranch dressing are two classics you can’t go wrong with.

Variations & Substitutions

Don’t have blue cheese? Use mozzarella or cheddar cheese (or a mix of both) to top over the chicken filling.
Garnish the zucchini boats with different toppings of your choice. Chopped red onions, cilantro and green onions taste great with the spicy, cheesy flavor of the buffalo chicken.
To make a vegetarian version of the dish, season tofu crumbles, black beans or mock meat granules with buffalo sauce and follow the rest of the recipe as-is.
Swap the zucchini and use yellow squash to make the boats- the dish turns out just as delicious.
Do a meat swap and use shredded or ground turkey instead of chicken, and whip up some delicious turkey zucchini boats.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats

Chopped zucchini halves ready for filling with Buffalo chicken mixture.

To make these buffalo zucchini boats, start by preheating your oven at 400 degrees.

Prep zucchini: Wash and pat dry the zucchini and slice them into halves. Using a spoon, carefully hollow them out, removing a bit of flesh from the center and creating a well.

Mixing shredded chicken with Buffalo sauce in a bowl for zucchini boats.

Make the filling: Combine shredded chicken, hot sauce and melted butter in a bowl.

Filling zucchini halves with the Buffalo chicken mixture using a spoon.

Assemble: Spoon the chicken filling into each zucchini boat.

Bake time: Place the zucchini boats in a greased baking dish and cover the dish with foil. Pop this in the oven and cook for 25-30 minutes.

Top and serve: Get the boats out, sprinkle blue cheese crumbles and chopped celery over them and drizzle a bit of ranch dressing before you serve.

Sprinkling shredded cheese on top of filled zucchini boats before baking.

Tips & Tricks to Make Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats in the Oven

Choose zucchinis that are medium sized and unblemished. Larger zucchinis can take longer to cook, and smaller ones are more likely to get mushy and soft when baked.
Use a melon baller to evenly scoop out the zucchini flesh. Don’t remove too much- you still want a sturdy shell to hold the filling.
To make the zucchinis crispy, season them with some salt and let them sit for a few minutes. This will remove the excess moisture, which you can dab away and then use the boats.
To make the filling extra creamy and delicious, mix the chicken with some Greek yogurt or sour cream before you use it as a filling.
To make the zucchinis extra crispy, bake them for a few minutes before you add the filling in. Get them out, fill them up and bake again.
To get the zucchini boats to have a nice golden brown exterior, brush a little olive oil all over them before you bake them.

Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats placed in the air fryer basket ready to cook.

Storage Instructions

Refrigeration: Store your leftover zucchini boats (after they have cooled down completely) in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Use an airtight container to store them.

Freezing: I wouldn’t recommend freezing these zucchini boats. Zucchini can lose its texture and become limp when you freeze, thaw and reheat it.

Reheating: Reheat the zucchini boats in the microwave or the oven for a few minutes until they are nice and warm.

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

These cheesy buffalo chicken zucchini boats can be enjoyed on their own as a healthy low carb lunch or dinner.

If you want to go the extra mile, you can serve them with a simple salad on the side. I particularly love pairing them with my crispy air fried taco salad bowls or Chipotle copycat corn salsa salad.

Sometimes, I also love serving them with my Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip or Air Fryer cheesy dip.

Drizzling ranch dressing over finished Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats for garnish.

FAQs

Can I use raw chicken for the filling? I wouldn’t recommend using uncooked chicken, as there’s always a risk of it staying raw or undercooked if you get it out too early.

Can I make these ahead of time? You can! Simply prepare the filling and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and prep the zucchinis, cover them up in cling wrap and refrigerate them up to a day in advance. Then, all you need to do is assemble and bake them.

Can I make buffalo chicken zucchini boats in the Air Fryer? You definitely can! In fact, air frying can the zucchinis crisp up better, and is a much quicker, easier method of cooking.

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