Healthy buffalo chicken zucchini boats for another buff chick recipe! This dish is completely gluten free and can be made dairy free with a swap in the homemade healthy ranch dressing. Plus, it comes together in under 30 minutes for a light and refreshing summertime dinner!
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Another super easy and refreshing summertime meal that you need to make. These healthy buffalo chicken zucchini boats are perfect for those heat summer nights when you are sweating just thinking about cooking. I use my healthy homemade ranch dressing that I made with the BBQ Chicken Salad recipe the other week because I cannot stop making it! Both of these recipes are so easy to throw together after a day of work.
If you cannot tell from this website, I love anything buffalo chicken flavored. Ironically, I do not love traditional buffalo chicken dip that is served at restaurants or many parties. As I am not the biggest cheese lover, those kind of dishes tend to not sit well in my stomach and are way too cheesy for me. As you can see, that is my dilemma when it comes to eating buffalo chicken dishes and that is why I have created as many different recipes of my own! So if you are anything like me, you are sure to love this one and all the other buffalo chicken recipes I have.
SO… what will I need to make Healthy Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats?
- Lean Ground Chicken
- Zucchinis
- Buffalo Sauce
- Ranch Dressing
- Celery
- Cilantro
The first step is to carve out the zucchini boats. To make these, you have to cut each zucchini in half long ways. Once they are cut, use a spoon to carve out the insides of the zucchini to create the “boat”. You can either discard the zucchini insides or save them for another recipe. I love to freeze and add into smoothies as well – it not only adds a vegetable to the smoothie but it helps to make it super creamy. Do not knock it until you try it!
Once the zucchini boats are carved at, add your buffalo chicken mixture inside each of the “boats”. Make sure the zucchini boats are snug inside the baking dish so that you reduce the chance of them falling over in the baking process. You will cook them for 25-30 minutes in the oven or until the zucchini is softer in texture. If you are a cheese fan, feel free to add the cheese into the buffalo chicken mixture prior to adding into the boats!
How long to zucchini boats last in the fridge?
I would recommend 2-4 days in the fridge in a well sealed container. You can easily use this as a meal prep and reheat for when you are ready to eat. Microwaving is the easiest option for reheating but if you have the time and opportunity to reheat in an oven, I would highly recommend that option. Additionally, you can easily do all the steps up until the oven ahead of time. Once you are ready to cook, pop it into the oven for a no hassle dinner!
Can I freeze zucchini boats?
I would not recommend freezing these, as the zucchini would not hold up as well going from frozen to heated up. While the taste will remain okay, the integrity of the “zucchini boat” will most likely not hold up. If you decide to freeze and reheat, know that the dish will still be enjoyable, however you will most likely have to a boat that will most likely not hold up!
Can I make any substitutions or add more ingredients?
- Lean Ground Chicken: Any ground meat or plant-based ground meat substitute can be used
- Buffalo Sauce: I used this paleo buffalo sauce but you can use any buffalo sauce you like.
- Celery: This can be removed or replaced with chopped and shredded carrots!
- Ranch dressing: Homemade or store bought will work. Bleu cheese would also work just as well! You can opt out completely if you want, but the zucchini boats may be on the drier side.
- Cheese: I did not add cheese but you are more than welcome to. I would add into the buffalo chicken mixture prior to adding into the zucchini boats.
Need more buffalo chicken recipes? Check these out!
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Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
Equipment
- Baking Dish
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchinis
- 1/2 pound ground chicken
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- Healthy Homemade Ranch Dressing
- cilantro to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Slice both zucchinis in half, long ways. Then take a spoon and scoop out the insides of the zucchini to create the "boat". You can discard the zucchini insides or save to add into a recipe!
- In a saute pan, cook your ground chicken on medium heat with olive oil. Make sure to finely chop up the meat while cooking. Cook until just lightly brown, as it will finish cooking in the oven.
- While the ground chicken is cooking, make sure your celery is finely chopped. Once it is done cooking, add the buffalo sauce and celery into the pan and mix well.
- Place the zucchini boats into a square baking dish with the rounded side down. Make sure that they are snug in the dish so that they can stay upright. Once all four zucchini boats are in place, add the buffalo chicken mixture into each boat until filled.
- Place the buffalo chicken zucchini boats in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the zucchini is soft.
- Pour over the healthy ranch dressing and top with some chopped cilantro for extra flavor. Then serve!
Notes
- Any ground meat or meat substitute will work
- You may use store bought ranch or dressing of choice
- If you want to add cheese, add prior to baking in the oven.
- See the blog post for more substitution options!
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