These zucchini boats are stuffed with spicy buffalo chicken and topped with creamy ranch (or blue cheese) dressing! This is a great summer dinner to use up those garden zucchini (and not put yourself in a carb coma). Originally published July 18, 2017.
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Guys, I have been trying so hard to get more sleep. I’ve been reading all kinds of books and articles to motivate me. You know, the ones that say, “early to bed, early to rise! Productive and successful people are always up early in the morning!”
The problem is that Eric and I are self-proclaimed night owls. And by night owls, I mean that we like to stay up late watching Netflix and eating ice cream and being generally irresponsible.
But I’ve been getting to bed before 11 pm for a whole week now! And getting up at 5:50. (Whaaaaat) This doesn’t count blog post nights though. On blog post nights I’m still up til 1 am or 2…or 3 sometimes. I just can’t seem to get it done earlier, and doing it when the 3 kids are around is basically impossible.
This backfires on me sometimes. Like this morning when I got a text from my BFF Sarah. “I’m guessing you didn’t mean to tell the exact same story on your blog today that you told on this post from a few weeks ago…” ha, nope, I sure didn’t.
Telling stories here is one of my favorite parts of doing this blog thang, and I keep a file of ideas in my email. I guess I looked back in my file and didn’t realize I’d already used it. Oops. (I’m editing this right now. Originally this zucchini post had a story about me trying to get water from different faucets in my house even though I knew the water was shut off; the same story I told on this post. And now I’m updating it with a story about how I’m a total moron and used the same story twice.)
So there it is people. PROOF that early to bed and early to rise does NOT make a blogger wise.
You´ll love this Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats Recipe
Are you growing zucchini in your garden this year? We are, but have only gotten one so far. Zucchini is supposed to be the easiest thing to grow (judging by all the excess people talk about) but Eric and I have black thumbs I think. We’re getting better year after year, but we are definitely not natural gardeners.
Ingredient for buffalo chicken zucchini boats
I would like to be able to say, “just go to your garden and pick some of the fresh zucchini that is growing with abundance”. But maybe you are like me and don´t have quite the green thumb that is needed for this recipe. That´s ok. I made you a quick shopping list, just to be safe. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients and instructions!
- zucchini
- chicken (rotisserie is best)
- Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- Greek yogurt
- mayonnaise
- lemon juice
- shredded cheddar cheese
- green onions
- blue cheese
- Ritz crackers
- ranch or blue cheese dressing
- salt and pepper
- nonstick spray
How to make zucchini boats
Whether you have a garden or just want to take advantage of cheap summer squash, this recipe is great for this time of year. It’s pretty easy to throw together. You start by parbaking the zucchini so that it’s easier to scoop the middle out. Then you add the (squeezed out) zucchini to some chicken mixed with Frank’s hot sauce, Greek yogurt, and mayo and stuff it all back in the zucchini.
Scoop out the zucchini and make sure you squeeze out the excess water.
I decided to make these because I’m always eating this Buffalo Chicken Dip for dinner when I make it. That’s why there are Ritz crackers on top! They’re my favorite dipper. Dip for dinner is not exactly the healthiest dinner choice. But it is when you add zucchini! Plus I cut out most of the mayonnaise. It’s super delicious, and pretty low-carb.
You could easily make these ahead of time. Follow the recipe as usual (but leave off the crumbs), and refrigerate for a few hours (or probably even overnight). Top at the last minute with the crumbs and then bake for the last 10-15 minutes called for in the recipe.
What to serve with zucchini boats
These stuffed zucchini boats are pretty much a complete meal on their own (protein, veg, and carbs-if you count the Ritz crackers) but sometimes if I need an extra hit of carbs, I´ll serve this with roasted red potatoes or even garlic bread. If you want to keep the meal low-carb, just serve it with a simple green salad for an extra serving of veggies.
If you are feeling extra Martha Stewart-y and want to make your own ranch dressing to serve with these buffalo chicken zucchini boats, I highly recommend whipping up a batch of my buttermilk ranch dressing.
How to store zucchini boats
The good news is that you can freeze this dish, but I’d only recommend freezing the buffalo chicken. It’s best to make the zucchini boats fresh so they don’t get too mushy. The chicken can be stored in an air-tight container and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. To freeze it, put the mixture in a freezer-safe container or a zip-top freezer bag and remove as much air as possible before sealing. Frozen buffalo chicken can last for up to 2-3 months. When ready to use, thaw the frozen dip in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until it’s hot and bubbly, or microwave in short increments, stirring in between, until heated through.
Zucchini boats frequently asked questions
Nobody likes soggy zucchini, right? To keep your zucchini firm when making zucchini boats, give them a light sprinkle of salt after slicing and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes before cooking. This helps draw out excess moisture. After that, pat them dry with a paper towel and you should be good to go.
For the best results, it’s a good idea to salt your zucchini before cooking. Here’s why: sprinkling a little salt on your zucchini slices or pieces and letting them sit for about 10-15 minutes helps draw out excess moisture. That way your zucchini stays nice and firm during cooking.
Just remember to pat them dry with a paper towel before baking.
Zucchini and zucchini squash are actually the same thing! Sometimes, people just add “squash” to the name to remind you that zucchini is part of the squash family.
More easy healthy zucchini dinners
What they lack in carbs, these recipes make up for in flavor. Check out some of my other fav zucchini dinners.
Cauliflower Rice Skillet with Zucchini and Kielbasa >> l love this dinner
Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Dip >> where it all began…the inspiration for today’s recipe
Zucchini Pizza Bites >> a recipe from my grandma!
Parmesan Crusted Zucchini and Yellow Squash >> this is a super easy side dish. Done in 15 minutes!
Vegetarian Stuffed Zucchini from A Family Feast
Italian Stuffed Zucchini Boats from Valerie’s Kitchen
Quinoa and Hummus Stuffed Zucchini Boats from Family Food on the Table
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Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 5 small zucchini, or 4 medium-size
- 2 cups cooked chicken, rotisserie is best
- 1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 bunch green onions
- 3 tablespoons blue cheese
- 5 Ritz crackers
- ranch or blue cheese dressing, to garnish
- salt and pepper
- nonstick spray
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Slice each zucchini in half lengthwise. Try to make them even slices. (You can trim the ends if you want, but I think it’s easier to scoop out the middle when the ends are intact. They’re easy to cut off on your plate.)
- Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place the halved zucchini on the sheet, cut side up. Spray each one with a bit of nonstick spray, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 15 minutes at 375.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl add cooked chicken and Frank’s hot sauce. Stir it together so all the chicken gets coated.
- Add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, cheddar cheese, and stir.
- Chop the green onions. Add the white parts (about 3 tablespoons) to the mixture. (Reserve the green part to garnish the cooked zucchini boats.) Set aside.
- When the zucchini in the oven is done, (leave the oven on) take it out and use a sharp knife to cut out the centers. I used the knife to cut the edges of the “boat” and then used a spoon to get it out.
- Place the zucchini flesh on a cutting board. Chop it finely. Use your hands to squeeze it out over the sink. Do a good job! Zucchinis have so much water in them!
- Add the squeezed zucchini to the chicken mixture and stir it in.
- Use a spoon to add the chicken mixture to each zucchini boat. (If you have leftover, eat it with Ritz crackers! Just like the dip.)
- Sprinkle each boat with blue cheese.
- Add the Ritz crackers to a ziplock and crush them with your fingers. It doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Sprinkle the crumbs over the boats.
- Bake at 375 degrees for another 10 minutes, or until the zucchini are tender. Move the rack up and broil for 1-2 minutes if you like them extra brown on top.
- Serve with ranch of blue cheese dressing!
all these recipes sound delicious. But there is never any nutrition info, since I cook for a diabetic this is important. anyway to get this info?
Hi Marolyn! Unfortunately I don’t provide nutrition information for my recipes. There are plenty of online calculators that you can plug it into though!
Thank you very much for the story. I have a sleeping problem but due to heat wave that seems not to give up. At all. These zucchini boats are just made for us. Perfect and pinning, of course :-)