If you love zucchini boats and buffalo chicken, you'll love this combination! These Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (with canned chicken) are especially popular during zucchini season! Made with canned chicken breast, they are not only economical, they are healthy, Weight Watchers friendly, gluten-free, low carb and can be made lactose-free (see variations and substitutions). If you're looking for healthy weeknight meals, you'll love this one!
These zucchini boats were inspired by my Healthy Perogy Zucchini Boats. However, I am pretty buffalo chicken crazy so this recipe was also inspired by many of my other buffalo chicken recipes: Skinny Buffalo Chicken Celery Sticks, No Cook Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sandwich (with rotisserie chicken), Buffalo Chicken Panini and my Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mini Peppers!
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🥘Ingredients
Here's what you'll need for this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini:
- red pepper
- green onions
- canned chicken breast
- buffalo wing sauce * I use Frank's red hot sauce
- cream cheese * I use light
- dry ranch seasoning mix *I use Hidden Valley
- cheddar cheese * I use low-fat
- Worcestershire sauce
- minced garlic
- zucchini
- parmesan cheese (optional garnish)
- Ranch dressing (optional garnish) * I use Litehouse Homestyle Ranch dressing
See recipe card for quantities.
🔪Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non- stick cooking spray. Mix everything (except fresh zucchini and half the green onions) together in large bowl.
Wash and cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise. Cut off the ends.
Use a spoon or melon baller to scoop out the inside of zucchini halves, leaving at least ¼ inch thick zucchini boat. Discard.
Place the zucchini in the baking dish cut-side up and spoon the buffalo chicken filling into the zucchini boats. Press the mixture down into the zucchini using the back of the spoon.
Cover the baking dish with foil, making a tight seal around the rim.
Bake for 25-30 minutes or until soft enough that fork can easily go into zucchini, but is still firm.
Garnish with additional green onion, parmesan cheese and Ranch dressing, if desired.
Hint: Make sure you place the zucchini boats close together in the baking dish or they will tip over and the filling will spill out while cooking.
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Chicken - you can use cooked and shredded boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked ground chicken, or rotisserie chicken instead of canned chicken
- Onion - you could use red onion instead of green onion
- Bell Peppers - you could use orange or yellow bell peppers instead of red
- Lactose-free - use lactose-free cheese and lactose-free cream cheese
- Spicy - if you want this even spicier, add some diced up jalapeno peppers, crushed red pepper flakes or another type of hot sauce. You could even add more buffalo wing sauce as a garnish (my daughter does this)
- Less Spicy- if you want to tone down the spice level and make this recipe less spicy, simply use less buffalo sauce and replace it with ranch dressing right in the mix!
- Cheese - you could use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar
- Dressing garnish- you could use blue cheese dressing instead of Ranch dressing
- Air fryer - you could make these zucchini boats in the air fryer as well. Spray them with a little olive oil and air fry on 350 degrees F for 12-15 minutes (depending on your air fryer).
🥗 Side Dishes
Check out these 35 Recipe ideas for what to serve with stuffed zucchini!
🍽Equipment
You will need a 9X13 baking dish (at least 2 inches deep) and a melon baller (affiliate links) could also come in handy, to make these Buffalo Zucchini Boats.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover zucchini boats in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. They are also a great meal prep item as well, since you can make the buffalo chicken filling in advance and store for up to 3 days in a sealed container.
They will freeze well in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 2 WW points. It is calculated using reduced fat cream cheese and low-fat cheddar cheese. * You can further reduce the ww points by using fat-free cream cheese and fat-free cheddar cheese.
🦺Food safety
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
❔ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, the skin is perfectly safe and healthy to eat, as long as it's cleaned properly.
You can eat the skin, the center (the seeds) and the flowers, just cut off the ends.
Zucchini boats can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
This Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boat recipe is a great way to use your zucchini harvest and a healthy meal the whole family will love!
Comments & Reviews
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📋 Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats (with canned chicken) recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup red pepper, diced
- 1 cup green onion, diced
- 4 -cans of chicken breast (156 g or 5.5 oz) or use leftover rotisserie chicken, chopped/shredded * about 2 cups
- ⅓ cup buffalo wing sauce* I use Frank's red hot
- ½ cup low-fat, fat free cream cheese
- ½ -package dry ranch dressing mix (28 g)
- ¾ cup low-fat sharp cheddar cheese
- ¼ teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 4 medium zucchinis
Garnish
- half of the green onions
- parmesan cheese (optional)
- Ranch dressing *I use Litehouse Homestyle Ranch dressing (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F/205 degrees C. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with non- stick cooking spray.
- Mix everything (except fresh zucchini and half the green onions) together in large bowl.
- Wash and cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise. Cut off the ends.
- Use a spoon to scoop the seeds and center out of each zucchini half, leaving at least ¼ inch thick zucchini boat. Discard
- Place the zucchini in the baking dish cut-side up and spoon the buffalo chicken mixture into the zucchini boats. Press the mixture down into the zucchini using the back of the spoon
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, making a tight seal around the rim. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until soft enough that fork can easily go into zucchini, but is still firm.
Garnish
- Garnish with additional green onion, and then add parmesan cheese and Ranch dressing (optional), if desired.
Terri Gilson
These Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats are my new favorite way to use up zucchini! They're perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner or a tasty low-carb option. Using canned chicken makes them quick and budget-friendly, which is always a win in my kitchen. The buffalo chicken flavor really takes these zucchini boats to the next level!