Dive into this timeless combination of flavors with savory chicken, gooey mozzarella, and marinara sauce, nestled in tender-crisp squash, and topped with toasted bread crumbs. Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats are a big hit!
Parmesan Chicken with Zucchini
The addition of zucchini gives this recipe a fresh take on the time-honored Italian dish we know and love. I’m thrilled to tell you that this dish really nails those classic flavors.
Now that it is finally ready to share, this parmesan chicken with zucchini recipe is one of my favorites. (And, I have a lot of meat-filled vegetable recipes to choose from here to choose from!)
Crispy breadcrumbs and the slight crunch of tender-crisp zucchini add wonderful depth to the texture of these chicken parm zucchini boats. Each bite is a joy to experience.
You can eat these zucchini boats on their own, or pair them with your favorite rice or pasta. I like to slice them up and serve them over garlicky spaghetti noodles with plenty of melted butter.
Zucchini Boats with Chicken
You will need the following ingredients to make this recipe:
- zucchini
- olive oil and butter
- salt and pepper
- Italian breadcrumbs
- cooked chicken
- pasta sauce
- red pepper flakes optional
- Italian seasonings, garlic powder, onion powder
- shredded mozzarella
Chicken Parm Zucchini Boats
Preheat the oven to 350°F. To make these chicken parmesan zucchini boats, start by slicing each zucchini in half lengthwise. Hollow it out, removing the seeds and a bit of the squash. (This handy tool works great for scraping out those seeds. I use mine all the time.)
Place the zucchini halves on a large baking sheet, drizzle with oil and rub with your hands to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add in the bread crumbs and stir them together to coat. Cook while stirring frequently until they are toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let them cool down.
While the zucchini is baking, combine the rest of your spices with the pasta sauce and stir to combine.
Chicken Parm Zucchini
Place the chicken in a medium bowl and add just over half of the seasoned pasta sauce, reserving the last bit for topping. Stir to coat the chicken and then stir in half of the mozzarella.
Remove the zucchini from the oven and generously fill each zucchini boat with the saucy chicken mixture, using all of the filling. Top each chicken-filled boat with the remaining sauce and cheese.
Sprinkle generously with the toasted bread crumbs and bake for about 5 more minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
Chicken Stuffed Zucchini
One of my favorite discoveries as a vegetable-lover has been that if something can be served on a crust or in a shell, (pizza, flatbread, tacos, etc.) there is a good chance it can be stuffed in a zucchini. These BBQ Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats are an excellent example.
I also recommend trying this recipe for Zucchini Taco Boats. And, these Zucchini Pizza Boats are a great way to get your pizza loving child to eat more veggies!
But, if you don’t want to hollow out zucchini for boats, this Zucchini Stir Fry with Chicken is excellent. And, you really can’t go wrong with my Parmesan Zucchini.
As for me, I’ve been thinking about this Chocolate Peanut Butter Zucchini Bread since I first laid eyes on it. That’s still a vegetable, right?
Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini medium sized
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
- 3 cups cooked chicken chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1¼ cup pasta sauce store-bought or homemade, divided
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasonings
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic or garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups freshly shredded mozzarella about 8 ounces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Slice zucchini in half lengthwise, scooping out the seeds and part of the zucchini flesh. Leave about ¼-inch of zucchini along the skin of each halved squash.
- Place the zucchini halves on a large baking sheet, drizzle with oil and rub with your hands to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes.
- In a large skillet, melt a tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and stir quickly to coat. Saute while stirring frequently, for about 2 minutes, until toasted. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and let cool.
- While the zucchini is baking, combine the pasta sauce, red pepper flakes, Italian seasonings, garlic and onion powders in a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Place the chicken in a medium-size bowl and add ¾ cup of the seasoned pasta sauce, reserving ½ cup for topping. Stir to coat the chicken and then stir in 1 cup of shredded cheese.
- Remove the zucchini from the oven and generously fill each zucchini half with the saucy chicken mixture, using all of the filling. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of sauce over each chicken-filled zucchini boat. And top each zucchini with the remaining cheese.
- Sprinkle generously with the toasted bread crumbs and bake for about 5 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
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