These chicken zucchini boats are so delicious, easy to make and a low-carb option. It is made with ground chicken, zesty tomato sauce, mushrooms and of course a little cheese which will make this healthy recipe a favorite for the whole family!
I remember growing up in France where they are called "courgettes farcies", it took me a few tries to really love them haha! I grew to love zucchinis as I got older and this easy healthy delicious dish is a staple now in my home. It is so nutritious, filling, full of flavor and great for meal-prep as it reheats beautifully!
Zucchini Boats Ingredients
- 4 medium zucchinis. If they are small, you can definitely use 5.
- 1 lb. of ground chicken. You could substitute ground turkey. I love ButcherBox.
- 5-6 medium mushrooms. Again you can use more if they are small.
- ½ a yellow onion. White onion is fine too.
- 2 cups of marinara sauce. My personal favorite is Rao's.
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon of black pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt or more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon of onion powder
- a handful of fresh basil (about 5-7 large leaves)
- Extra-virgin olive oil for cooking, about 1 tablespoon
How to make Chicken Zucchini Boats
You will need a non-stick pan and a baking dish.
Step One: Preheat your oven at 375. Wash and cut the zucchinis in half lengthwise. Cut both ends. Remove most of the seedy flesh with a spoon. A grapefruit spoon is great for this step. Once the flesh is removed, salt the zucchinis then place them flesh side down on paper towels. This will help remove excess moisture.
Step Two: Chop the ½ onion and mushrooms. In a non-stick pan add some olive oil. Once warm, add the onion and mushrooms and cook in medium-high heat until tender for about 5 min.
Step Three: Once the mushrooms and onion are browning, push them to one side of the pan, add a little more oil then add the ground chicken. Brown the chicken for a couple of minutes alone and mix the mushrooms and onion to it. Add your spices: onion, garlic powders, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and cook thoroughly for 6-7 min on medium-high heat.
Step Four: Add the fresh garlic and stir in the mixture then add the marinara sauce. Mix everything well together, reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer for 10 min to develop flavors. Carefully taste and add a little more salt to taste is necessary. Add a few chopped basil leaves to the mixture.
Step five: Lay the zucchinis in a baking dish and fill each of them with the chicken marinara mixture. It is completely fine if they overflow in the dish. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top and put in the warm oven at 375 for 24-28min. After 25 min, carefully poke a couple of the zucchini with a fork to see if they are cooked. The fork should go in easily. If you feel like they are still too tough, continue cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes.
Step Six: Once cooked, carefully remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes. Add the rest of the chopped fresh basil. You can serve over rice to add more starch or a crunchy green salad to keep it lower-carb. Enjoy!
Tips
Storage
This is a great recipe for meal-prepping as it stores and reheats very well. You can store in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Chicken Zucchini Boats
Ingredients
- 4 zucchinis medium size
- 1 lb ground chicken
- 5-6 mushrooms medium size
- ½ onion yellow or white
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- 3-4 garlic cloves
- 1 cup mozzarella shredded
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt more or less to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 6-7 leaves fresh basil chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
Instructions
- Preheat your oven at 375. Wash and cut both ends of the zucchinis then in half lengthwise. Remove most of the seedy flesh with a spoon. Once the flesh is removed, salt the zucchinis and place them flesh side down on paper towels. This will help remove excess moisture.
- Chop the onion and mushrooms. In a non-stick pan add some olive oil. Once warm, add the onion and mushrooms and cook on medium-high heat until tender for about 5 min.
- Once the mushrooms and onion are browning, push them to one side of the pan, add a little more oil then add the ground chicken. Brown the chicken for a couple of minutes alone and mix the mushrooms and onion to it. Add your spices: onion & garlic powders, Italian seasoning, pepper and salt and cook thoroughly for 6-7 min on medium-high heat.
- Add the fresh garlic and stir in the mixture then add the marinara sauce. Mix everything well together, reduce the heat to medium-low and let everything simmer for 10 min to develop flavors. Carefully taste and add a little more salt to taste is necessary. Add a few chopped basil leaves to the mixture.
- Lay the zucchinis in a baking dish and fill each of them with the chicken marinara mixture. It is completely fine if they overflow in the dish. Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella on top and put in the warm oven at 375 for 24-28min. After 25 min, carefully poke a couple of the zucchini with a fork to see if they are fully cooked. The fork should go in easily so if you feel like they are still too tough, continue cooking for an additional 4-5 minutes.
- Once cooked, carefully remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes and add the rest of the chopped fresh basil. You can serve over rice to add more starch or a crunchy green salad to keep it lower-carb. Enjoy!
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