Well, it's official. I've become obsessed with zucchini boats. An excellent low carb, low calorie base, I have been making stuffed zucchini with honey sriracha ground chicken to spice things up and the entire family absolutely loved it.
This recipe is actually inspired by one of my favorite casual restaurants in my old neighborhood in South Carolina, Charleston Sports Pub. They had this AMAZING Sriracha Nacho appetizer that I think about on a weekly basis since leaving.
Of course, it's not the healthiest thing in the world ...
So when I started thinking about how I could recreate something that hit the spot at home here in Atlanta, I wanted that sweet heat from the sriracha chicken, the cheesiness of nachos, but mayyyyyyybe not all the calories of a full-on nacho plate.
So I thought ... why not stuffed zucchini boats?
I'll admit, the flavor and texture combination was a bit of a gamble, but y'all ... it turned out SO WELL. I topped mine with some fresh cilantro, fresh jalapeños, more sriracha, and a drizzle of greek yogurt to cool off the heat a little.
So guilty, but so ... NOT at the same time.
Like I said -- obsessed.
What to serve with zucchini boats?
- Corn on the Cob
- Roasted Mushrooms
- Cauliflower Rice
Love this low carb zucchini boat recipe?
Check out these other low carb main courses, too:
- Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breast
- Sausage Stuffed Portabello Mushrooms from Fox & Briar
- Baked Chicken Cordon Bleu
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Stuffed Zucchini Boats with Honey Sriracha Ground Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 zucchini medium sized
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup butter
- ¾ cup pepper jack cheese shredded
- ¼ cup honey
- ¾ cup Sriracha
- 1 Tablespoon jalapeños fresh, sliced ( optional, garnish )
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt optional, garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Cut each zucchini length-wise in half. Using a spoon ( a grapefruit spoon if you have one ), scoop out the inside of the zucchini so that about ¼" remains around the sides, making a boat.
- In a medium pan brought to temperature over medium heat, add the ¼ cup of butter. Once the butter is melted, add the ground chicken to the pan and stir to break up the meat. Cook the chicken for approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently so that there are no large chunks of chicken.
- Add the honey and Sriracha to the pan. Stir well to combine and coat the ground chicken. Cook over medium heat 8 - 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens.
- Grease a rimmed baking sheet or Pyrex-style pan. Place the raw zucchini boats cut side up on the pan. Split the chicken mixture between the boats. I like to fill each boat until the meat is JUST poking up above the edge of the zucchini boat - this means you might have leftover chicken. Split the shredded cheese evenly on top of each chicken-filled boat.
- Cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until zucchini is softened and cheese is melted. Garnish with jalapeños, greek yogurt, and a drizzle of sriracha.
Kathy says
Do you throw away the inside of the zucchini?
Mike says
This was so simple and DELICIOUS! So much flavor and felt some special! Will be making again.
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
OMG delish! That sweet and spicy chicken is to die for!
Marianne says
I've been loving it - even made extra last time so I could dip tortilla chips in it ( which I realize totally defeats the low-carb of it all, but oh well! )