Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats are overflowing with tender chicken, veggies, cheese, and your favorite spicy buffalo sauce. This is a satisfying meal that is so easy to make in the air fryer!
Suitable for low carb, gluten free, and keto diets. Post includes Weight Watchers points.
This buffalo chicken zucchini boats recipe is so easy to make and perfect for using up that abundance of garden zucchini during the summer months. It’s also a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken, making it an affordable meal the whole family will love.
The air fryer cooks these simple buffalo zucchini boats so fast and you will have tender zucchini and with a hot, bubbly buffalo chicken filling that’s ready to serve in no time.
If you’ve been looking for a way to turn your favorite buffalo chicken dip into a healthy meal, this air fryer buffalo chicken zucchini boats recipe is it! You get all that delectable buffalo chicken flavor in an easy-to-make dish that you can indulge in guilt-free.
Why Make This Recipe
- Healthy – Enjoy your favorite buffalo chicken dip on a bed of zucchini rather than a bed of chips.
- Diet-friendly – Air fryer buffalo chicken zucchini boats are low carb, keto-friendly, and gluten free.
- Great for Meal Prep – Make these buffalo zucchini boats for dinner and enjoy the leftovers as an easy lunch for the rest of the week.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken – Use cooked, shredded chicken. A great way to use up leftover chicken.
- Zucchini – Use zucchini rather than other squash as it won’t be as watery. Once you hollow out the chicken, chop the inner parts and add to the filling.
- Celery – Finely chopped celery adds a lot of crunch.
- Garlic – Fresh minced garlic for the best flavor.
- Peppers – Use your favorite color of bell pepper.
- Hot Sauce – Franks Red Hot buffalo sauce is a flavorful and keto-friendly option.
- Cheese – Select your favorite shredded cheese.
How To Make Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.
- Prep the zucchini by cutting them in half and hollowing them out.
- Combine the chopped celery, garlic, peppers, chopped zucchini, hot sauce and shredded chicken in a bowl and blend well until smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into the hollowed out zucchini and add them to the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 12 minutes, then open the air fryer basket and sprinkle the cheese on top of the buffalo chicken zucchini boats.
- Air fry for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
How To Make Buffalo Zucchini Boats in Oven
Get full ingredients list and instructions from the recipe card below.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F or 204 degrees C.
- Prep the zucchini by cutting them in half and hollowing them out.
- Combine the chopped celery, garlic, peppers, chopped zucchini, hot sauce and shredded chicken in a bowl and blend well until smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into the hollowed out zucchini.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes, then remove from the oven and top with cheese.
- Return to the oven for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
Tips For Success
- Prep the filling up to 2 days in advance.
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken or chicken breast from another meal.
- Use leftover vegetables to bulk up the filling.
- No leftover chicken? Cook ground chicken meat for fast and easy prep.
- If you prefer a more tender zucchini you can precook them for 10 minutes before adding the filling.
- Smaller zucchini may cook quicker and larger zucchini may take a bit longer so adjust the time accordingly.
- Save any leftover filling for another day.
Air Fryer temperatures can vary depending on the make and model. Use the cooking time listed as a guide, so be sure to check your food for doneness, and adjust as needed.
Variations
- Swap the Veggies – We’ve used celery, peppers and zucchini in the filling but you can use any combination of veggies that you have in your fridge.
- Make It Spicier – Add a little heat with chopped jalapeno and pepper jack cheese.
- Swap the Ranch – Top with blue cheese dressing instead of Ranch.
Budget-Friendly Tips
- Use Leftover Chicken – This recipe is great for using up leftover chicken.
- Use Leftover Veggies – This is perfect for using up leftover veggies that are in your fridge. Mix and match your favorites.
- Make It A Meal – Add veggie sticks, a salad or a bowl of soup to make this a full meal.
Prep Ahead And Storage
- Prep Ahead – Prep the filling up to 2 days in advance.
- Store – Store leftovers in sealed microwave safe containers for up to 4 days.
- Freeze – You can freeze the filling in freezer safe bags. We don’t recommend freezing the whole zucchini boat as the zucchini will become mushy.
Meal Prep
- Enjoy for dinner, then eat the leftovers for an easy lunch option up to 4 days later.
- Buffalo chicken zucchini boats are perfect for meal prep. Refrigerate in a microwave-safe container, then heat them using 30-second increments until the filling is hot.
FAQs
We do not recommend freezing zucchini boats because the zucchini will become very watery. You can freeze the filling for up to 3 months.
Thoroughly wash the zucchini and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the core of the zucchini. Chop the parts you removed and add to the filling.
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Serving Suggestions
Weight Watchers Points
There are 3 Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Get The Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Recipe:
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Preheat an air fryer to 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C.
- Prep the zucchini by cutting them in half and hollowing them out.
- In a bowl, combine the chopped celery, garlic, peppers, chopped zucchini, hot sauce, and shredded chicken mixing until smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into each of the hollowed-out zucchini then add them to the air fryer basket.
- Air fry for 12 minutes, then open the air fryer basket, sprinkle the cheese on the tops and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Oven Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F or 204 degrees C.
- Prep the zucchini by cutting them in half and hollowing them out.
- In a bowl, combine the chopped celery, garlic, peppers, chopped zucchini, hot sauce, and shredded chicken mixing until smooth.
- Scoop the mixture into each of the hollowed out zucchini.
- Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, then top with cheese and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Video
Notes
- Prep the filling up to two days in advance.
- Use leftover rotisserie chicken or chicken breast from another meal.
- Use leftover vegetables to bulk up the filling.
- No leftover chicken? Cook ground chicken meat for fast and easy prep.
- If you prefer a more tender zucchini you can precook them for 10 minutes before adding the filling.
- Smaller zucchini may cook quicker and larger zucchini may take a bit longer so adjust the time accordingly.
- Save leftover filling for another day.
- Storage – keep leftovers in an airtight container inside the fridge for up to 4 days.
- There are 3 WW Blue Plan SmartPoints in one serving of this.
Kelly
So so good! A nice new addition to our dinner rotation.