Pesto Chicken Zucchini Boats

Every time I post this recipe on Instagram, I get so many DMs asking for the recipe, so here it is — Pesto Chicken Zucchini Boats!

My favorite thing about this recipe other than the fact that it is delicious & healthy: You can use pre-made pesto if you just want to buy a jar. It’s an easy recipe to increase veggies – you can add more tomatoes or double the zucchini servings.

You can also prep most of this ahead of time! Make the pesto. Cook the chicken + mix with pesto + store it. Cut the tomatoes in half. Half the zucchini. Then 30 minutes before you want to eat – pull it all out & assemble the boats + bake!

INGREDIANTS

4 zucchini (halved, ends trimmed and scooped out)
2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast (stir-fry style, shredded or finely chopped)
¾ cup fresh basil leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts
2-2.5 cloves garlic (minced)
⅓ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup olive oil + some for coating the zucchini
1-1.5 cups cherry tomatoes (halved)
¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
sea salt and black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375˚
Trim ends off the zucchini, half them, and scoop out the middle to make them look like boats.
In a food processor, chop/grind basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan for about a minute. Then, as the processor is still running, slowly pour in the olive oil. Process everything until the sauce is mixed well, about 2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, coat the chicken with the pesto sauce and set aside.
Coat the zucchini halves lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Fill the zucchini halves with the pesto chicken mixture and lay out on a 9×13-inch pan. Top each zucchini with cherry tomatoes and then sprinkle with cheese and a sprinkle of salt and pepper over the top of the boats.
Bake the boats for 20-25 minutes or until the zucchini are tender. Serve them warm & enjoy!