Our new neighbor, John, stopped by and brought a few zucchini he’s been growing in his yard. I had a pound of ground chicken in my fridge ready to turn into meatballs, but I thought, how could I combine the two and make a delicious meal? It’s so crazy, but I had the show ” The Kitchen” on TV, and Katie was putting together her recipe using zucchini and ground chicken. Could it be the “food gods” were looking down on me?

I always have Parmigiano-Reggiano in my fridge, and I’ll show you how I utilize that cheese for this recipe. This is my version of Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/katie-lee/chicken-parmesan-zucchini-boats-7457591.

Prep Time: 15 minutes (prep can be done while browning the chicken and baking the zucchini)
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yields: 8 servings
Equipment: 1 rimmed baking sheet pan, food processor, chef’s knife, spoon, 1 (10-inch) sauté pan, cutting board, 1 tablespoon (used to remove the zucchini flesh)

Ingredients:
1 pound of ground chicken
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of onion, small dice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons Kosher salt
2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper
4 medium-sized zucchini, cut in half lengthwise, then cut in half again, and the flesh removed and reserved
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1 1/2 cups of jarred marinara sauce (substitute homemade)
1/2 cup of shredded Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons of ground Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (substitute grated Parmesan)
2 tablespoons of fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.

Slice off the ends of the zucchini and cut it in half lengthwise. Use a spoon to remove the flesh of the zucchini, then chop the flesh and set it aside. Place the zucchini boats on a baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil—season with 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

In the meantime, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken, using a wooden spoon to break up the chicken, and cook until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the diced onion and garlic, stir to combine, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes until the chicken is browned and the onions are soft.  Add the Italian seasoning, zucchini flesh, 1 tablespoon of Kosher salt, and 1 teaspoon of fresh black pepper. Cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup of the marinara sauce and mix well.

Evenly spoon the chicken mixture into each zucchini boat. Top each zucchini boat with the remaining 1 cup of marinara, then top with the mozzarella and a sprinkle of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown for 20 to 25 minutes.

Finally, garnish with fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.

There you have it, my Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats.

Notes:
1) To keep the total “cook time” at 1 hour, use the 15 minutes of “prep time” to brown the chicken on the stove while prepping the onion, garlic, and zucchini (including chopping up the flesh of the zucchini) and grating the cheese.

2) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/