Pesto Chicken Zucchini Boats with cherry tomatoes are a simple, low carb, high protein dinner that is nutty and fresh. Zucchini halves are filled with fresh pesto covered chicken breast, then topped with cherry tomatoes and then a little cheese.
It's a rare morning in my house. I'm sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, writing and my four year old is cleaning the house. My husband and I are just sitting here as still as possible, for fear we might spook him out of this good behavior. Any sudden movements and this could crumble like a house of cards.
What is wrong with this picture? All I can think is, what does he want or what did he do? Well whatever he did or wants, he's a freakin' evil genius, because the sight of him cleaning the house is so cute, I'll probably be fine with it.
HOW TO MAKE LOW CARB ZUCCHINI BOATS IN NO TIME!
Anyway, back to the food. Let's talk about what happens when you have a couple of leftover chicken breasts. This recipe is really simple.
HOW TO MAKE PESTO FROM SCRATCH
If you're really pressed for time, or there isn't a good supply of fresh basil around, you can absolutely get pesto that is pre-made. All you need to make it yourself, though, is some fresh basil, pine nuts, parmesan, garlic and a little olive oil.
It's been one of my favorite sauces since childhood. My family used to live in Lake Tahoe and I would go there during the summer. My aunt, who is an amazing cook, would whip up some pesto pasta. As a kid, the thought of green pesto was not appealing, until you try it and it's amazing.
Assemble the Zucchini Boats
I used a melon baller to scoop out the centers of the zucchini until the zucchini had about half an inch of flesh left.
Pour that pesto sauce (about ⅔ cup) over the chopped chicken breast to coat it really well. Evenly distribute those into each of the zucchini boats.
Top the zucchini with some halved cherry tomatoes and then just a little bit of cheese, so it's not too heavy.
Cook it for 20-25 minutes and you're ready to enjoy!
CHECK OUT THESES OTHER AWESOME, LOW CARB DINNER RECIPES:
Now to the good part, the recipe! Please pin for later and when you make it, let me know what you think. You can comment below OR find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.
Pesto Chicken Zucchini Boats with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- ¾ cup fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup olive oil + more for coating the zucchini
- 2 ½ cups cooked chicken breast (shredded or finely chopped)
- 4 zucchini (halved, ends trimmed and scooped out)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- sea salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚
- In a food processor, process basil, pine nuts, garlic and parmesan for 45 seconds. With the processor still running, slowly pour in the olive oil and continue to run the processor until the sauce is thoroughly mixed, around 2 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, coat the chicken with the sauce and set aside.
- Lightly coat the zucchini halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Fill the hollowed out zucchini halves with the pesto chicken mixture and arrange in a 9x13-inch pan. Spread cherry tomatoes over the top of the filled zucchini and then sprinkle cheese and additional salt and pepper over the top of the tomatoes.
- Bake the zucchini boats for 20-25 minutes or until the zucchini are just tender. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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