Pesto Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Total Time: 55 minutes 
Serves: 4; 2 boats per person

Ingredients

Pesto:

• 3/4 cup packed fresh cilantro
• 1/2 cup cashews (raw or roasted is fine) 
• 1 jalapeno, seeds removed
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 lime, juice
• 2 TBSP avocado or olive oil 
• 2-3 TBSP water, to thin pesto
• 3/4 tsp salt (optional) 
• Freshly ground black pepper

Zucchini Boats:

• Olive oil 
• 4 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise (look for zucchini smaller in size) 
• 3/4 lbs (about 2 cups) cooked shredded chicken breast (can also be rotisserie chicken) 
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese or low fat shredded cheese, divided 
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (optional) 

Garnish:

• Extra cilantro and quartered cherry tomatoes 

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan with olive oil.
2. Make the pesto: add all pesto ingredients to the bowl of a food processor: cilantro, cashews, jalapeño, garlic cloves, lime juice, olive oil, water and salt and pepper. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides and processing again, if necessary.
3. Transfer pesto to a large bowl and stir in the shredded chicken, chopped cherry tomatoes and ½ cup mozzarella cheese (we’re reserving the rest of the cheese for topping).
4. Using a spoon, scoop centers from zucchini while leaving a 1/4-inch rim to create boats. Place zucchini in the greased pan; they should snuggle pretty tightly in there, but if you can’t fit them all in, you can use two pans. Brush zucchini with a little olive oil (about 1 tablespoon or so) and season with salt and pepper. You can also simply spray them with an all natural oil-only cooking spray.
5. Spoon pesto chicken mixture evenly into zucchini boats. Top each with 1 1/2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with parmesan if desired.
6. Cover with foil, and bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the zucchini is tender. Once done, sprinkle the tops with cilantro and extra cherry tomatoes before serving. Serves 4; 2 boats per person.

Recipe and nutrition facts by Ambitious Kitchen