Keto Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats

When I first told my family we were having “zucchini boats” for dinner, I got some serious side-eye from everyone. But after one bite of these cheesy, saucy, absolutely delicious boats, my husband was scraping his plate clean and asking when I was making them again.

This recipe has seriously become my weeknight savior – it hits all the comfort food notes without any of the carb guilt. Now my family requests these Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats at least once a week, and honestly? They taste better than any chicken parmesan I’ve ever had at a restaurant.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Okay, so I’ve been doing this whole low-carb thing for about three years now, and let me tell you – most of the “substitutes” out there are pretty terrible. Like, you eat them and you’re just sad because you remember what real food tastes like. These zucchini boats? Completely different story. My 16-year-old, who usually turns his nose up at anything that isn’t pizza or chicken nuggets, ate three of these—and didn’t even ask what else was for dinner. In that moment, I knew this dish wasn’t just a win—it was a game-changer.

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📝 Ingredient List

For the Zucchini Boats:

• 3 large zucchini (or 4 small ones if that’s what you’ve got), sliced down the middle
• 1 pound ground chicken
• 2 cups marinara sauce (get the good thick stuff – trust me on this one)

All the Cheese:

• 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (I use 2 cups mixed in, 1 cup on top)
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (half goes in the mix, half on top)

Basic Seasonings:

• Salt
• Black pepper
• Garlic powder
• Italian seasoning if you’ve got it, red pepper flakes if you like heat

Real talk on substitutions: Ground turkey works great if chicken’s expensive that week. I’ve done ground beef too when that’s what was in the freezer. For marinara, Rao’s is my favorite but it’s pricey – Trader Joe’s organic is good too. And please, please shred your own cheese. That pre-shredded stuff has some weird coating that makes it taste funny when it melts.

🔍 Why These Ingredients Work

So here’s what I figured out after making these probably fifty times – zucchini is basically the perfect edible bowl. It holds everything together, doesn’t fall apart when you bake it, and has basically no taste so it doesn’t mess with the chicken parmesan flavors. The ground chicken is like a flavor sponge – it soaks up all the marinara and seasonings.

The cheese situation is where we get fancy. Two different kinds gives you that stretchy, gooey inside part and then the golden bubbly top that everyone fights over. The thick marinara is absolutely crucial though – I used thin sauce once and ended up with soggy zucchini boats that nobody wanted to eat.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Big baking dish (9×13 works perfect)
• Sharp knife
• Regular spoon for scooping
• Large pan for cooking chicken
• Cheese grater if you’re doing fresh cheese
• Measuring cups

👩🍳 How to Make Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats

Prep the Zucchini:

1. Heat your oven to 400°F
2. Cut each zucchini right down the middle the long way
3. Use a spoon to scoop out the middle part – you’re making little boats
4. Grease your baking dish and put the zucchini in there cut-side up

Make the Filling: 5. Heat up your pan and brown the ground chicken, breaking it up as it cooks – takes about 6 minutes 6. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder – taste it and add more if needed 7. Add the marinara sauce and let it cook down for maybe 4 minutes until it’s thick 8. Take it off the heat and mix in 2 cups mozzarella and half the Parmesan

Put It Together: 9. Spoon all that cheesy chicken stuff into the zucchini boats 10. Top with the rest of the cheese 11. Bake for 25 minutes until the zucchini is soft and the cheese is all bubbly 12. If you want it golden on top, put it under the broiler for a few minutes

Tips from Well-Known Chefs:

Emeril would definitely throw some red pepper flakes in here. Giada always says to use good Parmesan and she’s right about that.

❗ You Must Know

Do not use thin, watery marinara sauce. I cannot stress this enough. I tried it once with some cheap sauce that was basically tomato water and the whole thing was a disaster. You want thick sauce that won’t make your zucchini all soggy.

My secret trick: After I cook the chicken mixture, I let it cool for a couple minutes before adding the cheese. Otherwise the cheese melts completely into the sauce and you lose those amazing cheese pulls when you serve it.

💡 Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Don’t throw away that zucchini flesh you scoop out! Chop it up and put it in your scrambled eggs tomorrow or just sauté it with some garlic
• You can make these ahead – just assemble them and stick them in the fridge covered. Add maybe 5 extra minutes when you bake them
• These freeze really well wrapped individually – good for up to 3 months
• Try to pick zucchini that are about the same size so they all cook at the same rate
• They’re done when you can poke the zucchini with a fork easily but they’re not falling apart

🎨 Flavor Variations & Suggestions

Mediterranean style: Add some sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and fresh basil to the chicken

Spicy version: Throw in some diced jalapeños or extra red pepper flakes

Herb garden: Fresh oregano or thyme makes these taste fancy

Different proteins: Ground turkey, beef, or Italian sausage all work great

Vegetarian: Skip the meat and load up with mushrooms, bell peppers, and spinach

⏲️ Make-Ahead Options

I prep these on Sunday sometimes for busy weeknights. You can scoop out the zucchini and make the filling up to 2 days ahead – just keep them separate in the fridge. I usually put them together the day I’m cooking them, but you can assemble them the night before if you need to. From frozen, bake at 375°F for about 45 minutes, covered for the first half hour.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

The tricky part with zucchini is getting them cooked through but not mushy. Big thick zucchini might need an extra 10 minutes. Small ones might be done in 20. You want them tender when you poke them with a fork but still holding their shape.

🍽️ Serving Suggestions

These are pretty much a complete dinner on their own, but they go great with a Caesar salad or some roasted vegetables. If you’ve got family members not doing low-carb, some garlic bread makes them happy. A glass of red wine doesn’t hurt either.

I like to put some fresh basil on top and sprinkle a bit more Parmesan right before serving. Makes them look restaurant-fancy.

🧊 How to Store Your Chicken Parmesan Zucchini Boats

Fridge: Cover them and they’ll keep for about 4 days. Insanity! For mine, I think the microwave one by one would likely do just fine as I couldn’t wait to eat them and can’t stand to turn my oven on.

Freezer: Wrap each of them in foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating tip: A few minutes under the broiler gets that cheese top crispy again.

⚠️ Allergy Information

Has dairy: All that cheese

Gluten-free: Yes, if your marinara is gluten-free (most are)

Dairy-free: You could try cashew cheese but I haven’t tested it

Nut-free: No nuts in this recipe

❓ Questions I Get Asked A Lot

This is now my go to dinner at our house :). There is something so entirely satisfying about eating something this good that is also this good for you.

Hope you enjoy them as much as we do! 🍽️

💬 Made these? Tell me how they turned out! I love hearing about everyone’s variations and which family members were most surprised by how good they are.