Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats! - Guest Post from So... Let's Hang Out

The lovely Gina from  So... Let's Hang Out is graciously bringing her cooking skills and wit to my blog today. The recipe she is sharing is making me drool.... Read on for amazing food and overall awesomeness.

Love, Luck, and Happiness - Michelle

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Good morning, Lucky Pennies!

You are probably wondering where Michelle is...

Don’t panic. She’s a super busy lady. She is probably dreaming up more amazing recipes for you, while simultaneously unpacking her house, working her day job, and attempting to not eat sugar and carbs for 30 days. No big deal, right? Seriously, this girl is major… but, you all knew that. She totally deserves high fives for days.

So, who is this stranger in your midst?

My name is Gina and Michelle graciously let me take over her space for the day. I’m really happy to be here! When I’m not barging in on other people’s blogs, preaching the gospel of a game-changing enchilada recipe, you can find me at So…Let’s Hang Out. Yup, that’s my blog. You should come and visit me sometime. There are plenty of gluten-free recipes, a good deal of Paleo options, a dose of humor, and the occasional drawing of a bear in a sensible pants suit. Totally normal.

Here are a few fun facts about Michelle and I:

1. We went to the same college.
2. We were in the same sorority (Yup, you heard that correctly; stop looking at us weird).
3. We have never actually hung out in person (HOW?! A series of missed connections).
4. We both really like steak.  A LOT.
5. We would look really cool in matching track suits. Okay, I did not run this one by Michelle, but I think she would agree. Especially if we wore said track suits out to a steak dinner. It’s a game changer.
6. Our dogs would also have matching track suits in this scenario. I can’t stop.
7. We would like to get together for dinner, but we happen to live six hours apart. This makes things complicated, so, we have decided to go virtual.

Welcome to our virtual dinner party. Throw on your track suit and head on over. Enchiladas are on the menu by the request of our lovely hostess. Ok, maybe they aren’t traditional enchiladas. Corn tortillas have been replaced by hollowed-out zucchini boats. This means we can have at least one two of these Watermelon Margaritas, right? Right. This recipe is dang near Paleo, with the exception of a little cheddar cheese. I believe this is referred to as Paleo-ish. I like to refer to it as Paleo-con-queso.  Shall we get started?

First things first, you’re going to make up some Chili and Lime Shredded Chicken in your crock pot.  You can put it all together in the morning before you head off to work, turn on your crock pot, and dinner will be pretty much ready to assemble when you get home. I love letting my crock pot do the heavy lifting. Plus, your house will smell like an amazing fiesta.

Once your chicken is cooked up and shredded, you’re going to slice your zucchinis in half and scoop out their contents in order to create little boats. Don’t discard the scooped out zucchini guts, as we’re going to cook that up with our onions. Why waste all that veggie goodness?

Once we have all our ingredients set to go, we’re going to stuff our enchilada ingredients into our zucchini boats, cover them with foil, pop them in the oven and let the magic happen.  Get ready for a mind blowing Paleo-con-queso moment.

What we’re left with is a total fiesta! Look at those pretty little things. They are surprisingly filling, even without the corn tortillas. I bet you these would even be a good way to trick your kiddos into eating their veggies!

For the adults, PLEASE do not refrain from serving these up with a cocktail. I insist. You are my guests, after all. Don’t be shy.  

Thanks so much, Michelle, for letting me host this virtual dinner party. I would love to see all of you again.

Come visit me anytime

!! Xox

Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats

Inspired by Skinnytaste

Serves 4-6

PRINTABLE

INGREDIENTS

Chili & Lime Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 tbs olive oil

2 tbs chili powder

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper (you can omit this if you don’t like it spicy)

Four cloves of garlic, minced

Juice of 4 medium limes

Salt

Pepper

Chicken Enchilada Boats

6 medium zucchinis

Olive oil to coat the pan

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, chopped

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp chili powder

1 tbs tomato paste

3 tbs chicken broth

1 can of gluten-free enchilada sauce (28 oz)

Chili & Lime Chicken

Salt and Pepper, to taste

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Chopped scallions & cilantro, for garnish

In a crock pot, combine all of the ingredients for your Chili & Lime Chicken. Start by coating the bottom of the crock pot with your tablespoon of olive oil and layering your chicken on top of that. Cover your chicken with a layer of salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Add in your lime juice, and then your spice blend. Allow to slow cook for at least six hours.

Once you chicken is done cooking, shred it using a couple of forks and set it aside.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Wash and cut your zucchini lengthwise in half. Using a melon baller or a small spoon, remove the seeds and part of the meat from your zucchini in order to hollow it out and make room for the filling. Set aside the discarded bits of scooped-out zucchini flesh.

In a sauce pan heat up your olive oil over medium heat and add in your onion and garlic. Sauté them until they’re translucent. Add in your tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, chicken broth and the scooped-out zucchini flesh. Stir together and allow it to cook down for two minutes.

At this point, transfer your Chili and Lime Chicken to the sauce pan. Depending on the size of your zucchinis, you might not use all of it. Assess before you add it all to the pan. For the portion you do not use, you can store and use it later. It’s a great salad topping.

Stir your chicken, zucchini and onion mixture together and allow it to cook together for a couple of minutes.

Cover the bottom of a large baking dish with a layer of enchilada sauce.

On top of the layer of enchilada sauce, arrange your zucchini boats, cut side up, to fit along the bottom of the baking dish.

Add your chicken mixture into your zucchini boat and press it down firmly with a spoon. On top of the chicken, add another layer of enchilada sauce, followed by a layer of cheddar cheese.

Cover your baking dish with tin foil, and allow to bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the zucchini has cooked through.

Serve them up garnished with chopped scallions and cilantro! Enjoy!