CHICKEN STUFFED ZUCCHINI

Wish I could say these lovely zucchini's came from the garden, sadly they did not.  I was lucky to get maybe 5 smallish zucchinis that I used in stir fries. Oh well, farmer's market organic zucchini will always be delicious, and this was.  It is such a versatile squash.  From many savory dishes to baking we have lots of options when it comes to zucchini. Zucchini is also a great way to use up leftovers - in this case we had Roasted Chicken, but it could easily be made Vegetarian, with cooked Rice and Lentils, Quinoa - so many options.
3 Zucchini
Olive Oil, butter
1/2 large diced onion
2-3 minced garlic cloves
1 cup shredded cooked Chicken
1/2 of a small Green Pepper - diced
2 Tblsp. diced Pablano Pepper
1 large diced Tomato
1 Tblsp. Tomato Paste
2 Tsp. Oregano, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
2 Tblsp. minced fresh Flat Leaf Italian Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Grated Aged Cheddar Cheese
Begin by putting a large pot of water on to boil.  Trim the ends off of the zucchinis and once the water is boiling, add the zucchinis, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove the zucchinis from the water, set aside to cool.  Once cooled, cut in half, scraping out the seeds.  I used a paper towel to pat up any extra moisture in the zucchinis.  Drizzle some olive oil in a casserole dish, coat evenly, and put in the cut zucchini, and set aside.
Heat up a frying pan on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil and knob of butter.  Once heated add in the diced mushrooms, sauteing to brown.  Then add in the peppers, onions and garlic.  Saute about 5 minutes, then add in the diced tomato, tomato paste, and seasonings.  Saute another 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add in the chicken to heat through, adjust seasonings, and at the end add in the minced Parsley, and remove from heat.
Spoon in generous amounts of the chicken mixture into the zucchinis:
Add a generous amount of Parmesan Cheese, and a sprinkling of grated Aged Cheddar.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and bake covered just until the cheese is melted, and zucchinis are heated through, mine only took about 15 minutes.  Serve with extra grated Parmesan Cheese.

Ina Gawne
author
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September 16, 2010
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