You won’t miss the carbs in these low-carb zucchini skins loaded with buffalo chicken and cheese made in the air fryer!
Buffalo Chicken Air Fryer Zucchini Skins
I’m a sucker for everything buffalo sauce, and these Air Fryer Zucchini Skins hit the spot! I top zucchini slices with spicy, creamy buffalo chicken and blue cheese and finish them off with a drizzle of blue cheese dressing and scallions. For a version with potatoes, try my Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins, and for more healthy buffalo chicken appetizers, try my Buffalo Chicken Dip, Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls, and Buffalo Chicken Meatballs.
I have a variation of these buffalo zucchini boats in my air fryer cookbook that I love, which inspired this recipe. They are a great way to get more veggies in your day! They also make an excellent low-carb appetizer, side dish, or afternoon snack and can easily scale up or down. If you want to make the chicken ahead, you can refrigerate it for up to four days.
Is zucchini good for a low-carb diet?
Zucchini is a delicious, low-carb vegetable that can take the place of many higher-carb foods like pasta. I love to switch up classic recipes by using zucchini to get a nutrient boost and reduce the carb count. Some of my favorites are these Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats and Zucchini Pork Dumplings.
Zucchini is a great source of many vitamins and minerals, including C, B6, and manganese and is also high in fiber and low in calories.
How to Make Buffalo Zucchini Skins
To get started, mix the chicken with cream cheese and hot sauce and slice your zucchini. Scoop out the pulp, and then season the zucchini with salt, garlic powder, and paprika.
Cook the zucchini in the air fryer for eight minutes and then spoon in the chicken and top with blue cheese. Cook a couple more minutes until the cheese melts. To serve, drizzle with blue cheese dressing and sprinkle with scallions.
VARIATIONS AND TIPS
- If you don’t have an air fryer, bake the loaded zucchini skins in the oven at 375 degrees for 15 min. Then add the chicken and bake for four more minutes.
- If you don’t like blue cheese or gorgonzola cheese, try them with mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes:
- Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Buffalo Chicken Strips
- Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups
- Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
- Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls
Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Skins
Ingredients
- 2 large zucchini, about 9 ounces each
- olive oil spray
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
Buffalo Chicken Stuffing:
- 7 ounce shredded skinless chicken breasts, from rotiserie chicken or make in slow cooker
- 1 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup Franks hot sauce, plus more for drizzling on top
- 4 teaspoons crumbled blue cheese or gorgonzola
- 1/4 cup light Blue Cheese or Ranch Dressing
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallions
Instructions
- Combine the cream cheese and hot sauce together in a medium bowl until smooth. Add the chicken.
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise; then cut in half to give you 8 pieces. Scoop out the pulp on each piece, leaving a 1/4-inch shell on all sides (save pulp for another use).
- Place zucchini skins on a work surface. Spray both sides with olive oil then season both sides with salt, then cut side with garlic powder and paprika.
- Cook 350F in batches for 8 minutes, until tender-crisp. Place 3-4 tablespoons buffalo chicken inside each skin and top with 1/2 teaspoon cheese, dividing equally. Cook until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes longer. Serve right away each drizzled with 1/2 tablespoon blue cheese dressing topped with scallions for garnish. Serve hot.
Tasty and easy to make. I chopped the pulp and added it to the chicken mixture.
Oh my! These were fantastic! Easy, fast, economical and outrageously delicious!
When chicken goes on sale, I cook up a bunch in the crockpot, use some and freeze leftovers in 8 ounce bags.
Made recipe as directed except for 1/2 pound chicken and about a pound and a half of zucchini.
What an ideal recipe for summer gardeners with an excess of zucchini on hand!
Made these tonight! They were delicious!!
Can you please clarify what “1 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened” means? Is that 1.3 ounces, or one ounce – a third less fat than regular cream cheese (like whatever light cream cheese is available)?
Sorry – I’m Canadian and don’t use the imperial system or have a vast selection of cream cheeses :/
Hi Rona! Sorry for any confusion- it is one ounce of “1/3 less fat cream cheese” (so yes, a lighter cream cheese). Hope that clears it up! 🙂
Great flavor and held well for meal prep as a later in the week meal.
Looks amazing! My husband really doesn’t like cream cheese, could I substitute the cream cheese for cottage cheese or greek yogurt? Would that change the points much? Thank you!
I think you could do cottage cheese, but I just made this and I don’t think there is enough cream cheese (in relation to the chicken and Franks) to really be noticed. You might be able to omit it altogether.
This tasted great! My husband is doing the cooking for a few months, and it was perfect for a more novice cook, few ingredients, fast, and easy. He made and used the ST blue cheese salad dressing, always a favorite at our house.
How can I tell many smart points a recipe has
They are into colored boxes at the top of the recipe
I am always in love with your squash recipes like this, but my family hates squash. Thoughts on an alternative?
Bell peppers!
Lettuce wraps …
These are super quick and easy to make and delicious to boot!
This was delicious. I wasn’t sure my family would like the combination of zucchini and buffalo chicken, but everyone loved it. Very clever recipe. I made a second batch for lunches this week and used Siracha instead of Frank’s hot sauce. Wonderful.
These sound amazing. Any cooking suggestions for those of us who don’t have an air fryer?
Sure bake in the oven, just double the time.
Delicious!
These are the bomb. So delicious, I made a pig of myself, again! I cooked a double batch and grabbed a glass of Guinness about 20 degrees below room temperature and chowed down. Your website has brought more wonderful foods into my house than anything else. During the pandemic, that is especially important. Thank you.
Tasty and hit the spot for wanting something Buffalo chicken. Used rotisserie chicken and only half a zucchini for a quick ww meal for one. Will use leftover chicken mix for snacking with carrots and cucumber.
Thanks for the recipe
This recipe sounds delicious! Can anyone suggest uses for the pulp of the zucchini? Normally I use it sliced but to hull out a half zucchini, I imagine it will not be in the best shape when I remove the middle.
Add it to your egg omelets or scramble
Or you can make zucchini fritters…I did a search for ‘used for zucchini pulp’, saw fritters mentioned and then looked for healthy airfryer fritter recipes! Think I’m gonna try both this and the fritters!