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Short-Order Kitchen

Air Fryer Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Skins

By Wes Ellis2 min read
Three halved zucchini boats stuffed with a tomato and rice filling in a black skillet.
Recipe card
Servings
4 (8 skins)
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
10 minutes
Method
Air fryer
Heat
350°F air fryer
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 2 of the thread Air fryer weeknights

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Scoop the zucchini down to a 1/4-inch shell. Thinner and they collapse.
  • Shells cook alone at 350°F for 8 minutes before they get filled.
  • Filled skins only need 2 more minutes to heat through.
  • Rotisserie chicken makes the filling a five-minute job.
THE RECIPE · AIR FRYER BUFFALO CHICKEN ZUCCHINI SKINS

Ingredients

Zucchini skins

Buffalo chicken filling

Toppings

You'll need

  • Air fryer
  • Knife
  • Spoon for scooping
  • Medium bowl

Directions

Prep

  1. Trim the zucchini, halve them lengthwise, then cut each half crosswise so you have 8 pieces.
  2. Scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch shell all the way around.
  3. Spray both sides of each shell with oil and season with the salt, garlic powder and paprika.
  4. Stir the cream cheese and hot sauce together until smooth, then mix in the chicken.

Cook

  1. Air fry the shells at 350°F for 8 minutes, in batches if needed, until tender-crisp.
  2. Fill each shell with 3 to 4 tablespoons of the chicken mixture and return them to the basket.
  3. Cook 2 more minutes, until the filling is hot.
  4. Drizzle each one with about 1/2 tablespoon of dressing, scatter scallions over the top, and add more hot sauce if you like.
Notes Leftovers keep 2 days in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer at 350°F for a few minutes; the microwave makes the zucchini soft. Roughly 180 calories and 20 g protein per serving of two skins, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/air-fryer-buffalo-chicken-zucchini-skins/

Potato skins, but the potato is a zucchini and the filling is buffalo chicken dip. It sounds like a compromise. It eats like bar food.

The shell does the work

Everything depends on how you scoop. Leave about a 1/4-inch wall on every side, bottom included. Go thinner and the zucchini slumps into a puddle once it's hot. Leave too much and the middle stays raw and watery while the edges soften.

Then the shells cook empty first. Eight minutes on their own drives off moisture and gets the seasoning to stick. If you filled them raw, the filling would be scorching by the time the zucchini was done, and the bottom would be soggy anyway.

Heads up

Pat the inside of the shells with a paper towel if they look wet after scooping. Water is what turns these limp.

The filling

It's three ingredients and it doesn't need cooking, so it's worth using already-cooked chicken. Rotisserie breast shredded with two forks is ideal. Soften the cream cheese first, or you'll get white streaks instead of a smooth orange sauce.

Try this

Make a double batch of the filling. It's the same idea as the Buffalo Chicken Wraps, and it'll happily go there tomorrow.

If you want the whole game-day spread, these sit nicely next to a basket of Air Fryer Buffalo Wings, and the pulp you scooped out can go into a pot of Buffalo Chicken Soup.

LINKED FROM3 notes

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