Healthy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats are a tasty keto, gluten free dinner. Low carb, cheesy + loaded with spicy buffalo sauce – they’re delicious!
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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats are the ULTIMATE meal. These spaghetti squash boats are great for when you need a simple dinner that requires minimal effort or for meal prepping!
Keto, gluten free, and low in carbs – these buffalo chicken spaghetti squash boats are definitely going to be a hit with your family!
These spaghetti squash boats are one of those meals that every time I make them, I ask myself why didn’t I make this sooner?? Simple ingredients, minimal time, and downright delicious.
A win win in my book. This recipe is also great for using up leftovers. So if you have leftover grilled chicken, you can use that.. or other random veggies (brussels, green beans, etc) those will work too.
It basically tastes like Buffalo Chicken Dip, stuffed in spaghetti squash!
I created this recipe pretty much entirely out of my love for all things buffalo chicken related. You know how Frank’s Red Hot Bottle says put that *** on everything?
That’s Tyler and me. Eggs? Throw some hot sauce on it. Soup a little bland? Add hot sauce. Take-out doesn’t taste as good as you expected? Get the hot sauce.
Needless to say, buffalo chicken anything is my favorite. Buffalo chicken pizza is my all time favorite indulgence, but I’ll take it in a wrap, bread, pasta…really anyway.
These Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats are an easier, healthier way to get my fix. Here’s how you make them! (Scroll down for time saving tips and the full recipe!)
And if you love spaghetti squash – check out these 25 Low Carb / Keto Spaghetti Squash Recipes!
How to make Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
To make these buffalo chicken boats,
- Roast your spaghetti squash.
- When the spaghetti squash is almost cooked, add your chicken breasts.
- Once spaghetti squash has cooked, remove the squash and shred it.
- Shred your chicken and mix with remaining ingredients.
- Stuff the squash ‘boats’ with the filling, top with cheese, and return to the oven.
The best thing about these Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats is that you can get them on the table in just about 30 minutes if you plan ahead and do a little bit of work pre-meal time.
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR SPAGHETTI SQUASH CASSEROLE
These cookies are pretty versatile. Here are a few ways you can customize them!
Buffalo Sauce: You can use any buffalo sauce you like. Frank’s Red Hot is Whole30 compliant and it’s also our favorite, but any buffalo sauce will work! We love buffalo sauce in our Buffalo Chicken Salad too!
Veggies: Feel free to add other finely diced veggies to the carrot/celery/onion mixture. Bell peppers and green onions are great additions
Cheese – Cheddar, mozzarella, or colby jack would all work in this recipe
Chicken: Chicken thighs, breasts, or tenders could be used to make shredded chicken.
Yogurt: I haven’t tested it but you could use full fat yogurt in this recipe and I think it would work.
With Potatoes: We have a Buffalo Chicken Casserole recipe that is so delicious!
Time Saving Tips for Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
Cook the spaghetti squash before. That takes the longest. Here is a post on how to cook spaghetti squash in the microwave and here is a post about how to cook spaghetti squash in the instant pot. Both methods take about 10 minutes. You can also just bake the spaghetti squash per the directions in the post at 400 for 30 minutes total. You can bake it the night before you want to have them for dinner and shred it so that you’re 30 minutes ahead of the game come dinner time!
Cook the chicken ahead of time. You have a few options for shredded chicken. You can make my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, you can cook the chicken in the crockpot (you’d have to do it the day before or in the morning) OR you can say whatevs and just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up.. any method will work.
My favorite thing to do is prep everything per the directions up until step seven. Then I just wrap the spaghetti squash boats and put them in the fridge for a few days so I can just take the out and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melty and they’re warm throughout!
Can I make these Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats paleo or whole30?
This recipe is tricky to make paleo/dairy free. Instead, I’d try this recipe for Healthy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole.
You can leave out the blue cheese crumbles and it will be totally paleo, whole30 and dairy free. (It’s also a little less work because you can just dump it in the pan and bake it!
We also have a recipe for Buffalo Turkey Meatballs that are great if you’re paleo/whole30 or just looking for more ways to use buffalo sauce!
Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
Ingredients
- 1 large spaghetti squash
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese (I used ⅓ pepper jack, ⅓ cheddar + ⅓ mozzarella)
- 1/3 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
- 1/2 cup nonfat greek yogurt
- 1 tsp pepper
- green onions, sliced, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400. Prepare a lined baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat baking sheet. Spray sheet with olive oil. Slice the spaghetti squash lengthwise, remove seeds + place on baking sheet.
- Spray the spaghetti squash with olive oil and place open face up (see photos). Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven and add whole chicken breasts to the sheet. Spray chicken breasts with olive oil and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes.
- While the spaghetti squash is cooking, mix together broccoli, cheese, hot sauce, yogurt + pepper.
- Once the spaghetti squash is cooked, shred by pulling at the center with a fork. Remove about half of the squash from the skins.
- Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks. Add shredded chicken and and shredded spaghetti squash filling to the the veggie/cheese/yogurt mixture.
- Stuff the spaghetti squash skins with the mixture + put back into the oven for 12 minutes
- Optional: For the last 2 minutes turn the oven on Broil/High to get an extra brown, crispy, cheesy top
Notes
Time Saving Tips for Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Boats
- Cook the spaghetti squash before. That takes the longest. Wondering how do you cook a spaghetti squash in the microwave or instant pot? Here is a post on how to cook spaghetti squash in the microwave and here is a post about how to cook spaghetti squash in the instant pot. Both methods take about 10 minutes. You can also just bake the spaghetti squash per the directions in the post at 400 for 30 minutes total. You can bake it the night before you want to have them for dinner and shred so that you’re 30 minutes ahead of the game come dinner time!
- Cook the chicken ahead of time. You have a few options for shredded chicken. You can make my Easy Instant Pot Shredded Chicken, you can cook the chicken in the crockpot (you’d have to do it the day before or in the morning) OR you can say whatevs and just buy a rotisserie chicken and shred it up.. any method will work.
- My favorite thing to do is prep everything per the directions up until step seven. Then I just wrap the spaghetti squash boats and put them in the fridge for a few days so I can just take the out and bake for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melty and they’re warm throughout!
Myra says
I love Frank’s and Buffalo flavoured everything! This is right up my alley , I’ll have to try them out!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Isn’t it the best? We put it on everything! Hope you like them 🙂
Chrissa - Physical Kitchness says
LOL I love laziness too 🙂 I needed some new inspiration for spaghetti squash – I always just make spaghetti with it. BORING!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Honestly… I usually do the same thing! it’s so easy! But I’m trying to be a little bit more creative!
Ivan Jordon says
Oh wow, that looks sooo good! Drooling over here!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Ivan! They’re super cheesy and delish! You should try them!
Taylor says
Do you Cook the broccoli first or use raw??? Thanks!
The Clean Eating Couple says
No, the broccoli is raw. It should be chopped per the directions in order for it to cook correctly!
McKenna Quigley says
Finally made this recipe after seeing it on Instagram and I’m obsessed! I put franks on everything and this is a guilt free dinner that I now make almost once a week. You would never know that there is greek yogurt in this, tastes just like buffalo chicken dip, but even better!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much McKenna!! I’m so glad you like it! (Totally agree that it tastes like buffalo chicken dip!)
Jonna says
This is my FAVORITE spaghetti squash recipe that I have come across! We love franks red hot at my house and I was convinced there just wasn’t going to be enough of it in this recipe so I added more than the recipe called for… boy was I wrong! My mouth was on fire.Trust Liz and Tyler with this one and follow the recipe as is. I promise you won’t be disappointed. This has been added to our regular dinner rotation.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you like it, Jonna!! It definitely is spicy, lol!!
Jennifer Kolb says
This is such a perfect twist on a classic!! Loved the flavors and didn’t feel guilty for indulging 🙂 Perfect fall recipe.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like it, Jen!! Totally agree that it’s the perfect fall meal 🙂
Sammie says
Loved this dish, super easy to make and was delicious
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked them, Sammie!!
Mom of boys says
I’ve just made this up for dinner tonight in an effort to eat healthier. I personally love the filling in the squash but my boys will think it’s tooooo healthy therefore will go into the meal thinking it’s gross. Have you ever baked this outside the skin or in an 8×8 pan? Would you suggest changing the cooking time?
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yes! I actually have a similar recipe for that. It’s this Healthy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Casserole I’d follow the cooking directions in that 🙂
Santini says
This is so delicious! Was the perfect healthy dinner. Thanks!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you liked it, Santini!
Liane says
I’m serving this up for dinner tonight! This looks so good! Thank you for the recipe!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like them, Liane! Enjoy!
Kate M says
This was insanely delicious! I love broccoli but was uncertain about it in this recipe – wow, were my reservations wrong! Gives the dish great crunch to offset the chicken. Definitely going in our regular rotation!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m so glad you liked it, Kate!! And that you enjoyed it with the broccoli – I like the added crunch it gives too 🙂 If you like buffalo – these Healthy Buffalo Turkey Meatballs are also really yummy!
Bella Hardy @ Healthnerdy.com says
These buffalo chicken spaghetti squash boats are so Instagrammable and adorable! As you know I made it a short while ago and it was lovely! Thx for sharing, Liz & Tyler!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Yay!! I’m so glad you liked them, Bella! Thanks for sharing them on your IG 🙂
Alyssa says
This is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make! Ever! They are delicious and easy to make. I get so many messages when I post this meal!!! Everyone loves it! Go Liz and Tyler!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you!! So glad you like them. They’re one of my favs and this is a high compliment coming from Marty-Mozz herself. 😉
Amanda says
I’ve been making this once a week or so and I love it! I usually end up with extra filling which is great on it’s own or added to a meal. The prep work is a little intensive, especially if you don’t have cooked/shredded chicken already made, but it’s worth it. It’s a great alternative to a creamy pasta dish or buffalo chicken dip
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Amanda! Sometimes depending on the size of our spaghetti squash we wind up with extra too..I like to put it over a salad!
Alyssa says
BEST spaghetti squash recipe ever. So delicious. Makes enough for two people (and even some lunch for me the next day!). Couldn’t love these more!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you like them, Alyssa!! I think the leftovers are even better the next day 🙂
Emily Yungblut says
Such an easy but delicious recipe. I have 1 vegetarian in a household of 6 so I’m always looking for something that I can make for the entire family. I left out the chicken and we added mushrooms and red peppers to it. Next time I’ll make a small dish for the vegetarian and add chicken for the rest of us.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Emily! Such a great idea to make it vegetarian 🙂
Kyle says
These are so good! I was a little nervous cutting the spaghetti squash but the microwave tip really helped! Very filling.
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you!! Glad you found it helpful + liked the spqghetti squash boats 🙂
Rosa says
I was about to make my usual spaghetti squash and meatballs, and then I came across this recipe on Instagram. I’m so glad I opted to switch it up with this recipe! I LOVE Buffalo chicken anything and Frank’s is the best, so I knew I couldn’t go wrong with this meal. And you definitely don’t even notice the Greek yogurt! Can’t wait to make it again! My husband and I loved it!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thank you so much, Rosa! So happy to hear you both enjoyed it!!
Sara says
Absolutely loved this recipe, so filling and delicious!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it!!
Jaime says
We love this recipe!! It’s quick, easy and super delish!!
CC says
This recipe popped up in my IG feed yesterday afternoon and I realized I had almost everything needed in my fridge!! One quick message to The Clean Eating Couple regarding a substitution (Greek yogurt vs regular) and I decided to make it for dinner— it is delicious! Super easy to make – delicious right out of the oven and today as leftovers!! Make it- and enjoy!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
So happy you liked it!!
Anette Borremans says
I’m a little confused, is each boat 2 servings? I’m trying to get nutrition facts fir one serving, oh my I’m hoping one serving isn’t 25 grams fat
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hi Anette- The serving sizes are based on however you portion this out. We have this written that the recipe is 2 servings, meaning each half of the spaghetti squash is one serving. It’s alot of food. The fat comes from the cheese so if you’re concerned by that – feel free to use lower fat cheese or less cheese. However.. in addition to the fat this also has OVER 70g of protein- so as mentioned.. it’s alot of food. Either way the nutrition facts are just an estimate – if you need exact facts please scan the ingredients you used into my fitness pal and calculate accordingly. Hope this helsp!