8-BALL ZUCCHINI STUFFED WITH CHEESY CHICKEN AND RICE

8-Ball Zucchini Stuffed with Cheesy Chicken and Rice image

A yummy way to use up garden eight-ball zucchini. Spice it up with pepper Jack cheese!

Provided by Amanda

Categories Main Dish Recipes Stuffed Main Dish Recipes Stuffed Zucchini Recipes

Time 9h10m

Yield 2

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 pinch chili powder, or to taste
1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked white rice
2 8-ball zucchini
2 tablespoons salted butter, or more as needed
¼ cup diced onion, or to taste
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, or more as needed
1 cup milk, or more as needed
1 ½ cups shredded Cheddar cheese, or more to taste

Steps:

Cover chicken breasts with salted water and brine in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate. Remove chicken from brine and pat dry. Season with chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
Grill until browned and no longer pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping halfway through cooking time. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
While chicken is cooking, bring water and rice to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and water has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Cut tops off the zucchini and scoop out the seeds. Set aside.
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion in the hot butter until soft, 5 to 7 minutes. Add flour; cook and stir until browned, about 1 minute. Pour in milk; season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook and stir constantly until it starts to thicken. Stir in Cheddar cheese until melted.
Cut cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. Stir chicken and rice into the cheese sauce. Fill zucchini with the cheesy mixture and place on a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven until softened, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 1101.7 calories, Carbohydrate 93.5 g, Cholesterol 213.5 mg, Fat 51.9 g, Fiber 3.3 g, Protein 62.7 g, SaturatedFat 31.7 g, Sodium 937.7 mg, Sugar 9.5 g