Creamy Chicken Stuffed Round Courgettes is a light meal with a whole lot of veggies like sweet peas, leek, red bell pepper and carrot for a fun, creamy and colourful bite.
This Stuffed Round Courgettes recipe is basically the filling of a chicken pot pie trapped in a mini round courgette, a fun way to eat chicken leftovers. Every time I see those precious green or yellow round courgettes, I simply cannot resist! They’ve got to come home with me! If you don’t have such courgettes at your market you can do the exact same recipe with long zucchinis. Simply cut on the length, empty them and voila! They might not look as nice but the end result for your tastebuds will be the same.
Béchamel Oh mighty!
Béchamel looks like tons of fat because it’s thick and unctuous but frankly, it’s not as bad as one would think… especially next to a Hollandaise or cream sauce. Plus, it’s fairly easy to make, the golden rule is to use fat (butter or olive oil) and cook the flour for a minute or so, adding cold milk, and whisk until it heats up and thickens. Why cold? Because this way it breaks the lumps. People are used to seeing butter used for béchamel but olive oil works as well! Like in this recipe.
What kind of heat?
I saw all kinds of recipes… I personally leave the heat on medium-high because I’m not patient but if you are distracted cook and scared to burn it, simply make it on low heat to make sure… The thickness is up to you, if you want a lighter and smoother sauce to add more milk and if you prefer a better holding texture add less. I’m a firm believer in nutmeg, I believe béchamel absolutely needs a touch of it, a tiny bit makes the difference.
Flexible recipe
This recipe is highly adaptable, you can use whatever veggies you feel like, a.k.a. the leftovers from the fridge. I’ve added some peppers, leeks, carrots and peas to mine but it could have been replaced by some, ground meat, sweet potatoes, etc… As you wish! Could even turn into a vegetarian dish. The main idea here is to use your leftovers merge them into a smooth béchamel and fill up those cute little courgettes with it. (Check here my Round Courgette filled with Tomato Sauce)
The Scooping
I’ve gently scooped out the inside of the courgettes to keep a 5mm shell, you can use the inside and cut it into small dice and add some to the chicken filling or keep it for a salad or even a soup. Nothing goes to waste here! Once the courgettes are ready to receive the filling, don’t forget to sprinkle a little salt in them before. This helps give them flavour in the end!
So let’s get those colourful and creamy bites going!
Stuffed Round Courgettes
Ingredients
- 4 round courgettes
- 200 g cooked chicken (cut into small cube (about 1 breast for 4))
- 200 ml milk
- 1/2 red bell pepper (cut into small cubes)
- 1 leek (cut finelly)
- 1 carrot (cut into small brunoise cubes)
- 100 g sweet peas
- 4 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp estragon or thyme (*optional)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Start by cutting the carrot, pepper, leek and chicken breast into small cubes.
- In a pan, add a bit of olive oil and cook the leek, carrot and pepper for 2 minutes at medium high heat until al dente.
- Add the chicken and the green peas and cook until warm (1-2 more minutes).
- Add the 4 tbsp of olive oil, then the flour and mix, let it cook for 1-2 minutes until the flour is cooking (nutty smell).
- Add the cold milk all at once and season with nutmeg, salt and pepper (plus estragon and thyme), still on medium high heat.
- Keep on whisking until the liquid becomes thick.
- Check the seasoning and reserve the chicken mixture
- During that time, clean up the courgettes and cut the top part, then with the help of a round scoop take out the inside of the zucchini gently, add salt and pepper.
- Fill up the courgettes with the creamy chicken filling and spray a light layer of olive oil on them.
- Cook at 180°C (350F) for 30 minutes.
11 Comments
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Wow those look amazing. I have some green squash in the refrigerator so I think I may have to try this.
You ll love it! Enjoy!
Oh these pretties look absolutely mouthwatering~! Can’t wait to give them a try 🙂
I love those little courgettes – we get them all the time in the summer in France. Bookmarked this recipe to try!
I jus can t resist them!! So yummy and pretty!
This looks like such a light and tasty summer meal. I love stuffed courgettes but never tried this type before. Thanks for sharing!
This is so clever! I love chicken pot pie, but I rarely make it because it’s such a hassle. This, on the the other hand, is not only easy to make but also good for you. I’m definitely putting it on my list of things to make this summer.
Plus you cut all that fat from the flaky dough! Light and yum!
Do you eat the shell?
Ofcourse👍