Twice Baked Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Posted on by

Do you always read the blurbs written as an intro to a recipe? Sometimes I’m in the mood, other times I’m just there for the food.  When googling recipes in the midst of a cooking endeavor, I’ll pull up a few, and with food covered fingers, skim down to the meat of the post, speed reading for tips and tricks.  On that note, let’s cut to the chase today 🙂

Twice Baked Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Ingredients

  • 1 medium/large spaghetti squash or two small
  • 1 1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breast butterflied
  • 2 ribs celery sliced thin
  • 1 jalepeno minced
  • 1/2 cup diced poblano pepper
  • 1/2 cup diced bell pepper
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 2 scallions sliced
  • 1 lime, zest and juice
  • handful fresh cilantro rough chopped
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 1-2 cups shredded cheese (depending how cheesey you like it 😉  I used Clothbound Cheddar, Jack, and Parmesan cheese
  • 2 oz blue cheese (optional)
  • 1/4 c. Franks Red Hot sauce
  • 2 Tbsp Butter
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
  • 1 tsp Cumin
  • Olive oil, Salt and Pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 375.  Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds and discard.   Rub with a little olive oil salt and pepper and lay open side down on a baking sheet.  Into the oven for 30-40 minutes depending on size of your squash, until the outer skin starts to give a bit.   Take out to cool.

While that’s in the oven season your chicken breast with salt, pepper, cumin and smoked paprika, then get it into a skillet with olive oil.  Cook about 6 minutes on each side on medium, removing to cool.

Meanwhile, chop up all your veg, on the smaller thin side as we won’t be sauteing before baking, and add to a big bowl with the yogurt, egg, lime zest and juice, cilantro, half the cheese, blue cheese if using, salt, pepper.

Now you shred the cooled chicken breast using two forks, and add that to the bowl.  Using a spoon scoop out the cooled spaghetti squash shreds into the bowl- making sure to keep the skin of the squash in tact, so it can serve as a bowl.

Pop 2 Tbsp butter into the microwave for 30 seconds til melted, add the franks red hot, brown sugar *I also added a splash of local hot sauce Chelsea Fire* mix and drizzle all over everything, giving it a stir, before scooping the mixture into the empty squash halves.  Top with remaining cheese, a drizzle of oil oil and final dash of salt and pepper.

Pop into that 375 degree oven for around 30 minutes- I tented with foil for first half and then removed so cheese could get all bubbly.     When I made this with 2 smaller squash 25 min did the trick, with one larger, I left it in the oven more like 35/40 min, so you be the judge!

Serve as is, or some topping ideas: sour cream, yogurt, avocado slices, fresh lime, hot sauce, fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Leave a comment