Barbecue chicken stuffed spaghetti squash boats are so easy to make, especially if you cook the shredded chicken in the slow cooker! It is a delicious light and hearty gluten-free spaghetti squash recipe you can feel lean about eating!
Stuffed spaghetti squash is one of my FAVORITE things to eat! For a cheesy bake, try my ground turkey spaghetti squash casserole too. I probably eat it at least once or twice a week.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes active, plus slow cooking the chicken (low 6 hours or high 2 to 4)
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 45 minutes roasting the squash at 400 degrees F, then 15 to 20 minutes at 350
- ⏳ Total Time: about 5 hours with the slow cooker, or about 1 hour 15 minutes with cooked chicken
- 🍽️ Serving: 2 to 4
- ⚡ Calories: 424kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: chicken breasts, barbecue sauce, spaghetti squash, olive oil, shredded cheese (or dairy-free), red onion, orange bell pepper and cilantro
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky, sweet barbecue chicken over tender squash noodles with melty cheese
- ✋ Difficulty: Slow cook, roast, stuff, bake
Quick Answer
Slow cook 2 chicken breasts under 1 cup barbecue sauce on low 6 hours or high 2 to 4 hours, then shred with two forks. Halve and seed a spaghetti squash, drizzle with olive oil and roast cut side down with a splash of water at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes until soft, then fluff the strands with a fork. Fill each half with cheese and the shredded chicken, top with more barbecue sauce, cheese, red onion and orange bell pepper, and bake at 350 degrees F for 15 to 20 minutes. Finish with the remaining sauce and cilantro. It serves 2 to 4.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why Spaghetti Squash Makes the Perfect Boat
- Why You'll Love These BBQ Chicken Squash Boats
- Key Ingredients
- 5 Barbecue Chicken Ideas
- How to Make Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats
- Expert Tips
- More Ways to Stuff Spaghetti Squash
- BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash FAQs
- More Spaghetti Squash Dinners
- Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
Spaghetti squash recipes are among the easiest and healthiest no-carb dishes and a great way to get everyone eating their vegetables! The squash can easily be roasted ahead of time and "fluffed" into spaghetti noodles, reheated and stuffed right before you are about to make your boats!
Why Spaghetti Squash Makes the Perfect Boat
Click to see why it works
- Roast it cut side down with a splash of water so it steams tender inside.
- Fluff the strands with a fork right in the shell, so the shell becomes the bowl.
- Cheese goes in first so it melts into the noodles under the chicken.
- Slow cooker chicken shreds easily and soaks up the barbecue sauce.
- A short second bake softens the onions and crisps the top slightly.
Why You'll Love These BBQ Chicken Squash Boats
- Gluten-free and light with spaghetti squash in place of pasta.
- Hands-off chicken. Start it in the slow cooker in the morning and it is ready in the evening.
- Make-ahead friendly. Roast the squash ahead and stuff it right before baking.
- Easy to switch up with five ways to make the barbecue chicken.
- Boats or casserole. Serve them in the shells or layer them in a baking dish for the family.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken breasts - or a shredded roasted or rotisserie chicken.
- Barbecue sauce - some store bought sauces have gluten in them. Use a gluten-free BBQ sauce or try my homemade smoky gluten free bbq sauce, which is AWESOME!
- Spaghetti squash - roasted and fluffed into noodles.
- Olive oil.
- Shredded cheese - mozzarella, or dairy-free cheese.
- Red onion, orange bell pepper and fresh cilantro - for color and crunch.
See recipe card for quantities.
5 Barbecue Chicken Ideas
- Slow cooker. Add two chicken breasts to the slow cooker and pour the barbecue sauce on top. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, then shred with two forks.
- Baked chicken. Marinate the chicken in a baking dish with barbecue sauce for 1 hour or overnight, then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until it is cooked inside. Slice and shred it with extra sauce on top.
- Sheet pan chicken. Add it to the pan when you roast the squash and take it out after about 20 minutes (depending on the thickness), then shred or dice and mix with sauce.
- Grilled chicken. Have leftover grilled chicken? Dice it and toss it with barbecue sauce.
- Rotisserie chicken. Grab a pre-made rotisserie chicken, shred it and mix it with the barbecue sauce!
Usually I eat spaghetti squash for lunch with a dash of salt, pepper and olive oil, or for dinners like this baked spaghetti squash pepperoni pizza casserole and spaghetti squash pasta with butternut squash sauce.
How to Make Stuffed Spaghetti Squash Boats
1Cook the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker with 1 cup of barbecue sauce on top. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2-4 hours, then shred the chicken using two forks.
2Roast the squash. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Drizzle with olive oil, flip the halves upside down on a baking pan and add a splash of water. Bake for about 45 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork. Let cool enough to handle, then scrape the sides with a fork to fluff the noodles. My full guide to how to cook spaghetti squash has more ways to do it.
3Stuff the boats. Add cheese to each boat, then divide the shredded chicken between them. Top with more barbecue sauce, then cheese, onions and peppers.
4Bake and garnish. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes to cook the onions and crisp the top slightly. Garnish with the remaining barbecue sauce and cilantro.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Roast ahead. Do the roasting ahead of time or about 1 hour before you are ready to assemble.
- Make it a casserole. Layer the squash noodles, cheese, barbecue chicken, onion, peppers and extra sauce in a casserole dish, cover and bake for 15-20 minutes at 350.
- Use a roasted chicken instead of the slow cooker. Shred it and combine with barbecue sauce before stuffing.
- Check your sauce. Some store bought barbecue sauces contain gluten.
- Go lighter on sauce. The carbs, sugar and sodium are mainly from the sauce, so you can add less if you would like.
More Ways to Stuff Spaghetti Squash
If you like spaghetti squash as much as we do, check out Zesty Low Carb Mexican Mushroom Baked Spaghetti Squash, Baked Spaghetti Squash Pepperoni Pizza Casserole and Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole.
More stuffed squash: Stuffed Squash With Quinoa and Cranberries, Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash and Korean BBQ Turkey Stuffed Acorn Squash.
And here are more ways to stuff spaghetti squash by Peas and Crayons, plus my crockpot chicken for the slow cooker.
BBQ Chicken Spaghetti Squash FAQs
Roast the halves cut side down with a splash of water at 400 degrees F for about 45 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork.
Yes. Shred a roasted or rotisserie chicken and mix it with barbecue sauce before stuffing the squash.
Not always. Some store bought barbecue sauces contain gluten, so choose a gluten-free sauce or make a homemade gluten-free BBQ sauce.
Yes. Layer the cooked squash, chicken, barbecue sauce, cheese, peppers and onions in a casserole dish, cover and bake for 15 to 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Yes. Roast it ahead, fluff it into noodles, then reheat and stuff it right before baking.
One spaghetti squash makes two boats that serve 2 to 4.
More Spaghetti Squash Dinners
Keep the squash coming with How to Cook Spaghetti Squash, Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole, Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole and Mexican Baked Spaghetti Squash. I hope you enjoy these barbecue chicken stuffed spaghetti squash boats! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Barbecue Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
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Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 ¼ cups barbecue sauce separated (or my smoky gluten free bbq sauce recipe)
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup cheese shredded (optional to use shredded dairy-free cheese)
- ¼ cup red onions sliced or diced
- ¼ cup orange bell peppers diced
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker with 1 cup of barbecue sauce on top. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 2-4 hours. Shred the chicken using two forks.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the spaghetti squash in half and scoop out the seeds in the center with a spoon. Add a drizzle of olive oil and flip the halves upside down on a baking pan. Add a splash of water to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until it is soft when poked with a fork. When it is finished cooking, let it cool enough to handle. Scrape the sides with a fork to fluff the noodles.
- Add ¼ cup of cheese to each boat, then divide the shredded chicken to each boat. Sprinkle 1 cup of barbecue sauce on top followed by the cheese, onions, peppers.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes to cook the onions and crisp the top slightly. Garnish with the remaining ¼ cup barbecue sauce and cilantro.
Eileen says
This was very tasty! I had a huge spaghetti squash, so I cut the halves in two after final baking. So leftovers! Yay! Easy to reheat in the microwave. And it was even better because the barbecue sauce flavor penetrated into the squash. Thanks for a great recipe!
Danielle | Delightful Mom Food says
Eileen, I am so glad you enjoyed this spaghetti squash recipe! Thank you for commenting and rating the recipe, I really appreciate it:-). Enjoy the rest of your weekend and those leftovers!