This Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash is a high-protein, nutrient-rich recipe that’s loaded with those buffalo flavors you crave. Tender, juicy chicken combines with fresh veggies and tangy buffalo sauce in this healthful weeknight dinner that puts a new spin on buffalo chicken.
Recipe Highlights: Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash
- It’s a healthful and flavorful dinner made from a short list of nutritious ingredients
- Naturally gluten-, grain-, and nut-free, this stuffed spaghetti squash recipe can be easily modified to be dairy-free, Paleo, and Whole30, too
- Have this dinner on the table in 1 hour with just 15 minutes of prep time
- Leftovers keep well, meaning you can make extra and enjoy it throughout the week
Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Is So Good & Good For You
This stuffed spaghetti squash recipe was inspired by our wildly popular Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken, which has been loved by thousands of you. Featuring the same bold buffalo flavor, this buffalo chicken spaghetti squash has a unique balance of tastes and textures we know you’re going to love. Full of protein from healthful chicken and full of flavor from the spicy buffalo sauce.
It’s crisp and crunchy thanks to the veggies, cool and creamy with a drizzle of Ranch Dressing and a sprinkle of blue cheese, and warm and tender when served in a spaghetti squash boat. Plus, it’s jam-packed with fiber, protein, and nutrients to keep you satisfied for hours. Truly, dinner doesn’t get better than this! This buffalo chicken spaghetti squash is one recipe you’ll find yourself making again and again.
Ingredients To Make Stuffed Spaghetti Squash with Buffalo Sauce
Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this flavor-loaded spaghetti squash recipe.
- Chicken breast – you’ll need already cooked chicken that is shredded or chopped. You could use chicken thighs or roasted turkey, too. To cook the chicken, we recommend our no-fail stovetop recipe for perfect chicken breasts or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken. Or, save time and use meat from a rotisserie chicken
- Spaghetti squash – grab a medium-sized (about 2- 2 ½-pounds) spaghetti squash. For a step-by-step tutorial on how to cut spaghetti squash, see this post
- Celery – you can also use chopped shallots, leeks, or carrots in place of the celery
- Green onions – you’ll use both the white and green parts of the green onions
- Red bell pepper – feel free to substitute an orange or yellow bell pepper
- Buffalo sauce – use your favorite buffalo sauce (we love Primal Kitchen No-Dairy Buffalo Sauce), or make your own using our easy Homemade Buffalo Sauce recipe
- Ranch dressing – use any brand of your favorite ranch dressing or make our Homemade Paleo Ranch Dressing.
- Crumbled blue cheese – blue cheese is the perfect, creamy topping for this dish. Omit for dairy-free or Whole30 diets
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Spaghetti Squash
With recipes like this Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash, Pizza-Stuffed Spaghetti Squash, and our Dairy-Free Spaghetti Squash Chicken Alfredo, it’s pretty obvious that we’re big fans of this fruit. (Yes, it’s a fruit!) Not only is it delicious, but it’s also:
- a good source of pantothenic acid (a type of B vitamin), necessary for synthesizing cholesterol
- high in vitamin C, vitamin B6, manganese, and niacin, nutrients important for heart health
- naturally gluten- and grain-free, and a low-carb alternative to pasta
- versatile and a delicious way to get more fiber
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
- Cook the spaghetti squash: Slice both ends off your squash, and roast it in the oven until it is fork tender. Check out this post for our best tips and tricks to make the process a breeze.
- Prepare the chicken: While the spaghetti squash is cooking, prepare your chicken using either our Instant Pot method or in a skillet on the stovetop. Let it cool slightly. Then, use two forks to shred it into pieces.
- Assemble the stuffed spaghetti squash boats: Combine the squash shreds, chicken, veggies, and buffalo sauce in a bowl. Then, spoon the mixture back into the squash shells, and place them in the oven until they are heated through.
- Garnish and serve: Top your buffalo chicken spaghetti squash with extra Ranch and a sprinkle of Blue cheese, and serve warm!
For the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories, protein, carbohydrates, fiber, sugar, sodium, and more per serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
When transferred to an airtight container, the leftover spaghetti squash filling will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Yes, allow the filling to cool completely. Then, transfer it to an airtight container or sealable bag, and store it in the freezer (without the spaghetti squash bowls) for up to 3 months.
The spaghetti squash mixture can be reheated in a glass microwave-safe dish or in a pan on the stovetop. Leftovers are delicious as is and also taste great over salad greens or in a sandwich wrap.
Yes, with 10 grams of carbs in every 1 cup serving, spaghetti squash is considered a low-carb food.
Love Buffalo Sauce? Then try these recipes
We love that buffalo flavor here at The Real Food Dietitians. Here are some other fan-favorite recipes that employ the spicy-savory sauce in delicious ways.
When to Make This Spaghetti Squash Recipe
We’re particularly fond of this buffalo chicken stuffed spaghetti squash as a meal prep recipe. Prepare it over the weekend, portion the squash filling into containers, and you’ll have easy meal-prepped meals you can reheat in minutes throughout the week. Enjoy leftovers on their own. Or, serve them over a bed of salad greens or in a sandwich wrap for meals you’ll definitely look forward to eating.
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Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Spaghetti Squash
The most delicious way to enjoy spaghetti squash, our Buffalo Chicken-Stuffed Squash is easy to make and always hits the spot. A filling, tasty, and nutritious dish that will soon become a family favorite in your home.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ lbs chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1 medium spaghetti squash, halved (about 2– 2 ½ lbs.)
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 2 green onions, white and green parts thinly sliced
- ½ cup diced red bell pepper
- ½ cup purchased buffalo sauce or use our Homemade Buffalo Sauce
- ¼ cup creamy ranch dressing or use our Homemade Paleo Ranch Dressing (optional)
- ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
Instructions
To roast the squash:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice both ends from squash and discard. Stand squash up on one of its cut ends and use a large knife to cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop seeds and stringy insides out using a large spoon. Place squash cut-side down on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes or until squash is tender. Baking time will depend on the size of your squash (larger squash requiring a longer cook time). When squash is tender, allow to it cool slightly before using a fork to gently scrape the squash flesh into a large bowl. Reserve the squash shells.
- While squash is roasting, cook the chicken.
To cook the chicken:
- Directions for Instant Pot: Insert the rack into the inner pot. Add 1 cup water or broth. Lay the chicken on the rack. Secure lid and select ‘Poultry’ setting and increase time to 17 minutes (19 minutes if the breasts are really thick). At the end of the cooking time, allow pressure to naturally release for 5 minutes then flip the vent valve and release any remaining pressure. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.
- Directions for Stovetop: Place a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 teaspoon avocado oil, olive oil, or coconut oil and swirl the pan to coat with the oil. Add chicken and ½ cup water. Once the water begins to simmer, reduce heat and cover. Cook chicken for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. Move chicken to a cutting board to cool slightly before shredding with two forks.
To assemble the stuffed squash:
- In a large bowl, place squash shreds, shredded chicken, celery, green onions, bell pepper, and buffalo sauce. Toss until well mixed and coated. Spoon the squash-chicken mixture into the reserved squash shells. Place the stuffed shells on the baking sheet and bake in 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
- Serve drizzled with ranch dressing and top with crumbled blue cheese, if desired.
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Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/4th of the recipe
- Calories: 308
- Fat: 14 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 582 mg
- Carbohydrate: 13 g
- (Fiber: 3 g
- Sugar: 6 g)
- Protein: 36 g
Dietary
Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter.
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This looks totally awesome. But. The only thing that concerns me is that I don’t particularly care for spaghetti squash…..as in trying to use it like “spaghetti”. The texture, the taste, everything. How will this make an improvement in that? Or will I be expecting too much from this recipe?
Thanks for all you do!
Hi Sharon! I’d suggest you give your Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato recipe a try instead. https://therealfooddietitians.com/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken/ You’ll really enjoy that one!
We just put it on a baked potato and it was delicious!!
Great idea!
“Leftover hoarders unite!” OMG I couldn’t stop laughing! XD Yes, I’m right there with you, I have two roommates (male) who are notorious for devouring every scrap of leftovers from the dinners I cook for us all as well as my eight year old son. I’ll go to pack something for lunch to take to work the next morning only to find it’s been scarfed down during the night (they both work nights so are up while I and my son sleep – their nights off are the worst. With one of my roommates, even when I pack a container at night and say “ok, this is for my lunch tomorrow, please don’t eat it,” I often find it gone anyway with the excuse of “I forgot”. Yeah. Sure you did. The optimist in me tries to view it as a compliment to my cooking but that doesn’t negate the annoyance. So yes indeed, leftover hoarders unite!!! Thanks for reading my rant, I can’t wait to give this recipe a try 🙂
Hey Jamie,
I can totally relate! My hubby was a night shifter for 5 years and we also had a teen host student living with us at that time – so you can see where my leftover hoarding stems from. It’s soooooo frustrating though. In college and during my internship I actually kept a small dorm-size fridge in my room so I could keep my food separate from my roommates (all guys and all very hungry 24/7)
Sending you good vibes for leftovers and yes, it’s totally a testament to your amazing cooking but damn – it sure is annoying!
You need to stand up to them! How rude!!!????
Ahhhh Mmmazing! Both the hubby and I were stuffed in a good way.
Hi Lauren,
Thanks! Stuffed in a good way is such a great thing 🙂
I’m trying to eat more whole/less processed foods, and avoid carbs at dinner, so I pinned this right away on Pinterest (plus who doesn’t love Buffalo anything?) I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I did add a small sprinkle of cheese, yum! So filling, and we have leftovers which is always a plus!
Help! I cant find Tessamae! So what is the recipe for the Buffalo Chicken sauce? Thanks!
Hey Kathy,
You can find the recipe for our Homemade Buffalo Sauce here:
Hope that helps!