Quick! Tell me what song you're guilty pleasure jamming out to right now! I've been all about If I Loved You by Delta Rae. I think I'm responsible for 300 of those views but I've gotten it out of my system now. What. an. earworm.
Anyway, suffice it to say if I get hooked on a song I have to listen to it a million times in a row on repeat. HAVE to. B hates this as he's on the opposite side of the spectrum where he listens to a song once, twice if it's the best ever, and then shuffles that ish. Not everyone can be blessed with that kind of willpower.
Just like with music, when I get on board with a flavor, it's all I want to eat for the foreseeable future. It's been BBQ overload over here, guys. Partly because it was one of the few things we had in bulk in our fridge during our abstention from grocery shopping, and mainly because it's just so good!
Unlike a bunch of guilty pleasure tunes, I can say with near certainty that I will probably never get tired of BBQ pulled chicken, sprinkled with bacon and covered in cheese, all tucked inside an avocado.
Nooooope. Put this one on repeat, baby!
So I'm a little late to the avocado boat party (at least I didn't miss the...boat) 😉 but better late than never! What a fab way to combine so many guilty pleasures (BBQ, bacon, cheese) and sneak in some nutrients, too.
A few weeks ago I shared that I got my first ever crock pot. Let me tell you we've been mass producing pulled chicken like nobody's business. Seriously, I'm tempted to call the city and tell them they need to rezone our apartment lot from residential to commercial, because we've got a serious pulled chicken factory operating in full force over here.
As you can imagine, multiple batches of pulled chicken + two mouths = a lot of leftover chicken. Not that that's a bad problem to have, just that I didn't want to run into pulled chicken burnout, especially only a few weeks into owning a crock pot. These avocado boats were a welcome change from the standard pulled chicken sandwich and c'mon...any opportunity to eat bacon? Can't pass that up.
Underneath that delish chicken is a brush of olive oil, a sprinkle of panko breadcrumbs for crunch, and a pinch of shredded cheddar. So far we've always made it in the slow cooker which FOR REAL couldn't be simpler, and we *love* it. If you don't have a slow cooker - no judgment, that was me a few weeks ago. You can prepare chicken in your preferred method and then shred, or take an itty bitty short cut and use a rotisserie chicken.
Next I added bacon crumbles which are totally optional (as optional as bacon is in your house. In mine it's mandatory) and slathered on some BBQ sauce. Spicy, mild, brown sugar, honey, Carolina, Kansas City, Texas, homemade, store bought, any and all. BBQ sauce. ♥
Then - more cheese! Duh. Throw 'em in the oven for a bit until the cheese melts and they're heated and you're all set to chow down. If you're wondering what kind of pan I have them in, it's a 9" x 5" loaf pan. The recipe below calls for two avocados, so four halves, which fit perfectly side-by-side in a loaf pan of that size! No chance these babies are rolling around and spilling any of that delicious filling. Not on our watch.
BBQ Pulled Chicken Avocado Boats
Ingredients
- 2 avocados
- 2 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoon panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- ½ cup shredded cheese (I used cheddar)
- 3 tablespoon BBQ sauce, your favorite
- 2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Slice avocados in half lengthwise and remove pit. Scoop out a little bit of avocado to create a well for the rest of the ingredients. (Psst - excess avocado would be great for a mini batch of guacamole!)
- Arrange the four avocado halves peel-side down in a 9" x 5" loaf pan, or in a small dish where they won't have much room to roll around. Brush inside of avocado halves with approx. ½ teaspoon olive oil and sprinkle approx. ½ teaspoon panko inside each. Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of shredded cheese over each avocado on top of panko.
- Add about ¼ cup of pulled chicken to avocados, pressing slightly to fill avocado. Sprinkle bacon crumbles evenly over four avocado halves and add BBQ sauce to top. Lastly, sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over top of avocados.
- Place pan in the oven for approx. 10-15 minutes, or until avocado halves are heated and the cheese is melted and slightly bubbly. Serve while warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.
Food Safety and Nutrition Disclaimer
Rachel @ Bakerita says
These are too cute, and I love how simple they are!! Pinned 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks Rachel! Simple is one of my favorite kinds of recipes for dinner. 🙂
Renee@Two in the Kitchen says
These look so tasty and delicious!! Pinned. 🙂
Alyssa says
Thanks so much, Renee! 🙂
Mary Frances says
OH.MY.GOSH. I have no words. None. This is just incredible. BBQ, chicken, and avocado are the trifecta of all trifectas. Drooling over here!
Alyssa says
Haha totally agreed, Mary Frances! I could eat BBQ, chicken, and avocado every day for-everrr! 🙂
Jocelyn (Grandbaby cakes) says
These are so fantastic! Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks for the pin Jocelyn!
Marcie says
These avocado boats are so wildly creative -- I love them! They look so healthy and delicious -- I would've never thought of this. Great idea, and I'd love to try them!
Alyssa says
Thanks Marcie! Avocado was everywhere in CA, so I get seriously excited when I find some good ones here in Nashville. What better way to enjoy them than packed full of other delicious ingredients? 🙂
Isadora @ she likes food says
I have far too many guilty pleasure songs and I don't think I want to admit to any of them! These avocado boats are such an amazing idea and I see them making an appearance on our superbowl menu!
Alyssa says
Haha I've got quite the list of guilty pleasure songs! And you're so right, I bet these would be fab superbowl eats. Lots of comfort foods packed in here. 🙂
Erica says
Whaaaaa? This is genius. Oh my gosh I am drooling. Pinned!
Alyssa says
Thanks Erica! 🙂
Taylor @ Food Faith Fitness says
I just saw these on Food Gawker! I was totally planning to eat baked eggs in avocado boats for dinner, but I am SO trying these instead. Minus the bacon because I ran out 🙁
So pumped! Pinning!
Alyssa says
Thanks Taylor!! Sad day when the bacon runs out. 🙁 BUT there are so many flavors here I bet you wouldn't miss it toooo badly. And thanks for the pin! 🙂
Kelly says
Wow, these look delicious! I love that you made avocado boats, that's such a great idea especially with the bbq pulled chicken and cheese! The flavors sound amazing and I can't wait to try this!
Alyssa says
Thank you Kelly! These flavors are some of my favorites ever in any type of dish. It was a treat to combine them all in one! 🙂
Erin | The Law Student's Wife says
These look crazy good! And anything by Hunter Hayes. I'm a country girl at heart!
Alyssa says
Thanks Erin! And I love me some country, especially now that I'm living in Nashville. Sometimes on my lunch breaks at work I'll walk down Broadway to hear all the music wafting out of the honky tonks. 🙂
Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says
I'm the same with songs! Lately I've been playing Bang Bang on repeat, esp when working out. I would also want BBQ pulled chicken on repeat, esp on these avocado boats!
Alyssa says
Ooh love that one too, Bianca! They're all so good! 🙂
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely says
This sounds so good! I've actually never cooked an avocado boat either. But this sounds delicious!
Alyssa says
Thanks girl! I totally get the hype about them now - deeeeelish. No one needs to twist my arm with eating more avocado. 🙂
Annie @Maebells says
This. Is. Brilliant. Whhhhhy do I not eat these every single day?! I am totally in love with the flavors in this! Making this week!
Alyssa says
Thanks Annie! I'm with ya - I'd gladly eat this for dinner every night! And with the amount of pulled chicken we have in the fridge/freezer, I think I could! Haha glad I saw the light with crock pots. I don't know how I've lived so long without them!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
These are totally speaking my food love language! Loving the flavors in this!
Alyssa says
Hahaha Kristi - agreed!!
Sues says
Mmm this is SUCH a good idea. I'd probably want to eat this every single night 🙂
Alyssa says
I've been thinking that thought too, Sues! 🙂