These chicken stuffed fajita peppers are so quick and easy to make and packed full of flavor. They are perfect to serve as part of a weeknight meal and the whole family will love them!
Nothing gets me out of a dinner rut like stuffed peppers. They’re a perfect food vessel for getting creative in the kitchen, and I haven’t found a way that doesn’t taste great! I’ve made Beef Stuffed Peppers, Taco Stuffed Peppers, Quinoa Stuffed Peppers and even Unstuffed Peppers and now these Chicken Stuffed Peppers – fajita style!
How to make chicken stuffed peppers
Cook the stuffing
While you preheat the oven, you can work on the stuffing. It’s a very basic stuffing with onions, garlic, chicken, chili powder and cumin. Start by sauteing the onions for a couple minutes. Then add the remaining ingredients and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.
Next, you’ll add the rice, cilantro and lime juice. For convenience, I like using these organic ready-to-heat rice packets sometimes. They really cut down on the cook time, and they’re seasoned with only a few simple ingredients. If you prefer, you can also just cook rice, or add quinoa, couscous, cauliflower rice or other grains.
The rice I’m using has a light sauce with it, so if you feel that your mixture is dry, feel free to add about a fourth cup of tomato sauce or chicken broth. The lime juice will also help create a light sauce.
Assemble & bake the peppers
That’s all it takes to cook the stuffing. Now you want to slice the peppers in half lengthwise and hallow them out by removing the seeds and membranes. Then, transfer the chicken and rice stuffing into the peppers. The mixture makes enough for 6 halves. But I usually only do 4 halves and keep the rest of the stuffing for the kids to eat unstuffed.
Now, add some water to the baking dish and cover it with foil. The water will allow the covered dish to steam the peppers and soften them. After 20 minutes, they will be crisp tender, which is how I like them. You can keep them in there longer if you prefer.
When the peppers are softened to your liking, sprinkle some cheese on top and return the baking dish to the oven uncovered. Then serve them straight from the oven topped with pico de gallo and sour cream if you’d like. Guacamole would also go great with it!
Tips for making chicken stuffed peppers
- Cut the peppers in half lengthwise instead of just cutting off the top stem. There are two ways of cutting peppers for stuffed peppers, and neither way is incorrect. However, cutting them lengthwise just makes for faster stuffing and even faster cooking in the oven. Also, the cheese to stuffing ratio is higher this way {wink}.
- Pre-cook the peppers to lessen bake time. You can do this by microwaving the peppers, pre-baking them in the oven without the filling or boiling them in water for 5 minutes. This also makes for more tender peppers, if that’s your preference.
- Cook the stuffing before spooning into the peppers. Technically you don’t have to cook the chicken since it will have ample time to cook in the oven. But the rice should definitely be pre-cooked. I find that cooking everything first gives the dish more flavor and doesn’t dry out in the oven.
- Vary the recipe by using leftovers. Stuffed peppers are one of my favorite ways to clean out the fridge. You can throw extra corn, salsa, beans or cabbage in there. If you don’t have rice, but leftover quinoa, that works really well too. It’s a very forgiving type of recipe.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you cook stuffed peppers?
The chicken stuffed peppers will need about 20 minutes in the oven to soften, but this will give a crisp tender consistency. If you’re looking for softer texture, you can leave it in for 5-10 minutes. You can also pre-cook the peppers in the oven, stovetop or microwave before stuffing them.
What to serve with stuffed peppers?
Because these are essentially a full meal with the rice, chicken and vegetables, you can really serve them alone. I think a small salad works really well with these chicken stuffed peppers. Try my Mexican Chopped Salad as a side dish.
Can you freeze stuffed peppers?
Yes, stuffed peppers are a very freezer-friendly meal that actually taste just as good after being frozen as they do fresh. You can cook the peppers first or freeze them before cooking. Place them in a freezer safe dish to avoid freezer burn, and keep for up to 3 months.
When ready to eat, you can defrost in the fridge overnight and then place in the oven at 350ºF until warmed through. Or you can even take them straight from freezer to oven and cook until warm.
These chicken stuffed peppers are the perfect one-dish meal! They have all the fajita ingredients and flavor, and make for a really fun concept for weeknight dinners or dinners with friends. I love that I can make the recipe easier using ready-to-heat rice, and I love that it’s a freezer-friendly meal! Quick today and convenient for tomorrow!
For more stuffed peppers recipes:
If you’ve tried this healthy-ish feel good Chicken Stuffed Peppers recipe or any other recipe on FeelGoodFoodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!
Related Posts :
Subscribe by Email
Follow Updates Articles from This Blog via Email
No Comments