A lot of people who know me personally ask me why I am not the size of a small house. Probably because I spend my days making things like The Best Cream Cheese Frosting and Peanut Butter Blossoms. No lie, it’s really hard. And it’s something I spend too much time thinking about. There are a few things that help me:
My body feels a lot better when I eat in moderation.Denying myself treats often back fires. But just one good piece of chocolate after dinner can feel really satisfying.Forgiving myself when I don’t eat in moderation and moving forward works well.
And above all else, eating balanced dinners full of good for my body ingredients works the best. These Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers are a perfect example. Lots of veggies, a lean protein, and carbs and cheese to fulfill my cravings make this an ideal weeknight dinner.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN STUFFED PEPPERS
These chicken stuffed peppers are very easy, but they do have a few steps that turn it into a success. Once you make it once, you’ll barely need to read the instructions again.
WHY WE PRE-BAKE THE PEPPERS
I love stuffed peppers. LOVE THEM. But unless you want them to bake for almost an hour, you really need to do something to soften the actual pepper. Some recipes par-boil them. Others microwave them. I love this idea of using our preheated oven and the time we are taking to make the filling to get the peppers soft. Then we just fill and give them a quick 20 minutes. If you like your peppers with just the slightest crunch, cut that baking time down to 10 minutes.
MAKE IT EASIER
If you want to cut some time off this recipe, use rotisserie shredded chicken! Doing this will cut about 10 minutes off this recipe!
After you have sautéed your onion and garlic, toss in 3 cups of shredded chicken. Then immediately add in the spices, tomatoes, and lime juice and simmer for 5 minutes.
You can even use shredded chicken right from the freezer. It will just take slightly longer for your tomatoes to come to a simmer.
“GIVE ME BROWN CHEESE OR GIVE ME DEATH”
In my small circle of friends there was much debate on how the cheese should be on these glorious stuffed peppers. The quote above is from a friend of mine, and I think you get where she stands. The deeply browned and crispy cheese you see in these pictures is the result of 10 minutes uncovered in the oven. In the recipe I recommend 5 minutes uncovered for some browning. If you want none, like my sweet neighbor and dear husband, leave them covered for the whole baking time, and you get a pepper like you see below. Which camp are you in? Brown cheese or no?
A NOTE ON SERVING SIZE
This recipe makes 8 half peppers. It is a great main dish for an adult, but will need a side dish to leave adults feeling full. An alternative is to make this into very stuffed full peppers (see below), for four very big servings.
HALVES OR WHOLES
I made these stuffed peppers into halves, but you could easily just make four whole stuffed peppers. You likely will have some filling left over as it is easier to over fill half peppers than whole peppers. Each whole pepper would be roughly 340 calories as you would be using only four slices of cheese instead of 8.
MAKING THIS RECIPE LOW CARB
This is a great recipe to make low carb. Simply leave out the rice, and as mentioned above make four full peppers. You will have a delicious and satisfying dinner, that is on the healthy side.
OTHER GREAT STUFFED PEPPERS
If you like these you will also love my other stuffed pepper recipes. These Italian Stuffed Peppers are one of Gavin’s favorite recipes. These Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers are another favorite. My Taco Stuffed Peppers are a very popular recipe for how easy they are. And if you like stuffed peppers, but your family isn’t into a pepper shell, try my Stuffed Pepper Casserole. It’s a hit! If you make this recipe or any of my other easy family dinner recipes, leave me a comment and let me know!
