Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers (Printer-friendly)
Succulent chicken, sautéed peppers and onions with melted cheese stuffed into roasted bell peppers for an easy weeknight dinner.
# What you'll need:
→ Stuffed Peppers
01 - 4 large bell peppers (any color), halved and seeded
02 - 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, thinly sliced
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
05 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
06 - 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
07 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
→ Fajita Seasoning
08 - 1 teaspoon chili powder
09 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
10 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
12 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
13 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
→ Assembly
14 - 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
15 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
16 - 1 lime, cut into wedges
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange bell pepper halves cut side up in a baking dish and lightly season with salt.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced chicken and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until beginning to brown.
03 - Add onion, sliced bell peppers, and garlic to the skillet. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until vegetables are softened and chicken is cooked through.
04 - Sprinkle fajita seasoning over the mixture and stir to coat evenly. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
05 - Spoon the chicken fajita mixture evenly into the prepared bell pepper halves. Top each with shredded cheese.
06 - Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.
07 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and peppers are tender.
08 - Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The peppers soften to the perfect texture while maintaining their shape, creating little edible bowls that make cleanup mysteriously disappear faster than the leftovers ever will.
- You can prep everything ahead of time and simply pop them in the oven when youre ready, making them perfect for those nights when cooking feels like climbing a mountain.
02 -
- If your peppers wobble or tip over, slice a tiny bit off the bottoms to create flat surfaces, a sanity-saving trick I discovered after watching my third pepper spill its contents all over the oven.
- Always let the peppers rest for about 5 minutes after baking, allowing the juices to redistribute and preventing that scalding hot first bite that inevitably burns the roof of your mouth.
03 -
- For peppers that maintain their structure but arent too firm, blanch them in boiling water for just 2 minutes before stuffing, a restaurant technique that ensures perfect texture without making them mushy.
- Slightly undercook the chicken in the skillet since it will continue cooking in the oven, preventing that disappointing dry texture that can ruin an otherwise perfect pepper.