Fajita Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers Recipe

Chicken stuffed bell peppers recipe with rice is a great twist to the old fashioned version. Use fresh or rotisserie with buffalo sauce for some heat, or leave mild. Bake in the oven or cook as Crockpot stuffed bell peppers instead all day. Best dinner ever.

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Chicken Recipe

Yes you can certainly use fresh meat, boil breasts and shred it for this too. Typically I will make these the day after I have made poultry for a meal though. We always seem to have leftovers and if you follow me at all you know how much I hate wasting food.

Should I boil peppers before stuffing them?

SO in true typical mom fashion I just take the bag out of the fridge and blanch bell peppers first quickly to soften them up a bit before you fill them. It is not like they would be ruined without this step but it is highly recommended and tastes better.

Why do you boil boil green peppers before stuffing them?

It is a must for us for two reasons; you will be able to slightly soften them up this way, and get rid of a bit of the bitterness. It doesn’t really matter whether you choose yellow, green or red bell peppers, they all have a bit of bitter taste if they aren’t boiled at all. Also you don’t really want a crunchy texture with the soft filling, at least we don’t.

You could certainly skip this step but if you had one of each on the plate I think your palate would prefer the blanched one. It doesn’t take but 5 minutes or so once you have boiling water ready. Submerge and just let them sit. Drain the water from the inside and you’re ready to fill. You’ll be busy making your filling while this happens anyway.

How do you cut bell peppers if you want to stuff them?

I’m sure you know, but this is how to cut bell peppers if you need some tips. In this case all you really need to do is remove the top to expose the empty cavity inside and it is customary to get rid of the seeds and membranes inside too.

Do you add raw or cooked rice for stuffed peppers?

The steps for this aren’t much different than if you were to make a pan of stuffed green peppers the “old fashioned” way. There are many variations to these but typically you would use ground beef or ground sausage as your protein and you do need to cook the rice. You can do this on the stove, pressure cooker or rice cooker until fluffy.

Below it calls for buffalo sauce. If you didn’t want any heat to these you could change it up and use enchilada sauce instead, mild works great. Then add a packet of fajita seasoning and your tweak is done. There are so many ways to change this up a bit so each way is different but the base for prep, rice, cheese and all remains the same.

Chicken Stuffed Peppers Ingredients

1. You’ll want one bell peppers per person, or 2 if you have hungry boys or a husband
2. I would make a batch of white rice or variety of choice
   1. Instant Pot brown rice, Ninja foodi rice, cooked wild rice are other options, 3 cups is measured after cooked.
3. We love lots of cheese, Mexican blend is kinda’ nice to use
4. Buffalo sauce will bring some heat
   1. could substitute for mild enchilada sauce
5. Softened cream cheese makes it OMG delish
6. Cooked and shredded chicken breasts or thighs work
7. Add a bit of blue cheese dressing
   1. ranch can be substituted if that type is ewwwww for y’all

How do you bake stuffed peppers without them falling over?

For baking it depends on how many you’re making. You want them to fit tightly so they don’t fall over. If you have 6 or less I would use a muffin tin, seriously. Sit the bottom right into the holes (1 each) and they will sit perfectly upright. 8×8 pan will fit 5 well and 9×13″ if you’re making a bunch. Timing for more or less should remain the same.

So I have a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick step by step so you can get a general idea before you get everything out. I suggest blanching beforehand, you won’t regret the extra step.

How to make stuffed chicken bell peppers

• Cook the chicken in a saucepan seasoned with salt and pepper, when pink is gone pour the buffalo sauce over the top. When cooked to fork tender, shred and remove from heat to cool a bit.
  • If using leftovers you would be able to skip this step.
  • Or skip with our How Long to Bake Stuffed Peppers at 400 instructions.
• Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, blue cheese dressing and the remaining buffalo sauce from the pan.
• Stir in the rice, then set aside. Chop/Shred the chicken, if you haven’t already, and add to the bowl with the rice. Add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
• Fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil over medium/high heat.
• Remove the top and core from each bell pepper and remove the seeds. (do not cut peppers in half lengthwise, you just cut off the top with the stem)
  • When the water is boiling submerge all hollowed out peppers into the water to blanch them (soften and take away some bitterness).
  • This should take about 5 minutes to slightly soften and then take out and set inside your baking dish with holes facing up.
• Fill each bell pepper with chicken and rice mixture and then place in a casserole dish. Cover with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for 10 more minutes.
• Remove chicken stuffed peppers from oven and add at least another 1/2 cup of additional shredded cheese to the tops.

How long does it take to bake stuffed bell peppers in the oven?

Bake uncovered for about 5 minutes so cheese can melt and then enjoy together!! It should take a total of 25 – 30 minutes, super quick and easy to make. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top for added yum.

Can you cook stuffed bell peppers in the air fryer?

Yes you can, air fryer stuffed peppers will actually add a bit of crisp to the top too which we love. You would make them as directed here and then follow the temperature and timing in this link for coking them in your small countertop appliance instead of the oven.

How to save leftover stuffed peppers

Any and all versions save really well too. Sometimes I even think they are better the next day because they continue to soften up in the fridge. Just wait until they are cooled, transfer to an airtight container and when you reheat pop them in the microwave.

Other Unique Stuffed Peppers Recipes You’ll Love

Want to make these even faster?? Use our Instant Pot stuffed peppers recipe to skip the blanch step entirely and be done in half the time! Or try our stuffed mini sweet peppers appetizer. Nutritional info is listed below with calories, saturated fat etc but is only calculated with exact ingredients listed below.