Chicken Fajita Stuffed Peppers

5 from 891 votes

Chicken Stuffed Peppers are made with a fajita style mixture that combines onions, garlic, tex mex spices and chicken, then oven-baked until soft and cheesy

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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!

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Chicken stuffed peppers on a white plate topped with pico de gallo and sour cream
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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.

Collage of two images showing the onions getting sauteed, then the chicken, garlic and spices getting added

Next, you’ll add the rice, cilantro and lime juice. For convenience, I like using 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.

Collage of two images showing the chicken, onions and spices cookied, then the cilantro and rice added

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.

Collage of two images showing the peppers hallowed out, and then stuffed with the rice mixture

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. This Staub baking dish is perfect for cooking these! 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!

Watch this video to learn how to make chicken fajita stuffed peppers.

Tips for making chicken stuffed peppers

  1. 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}.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
Chicken stuffed peppers in a white baking dish when they come out of oven

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.

Fork cutting piece out of chicken stuffed peppers to show inside stuffing

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!

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Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Chicken Stuffed Peppers are made with a fajita style mixture that combines onions, garlic, tex mex spices and chicken, then oven-baked until soft and cheesy
5 from 891 votes
Servings 3 servings
Course Entree
Calories 441
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Video

Ingredients
  

  • 3 green bell peppers
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 pound chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 cup precooked rice
  • 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro plus more for garnish
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Sour cream for serving
  • Pico de gallo for serving

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375°F, and prepare the peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise and removing the seeds and membrane; set aside in a baking dish cut side up.
  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and saute until they start to soften, about 2-3 minutes.
  • Add garlic, chicken, chili powder, cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
  • Add rice, cilantro, lime juice, and stir together until heated through, about 2 minutes.
  • Spoon the cooked chicken and rice mixture into the cut pepper halves, filling them to the top. Pour water into the baking dish to fill the bottom, being careful not to pour any water on the peppers.
  • Cover baking dish with foil and bake until peppers are softened, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with shredded cheese and return to oven to bake until cheese is melted, about 5 more minutes
  • Serve immediately, topped with pico de gallo and sour cream, if desired.

Notes

Quantity: My images only show 4 pepper halves, but the recipe is enough for 6 pepper haves. I usually don’t stuff the remaining rice mixture and keep it for my kids to enjoy as is.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last about 3-4 days in the fridge.
Freezing Instructions: You can also freeze the baked stuffed peppers for up to 3 months. Freeze them individually or all together in a baking dish. To re-heat, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake in a 350°F oven until heated through.
Make Ahead Tips: You can make the chicken and rice mixture ahead of time or use cooked rice like I did to speed up the process.
Substitutes: For best results, follow the recipe as is. However here are some common substitutes that would work well in this recipe.
  • You can use any other colored peppers you’d like.
  • Instead of chicken breast, you can substitute ground chicken, flank steak, ground turkey or ground beef. If you want to make them vegetarian, I would recommend using black beans and corn instead of the chicken.
  • If you want to avoid rice, you can use cauliflower rice, quinoa, couscous or even bulgur.

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 42g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 382mg, Potassium: 887mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 1182IU, Vitamin C: 102mg, Calcium: 250mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.

Course: Entree

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Comments

  1. Very good!! I added a small can of tomato sauce to the filling because my guy is Romanian and I thought it would be a nice addition. Thanks!

  2. Hi!

    I loved all your recipes I’ve made thus far and am looking to make this one.

    Instead of chicken breast, would this recipe work with leftover rotisserie chicken?

    1. That makes me so happy to hear! Yes, it will work, but don’t cook the chicken for too long or else it will be dry. You could try adding the chicken in step four instead of step three.

    1. You can use that when you feel that your rice mixture is dry, so add about a fourth cup of tomato sauce or chicken broth.

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