Mexican Chicken Stuffed Peppers

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Chicken stuffed peppers are one of the best healthy weeknight dinner recipes of all time! Bell peppers are gently broiled and stuffed with tender chicken, cauliflower rice, fresh pico and avocado.

I’m always looking for really simple meals that my whole family will enjoy. Anything that’s 20 minutes or less is a go-to recipe, especially on busy weeknights.

To make this recipe, leftover chicken is cooked and seasoned with a fast homemade fajita seasoning, onion, garlic, and canned tomatoes, then stuffed inside quickly broiled bell peppers.

I promise, these stuffed peppers are definitely a weeknight win! It’s a super quick meal to make. It comes together in about 20 minutes if you use some of the shortcuts I talk about a little further down in this post.

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

This dinner is a fabulous way to use up leftover chicken breasts or other leftover chicken. Reduce that food waste and repurpose leftovers!

If you need to increase your veggie intake, stuffed peppers are a great way to do just that. It’s actually one of my favorite ways to eat veggies.

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients that you need to make it the best stuffed peppers ever:

• bell peppers
• cooked chicken
• fajita seasoning
• diced onion
• minced garlic
• cauliflower rice
• diced tomatoes
• Toppings:
  • avocado
  • pico de gallo or salsa
  • cilantro
  • lime
  • mango pico de gallo

Substitutions and Variations

Use your favorite store-bought brand of fajita seasoning or my homemade recipe in the recipe card below. Taco seasoning will work too!

You can use fresh or frozen bell peppers for this stuffed pepper recipe. Either cut them in half or chop off the top of each pepper to stuff them.

While this recipe uses shredded chicken, you can use another type of meat if you prefer. Barbacoa would be tasty, steak fajita meat would work, or even ground beef.

How to Make Chicken Stuffed Peppers

There are three stages to preparing this easy meal! Follow these step by step instructions to make stuffed bell pepper halves:

Prepare the Vegetables

Preheat your broiler and then cut the peppers in half lengthwise, remove the stems, and scoop out the seeds. Rub the insides and outsides with a little bit of olive oil, then place on a lined baking sheet. 

Broil for 3-4 minutes per side, until softened slightly. If any char forms on the skin, allow the peppers to cool and then rub it off with your thumbs. 

Dice the onion and mince garlic, then set it aside.

Prepare the cauliflower rice. I sauté the frozen kind straight from a bag over low heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed and beginning to brown. Slice the lime and avocados.

Prepare the Chicken

Cut the tender chicken into bite sized pieces & season generously with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the chicken in, stirring occasionally. Once the chicken begins to brown, add the onion to the pan and sauté together for another 5 minutes. 

Stir in the fajita seasoning and tomatoes and bring the mixture to a simmer. Allow it to cook together for about 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat.

Assemble the Stuffed Peppers

Spoon the chicken into the peppers with prepared rice, your favorite salsa, sliced avocado, or any other toppings and enjoy!

How to Store Leftover Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Allow leftovers to cool and then transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can also freeze any leftover peppers! Just allow them to cool and wrap individually in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place in a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.

Toppings for Stuffed Peppers

There are so many different toppings that you can use with this easy stuffed peppers recipe! You can stick with Whole30 toppings or choose whatever you want. So, here’s a few fun ideas for this healthy meal:

• sour cream or Greek yogurt
• shredded cheese
• black beans
• salsa
• salsa verde
• guacamole
• lime juice
• green onion
• Mexican corn or corn salsa
• jalapeños
• mango pico de gallo (pictured above)

Tips for Success

These few tips and tricks will help you achieve perfect success with this easy, low carb meal:

• Need to save some time? Then use store-bought rotisserie chicken! Whole Foods and Fresh Market both offer Whole30 compliant rotisserie chicken, and I’d be willing to bet a lot of other grocers do too! Of course any leftover chicken or cooked chicken will work great.
• Use frozen cauliflower rice. It will save you the hassle and mess of doing it yourself, and I also think it turns out great!
• Try to choose bell peppers that are evenly shaped. Wonky peppers may be difficult to fill and cut into little boats for the chicken filling.

FAQ