Cheesy Stuffed Poblano Peppers
For these incredibly tasty stuffed poblano peppers, we fill the peppers with Southwestern spiced chicken, rice, and cheese, then bake them in the oven until tender. Easy, flavorful, and a meal in one! When you are given a veggie with a nice big cavity in the middle, the obvious thing to do is stuff it! This recipe does just that, layering heavily spiced ground chicken, cheese, and fluffy rice into each pepper before baking them until the peppers soften and the cheese becomes irresistibly melty. Adam and I have become utterly obsessed with these stuffed poblanos. They’re a perfect standalone dinner (thanks to the rice, they are a meal in one). Beyond that, we often repurpose the leftovers into quick and delicious tacos, chopping the filled peppers and tucking them into warm tortillas. For more inspiration, explore our sausage stuffed bell peppers or cheese stuffed zucchini! Key Ingredients Poblano Peppers: Poblano peppers are dark green, glossy peppers usually sold near the bell peppers. They aren’t hot but can have a bit more heat than your typical sweet pepper. If you are sensitive to spice, substitute green bell peppers in our recipe below. Ground Chicken: I like a mix of ground breast and ground chicken thighs, so I buy ground chicken with at least 7% fat. Any less, and the chicken becomes too dry. Feel free to substitute ground turkey, beef, or pork. Rice: I stir 1 ½ cups of cooked rice into the filling, which makes leftover rice perfect for this dish. You can substitute cooked quinoa or leave it out for a low-carb option. You will have slightly less filling, so consider increasing the ground chicken (about 1/2 pound) or filling your peppers a little less than what’s shown in our photos. Onion, Garlic, and Spices: We don’t hold back on flavor with the filling and combine sauteed onion and garlic with a generous amount of chili powder, paprika (sweet, not smoked), cumin, and oregano. The spices seem like a lot at first, but once we stir in some sour cream and fresh lime, everything pops and makes sense. Corn: You can use raw corn kernels or frozen corn for this. I usually go for frozen corn since it’s less prep. Lime: Fresh lime juice brings this whole dish together. So, you’ll add a good amount to the filling before stuffing it into the poblano peppers. Then, once baked, you’ll want to serve the stuffed peppers with a few lime wedges. Sour Cream: We don’t want a dry, crumbly filling, so to bring it all together, you’ll stir sour cream into the spiced chicken. It makes all the difference. Cheese: You can use any melty mild cheese. Monterey Jack, cheddar, or my favorite, Oaxaca cheese, are all great options. If you see a smoked version of any of those, it would be great! Poblano Peppers: Poblano peppers are dark green, glossy peppers usually sold near the bell peppers. They aren’t hot but can have a bit more heat than your typical sweet pepper. If you are sensitive to spice, substitute green bell peppers in our recipe below. Ground Chicken: I like a mix of ground breast and ground chicken thighs, so I buy ground chicken with at least 7% fat. Any less, and the chicken becomes too dry. Feel free to substitute ground turkey, beef, or pork. Rice: I stir 1 ½ cups of cooked rice into the filling, which makes leftover rice perfect for this dish. You can substitute cooked quinoa or leave it out for a low-carb option. You will have slightly less filling, so consider increasing the ground chicken (about 1/2 pound) or filling your peppers a little less than what’s shown in our photos. Onion, Garlic, and Spices: We don’t hold back on flavor with the filling and combine sauteed onion and garlic with a generous amount of chili powder, paprika (sweet, not smoked), cumin, and oregano. The spices seem like a lot at first, but once we stir in some sour cream and fresh lime, everything pops and makes sense. Corn: You can use raw corn kernels or frozen corn for this. I usually go for frozen corn since it’s less prep. Lime: Fresh lime juice brings this whole dish together. So, you’ll add a good amount to the filling before stuffing it into the poblano peppers. Then, once baked, you’ll want to serve the stuffed peppers with a few lime wedges. Sour Cream: We don’t want a dry, crumbly filling, so to bring it all together, you’ll stir sour cream into the spiced chicken. It makes all the difference. Cheese: You can use any melty mild cheese. Monterey Jack, cheddar, or my favorite, Oaxaca cheese, are all great options. If you see a smoked version of any of those, it would be great! How to Make Stuffed Poblano Peppers You are looking at three easy steps for this stuffed poblano peppers recipe: (1) Par-bake the peppers and remove seeds, (2) Make the chicken filling, and (3) Fill and bake the peppers. So that the peppers turn out tender in the end, you’ll want to par-bake them for about 30 minutes. As they bake, you can make the filling and simply set it aside until your peppers are ready to stuff. You have two options for preparing the peppers. First, you can partially roast them to soften them a little, let them cool a bit, and then make a slit down the middle of one side in order to remove the seeds. I prefer this, but it adds a little extra cooling time. The photo below shows how I do this (basically, I make the slit then gently open the peppers enough to get my spoon in there and scrape out the seeds). Second, you can slice each pepper in half lengthwise before partially baking them. This will mean you may need a second baking dish, as all the pepper halves will not fit into one. Halving the peppers is easier, but because of the oblong shape of poblanos, you may have some trouble stuffing them later on. Once you stuff the peppers, you’ll top them with cheese and bake for another 25 minutes, then you can enjoy! Cheesy Stuffed Poblano Peppers PREP 20 mins COOK 55 mins TOTAL 1 hr 15 mins PREP 20 mins COOK 55 mins TOTAL 1 hr 15 mins For these incredibly tasty stuffed poblano peppers, we fill the peppers with southwestern spiced chicken, rice, and cheese, then bake them in the oven until tender. Easy, flavorful, and a meal in one! You have two options for preparing the peppers. You can partially roast them whole, let them cool a bit, and then make a slit down the middle of one side in order to remove the seeds. I prefer this, but it adds a little extra cooling time. Or, you can slice each pepper in half lengthwise before partially roasting them. This will mean you may need a second baking dish, as all the pepper halves will not fit into one. Halving the peppers is easier, but because of the oblong shape of poblanos, you may have some trouble stuffing them later on, as the halves tend to lay more flat and lose the natural cup shape that is helpful for holding the filling. 4 Servings You Will Need 4 to 6 poblano peppers, depending on size 1 ½ cups cooked rice, about 8 ounces 1 pound ground chicken 2 tablespoons olive oil Half of a small onion 6 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano 1 teaspoon paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt 6 tablespoons (75g) sour cream 1 cup frozen corn kernels 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro 4 ounces (113g) shredded mild cheese, like Monterey Jack, mild cheddar, or Oaxaca cheese, about 1 cup 2 limes Directions 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and set aside a large 13×9-inch baking dish. 2Pre-bake peppers: Rub the whole poblano peppers with a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, then place them into the baking dish (in one layer). Roast the peppers for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let them steam for 15 minutes while you work on the filling. (If you cut your peppers in halves lengthwise instead, you should remove the seeds and membrane before baking, rub the halves all over with the oil, and do not need to cover them with foil or the additional cooling time after baking.) 3Make the filling: Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. 4Stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and cook for one minute. 5Add the chicken and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it into crumbles. When cooked through, stir in the corn. 6Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in 1 ½ cups cooked rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons sour cream, and the juice of half a lime. Taste, and then adjust with more salt and lime juice (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon of salt). 7Prepare Peppers for Stuffing: For whole pre-baked peppers, uncover the foil, and then cut a slit down the length of each pepper. Gently open the peppers up and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membrane towards the top of each pepper (a pairing knife helps to cut through the top where the seeds are). 8Stuff Peppers: Use a spoon to fill each pepper with the ground chicken stuffing. Pack in as much as you can fit. Place into the baking dish, top with chopped cilantro, and cover with cheese. 9Bake Peppers: Bake the peppers for 18 to 25 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese melts. Serve with a wedge of lime for squeezing over the top. 1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and set aside a large 13×9-inch baking dish. 2Pre-bake peppers: Rub the whole poblano peppers with a 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, then place them into the baking dish (in one layer). Roast the peppers for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, cover with foil, and let them steam for 15 minutes while you work on the filling. (If you cut your peppers in halves lengthwise instead, you should remove the seeds and membrane before baking, rub the halves all over with the oil, and do not need to cover them with foil or the additional cooling time after baking.) 3Make the filling: Heat 1 ½ tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the onion and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. 4Stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 ½ tablespoons dried oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and cook for one minute. 5Add the chicken and cook, using a wooden spoon to break it into crumbles. When cooked through, stir in the corn. 6Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in 1 ½ cups cooked rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 6 tablespoons sour cream, and the juice of half a lime. Taste, and then adjust with more salt and lime juice (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon of salt). 7Prepare Peppers for Stuffing: For whole pre-baked peppers, uncover the foil, and then cut a slit down the length of each pepper. Gently open the peppers up and use a spoon to scrape out the seeds and membrane towards the top of each pepper (a pairing knife helps to cut through the top where the seeds are). 8Stuff Peppers: Use a spoon to fill each pepper with the ground chicken stuffing. Pack in as much as you can fit. Place into the baking dish, top with chopped cilantro, and cover with cheese. 9Bake Peppers: Bake the peppers for 18 to 25 minutes until the peppers are tender and the cheese melts. Serve with a wedge of lime for squeezing over the top. Adam and Joanne's Tips Storing: Keep leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (this assumes the rice was made within a day of preparing the peppers). Substitute the ground chicken: Other ground meat like turkey, beef, and pork work in the recipe. If you use ground beef or pork, we recommend that you brown the meat first, remove it from the pan, and drain it (since it will be fattier). Rice-free stuffed poblano peppers: Increase the meat by 1/2 pound or assume you will have less stuffing for each pepper. You can also substitute the rice for cooked quinoa. Substitute bell peppers: Poblano peppers are mild compared to jalapeños, but they still can have a bit of heat. Feel free to substitute green bell peppers in this recipe. More serving ideas: These peppers are amazing as written, but are also excellent when served with pico de gallo or homemade guacamole! I’ve also taken the leftovers, chopped them, and added them to warm corn tortillas (so good!). The nutrition facts below are estimates. Storing: Keep leftover stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days (this assumes the rice was made within a day of preparing the peppers). Substitute the ground chicken: Other ground meat like turkey, beef, and pork work in the recipe. If you use ground beef or pork, we recommend that you brown the meat first, remove it from the pan, and drain it (since it will be fattier). Rice-free stuffed poblano peppers: Increase the meat by 1/2 pound or assume you will have less stuffing for each pepper. You can also substitute the rice for cooked quinoa. Substitute bell peppers: Poblano peppers are mild compared to jalapeños, but they still can have a bit of heat. Feel free to substitute green bell peppers in this recipe. More serving ideas: These peppers are amazing as written, but are also excellent when served with pico de gallo or homemade guacamole! I’ve also taken the leftovers, chopped them, and added them to warm corn tortillas (so good!). The nutrition facts below are estimates. Nutrition Per Serving Serving Size 1 1/2 stuffed peppers (6 total) / Calories 526 / Total Fat 29.4g / Saturated Fat 10.8g / Cholesterol 130.6mg / Sodium 771.2mg / Carbohydrate 37.3g / Dietary Fiber 5.2g / Total Sugars 7.1g / Protein 32.4g AUTHOR: Joanne Gallagher We’re Adam and Joanne, a couple passionate about cooking and sharing delicious, reliable recipes since 2009. Our goal? To inspire you to get in the kitchen and confidently cook fresh and flavorful meals.More About Us