Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Peppers
These low carb Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Peppers are loaded with salsa, cream cheese, chipotle, and spices. Not only are they full of flavor but they are a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken.
Servings: 6 peppers
Calories: 358kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ¾ cup salsa*
- 1 chipotle pepper chopped finely, plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce*
- 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 3 cups shredded chicken*
- 8 ounces cheese shredded & divided*
- 3 bell peppers halved lengthwise & seeds/membranes removed
- fresh limes & chopped cilantro for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, salsa, chipotle, adobo sauce, cumin, garlic, and paprika. It should be mostly incorporated, but there will still be some lumps of cream cheese.
- Fold in the chicken and almost all of the shredded cheese (reserve ¾ cup for topping).
- Place the bell pepper halves in a baking dish.
- Fill each pepper with the chicken mixture.
- Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until bubbling and browned.
Notes
- Salsa: Any mild red or green salsa you have on hand will work. You could also use enchilada sauce.
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce: These usually come in 7 ounce cans. Remove 1 small pepper and chop it finely. Use about 1 Tablespoon of the sauce that the peppers are packed in as well. If you are sensitive to spice, you can use only half or the pepper or omit the pepper and just use the sauce. It adds a nice smokey flavor to the filling.
- Chicken: You can use leftover or rotisserie chicken. If you are cooking chicken for this recipe, use 2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts. Season with salt and pepper. Sear them in oil to develop some browning. Add water to the pan, cover, and finish steaming them until cooked through and tender enough to shred. You could also use cooked ground taco meat or turkey.
- Cheese: Use any blend or cheese that you prefer. I used a combination of pepper jack, monterey jack, and sharp cheddar. Set aside about ¾ cup of the cheese for topping.
- Do not remove the stem. If you cut them out, the filling can spill out the top. Just slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and membrane.
- Steam the peppers. If you like the bell peppers soft, add a splash of water to the dish and cover with foil. Bake covered for 25-30 minutes and uncover for the remainder.
Nutrition
Calories: 358kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 105mg | Sodium: 577mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g