Cheesy Southwest Chicken Stuffed Red Peppers

Prep 35 min
Total 1 hr 25 min
Servings 5

Whenever a dish looks so impressive, tastes so good and is so easy to make, we call it a win. These Southwest-flavored peppers, stuffed with cheesy chicken and rice, and topped with crunchy tortilla chips, will make you feel like a dinnertime champ.

By Betty Crocker Kitchens

Updated May 3, 2017

Make with

Old El Paso

Ingredients

1

cup Old El Paso™ Thick 'n Chunky medium salsa (from 16-oz jar)
5

large red bell peppers
2

tablespoons olive oil
1/2

cup chopped onion
1

medium poblano chile, seeded and chopped
1

serrano chile, seeded and chopped
1

package (0.85 oz) Old El Paso™ chicken taco seasoning mix
1

can (14.5 oz) Muir Glen™ organic fire roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
3/4

cup Progresso™ chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
1/4

teaspoon salt
3/4

cup uncooked instant white rice
1 1/4

cups shredded cooked chicken
1 1/4

cups shredded Cheddar cheese (5 oz)
1/2

cup crushed tortilla chips
Sour cream, if desired

Steps

1

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray 8-inch square (2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray; spread salsa in baking dish.
2

Cut thin slice from stem end of each bell pepper to remove top of pepper. Remove seeds and membranes; rinse peppers. If necessary, cut thin slice from bottom of each pepper so they stand up straight.
3

In 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, poblano chile and serrano chile. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened. Stir in taco seasoning mix, tomatoes, broth and salt. Heat to simmering. Stir in rice; remove from heat. Let stand 2 minutes to allow rice to absorb most of the moisture. Add chicken and cheese.
4

Stuff peppers with chicken and rice mixture. Stand peppers upright in baking dish.
5

Cover tightly with foil. Bake 20 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle tops of peppers generously with crushed tortilla chips. Bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until peppers are tender and tops are lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream.

This recipe serves 5, with 1 stuffed pepper per serving. The servings are hearty though, so if you’d prefer a lighter meal, just cut each pepper in half before serving.
Serrano chiles add a nice touch of heat and flavor to this dish. If you’d prefer less heat, feel free to leave the serranos out of the recipe.