Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers

Happy Foodie Friday my lovelies! Today I am going to be sharing a recipe from the Fixate cookbook. This recipe is easy to make and is so yummy! Keep reading after the jump!

Let's dive right in. This recipe serves 8 people and each 1/2 pepper is a serving. It takes about 20 minutes of prep time and 54 minutes of cooking. It is also a Gluten Free recipe. Each serving is about 322 calories, 10 g Total fat, 4g saturated fat, 68 mg cholesterol, 479 mg Sodium, 29 g Carbohydrates, 6 g of fiber and sugars, 27 g of protein

Ingredients:

• 4 medium bell peppers, cut in half, with the seeds removed. You can choose red, yellow, or green. It is up to you.
• 2 tsp. of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, raw, skinless, boneless, chicken breast, chopped into 3/4 - inch pieces
• 1 tsp. ground chili powder
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt (or Himalayan salt)
• 1 cup of no salt or sugar added tomato sauce
• 2 cups of cooked quinoa
• 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels ( I used mixed veggies here)
• 5 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro, save some for garnish
• 1 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese
• Hot pepper sauce (to taste / optional)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Place bell peppers, skin side down, in a large baking dish or pan and set aside.

    

   3.  Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

   4.  Add onion and cook for 4 - 5 minutes stirring frequently until the onion becomes translucent.

   5.  Add garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute

   6.  Add chicken, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Cook stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, until    chicken is no longer pink.

   7. Add tomato sauce, quinoa, beans, corn / veggies, cilantro and lime juice. Reduce heat to medium - low. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until it is heated through.

  8.  Add a heaping 1/2 cup of chicken mixture to each pepper half and cover lightly with foil. 

  9.  Bake for 35 minutes, or until peppers are tender and then remove the foil.

  10.  Top each pepper evenly with cheese. Bake for 3 additional minutes or until the cheese is melted.

  11.   Serve sprinkled with cilantro and hot sauce (if desired)

DIG IN!

I made a little extra so that I can enjoy the filling as a "quinoa bowl" for lunch during the week. You can do the same by upping the ingredients other then the peppers just a bit and putting it into the fridge once it is cooled AFTER stuffing the peppers. I served about 3/4 to 1 cup for the lunch servings. My family all approved this meal which is a plus. it is so much easier to eat right when the family does it with you. If you try this recipe I would love to hear how it came out. Let me know below in the comments :) Have a wonderful weekend.

XO, Chris