Baking

Chicken Stuffed Peppers: The Lean, Mean, Flavor Machine

3 min

Brown the ground chicken hard before you drain it, because lean chicken gives up very little fat and you want those stuck bits on the pan instead of pale, steamed meat. From there it's an assembly job: rice, half the marinara, and half the mozzarella stirred right into the warm filling so the cheese melts into it rather than sitting on top. I cut the pepper tops flat and stand them upright in a little water, which steams them tender while the covered bake does the rest of the cooking. The foil comes off for the last ten minutes so the cheese can blister.

By Nora Calloway

A little backstory

Stuffed peppers show up all over the map, from Hungarian töltött paprika simmered in tomato to the Levantine mahshi, and most versions lean on beef, pork, or lamb with rice. This ground-chicken take is the lighter weeknight cousin of those, built for a 375 oven and a Tuesday rather than a long braise.

Stuffed peppers are a full meal in a bowl. A bowl you can eat.

Ground chicken. Rice. Marinara. Mozzarella. All baked inside sweet bell peppers. Healthy? Sure. Delicious? Absolutely. No one will miss the beef.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Preheat and Prep Peppers

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
Slice tops off peppers. Remove seeds and membranes.
Place peppers upright in a baking dish. Add 2 tbsp water to dish.

Cook the Filling

In a skillet over medium heat, cook ground chicken and onion until chicken is browned (5-7 minutes). Drain any liquid.
Add garlic. Cook 1 minute until fragrant.
Stir in cooked rice, half the marinara sauce (about ¾ cup), Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and half the mozzarella.

Stuff the Peppers

Spoon filling into each pepper, pressing down gently.
Pour remaining marinara over and around the peppers.
Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake and Serve

Cover dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes.
Uncover. Bake 10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly and peppers are tender.
Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve hot.

Summary

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 4 stuffed peppers

Difficulty: Easy

Storage Notes

Fridge:

Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Tastes even better day 2.

Reheat:

Microwave 2-3 minutes. Or oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

Freezer Friendly:

Assemble (don’t bake). Freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 50-60 minutes.

Pro Tip:

Substitute cauliflower rice to keep it low-carb. Works perfectly.

The Ingredients

Everything you need.

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

40 minutes

Total

55 minutes

Yield

4 stuffed peppers

Ingredients

Serves 4.

4 large bell peppers (any color)
1 lb ground chicken
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup cooked rice (white, brown, or cauliflower rice)
1 can (15 oz) marinara or tomato sauce (divided)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (divided)
2 tbsp fresh parsley or basil, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1
Preheat and Prep Peppers. Preheat and Prep Peppers. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Slice tops off peppers. Remove seeds and membranes. Place peppers upright in a baking dish. Add 2 tbsp water to dish. 2 2
2
Cook the Filling. Cook the Filling. In a skillet over medium heat, cook ground chicken and onion until chicken is browned (5-7 minutes). Drain any liquid. Add garlic. Cook 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in cooked rice, half the marinara sauce (about ¾ cup), Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and half the mozzarella. 3 3
3
Stuff the Peppers. Stuff the Peppers. Spoon filling into each pepper, pressing down gently. Pour remaining marinara over and around the peppers. Top with remaining mozzarella cheese. 4 4
4
Bake and Serve. Bake and Serve. Cover dish with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Uncover. Bake 10 more minutes until cheese is bubbly and peppers are tender. Garnish with parsley or basil. Serve hot
5
Fridge:. Fridge:. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Tastes even better day 2
6
Reheat:. Reheat:. Microwave 2-3 minutes. Or oven at 350°F for 10-12 minutes
7
Freezer Friendly:. Freezer Friendly:. Assemble (don’t bake). Freeze up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 375°F for 50-60 minutes
8
Pro Tip:. Pro Tip:. Substitute cauliflower rice to keep it low-carb. Works perfectly

Swaps & Substitutions

Ground chicken → ground turkey works one-for-one; if you use beef or pork, drain more fat after browning.
Mozzarella → a dairy-free shredded cheese melts fine, or skip it and stir 2 tbsp nutritional yeast into the filling for savoriness.
Cooked rice → cauliflower rice keeps it low-carb, or use cooked quinoa or orzo; just don't add raw grains, they won't cook through in time.
Marinara → a 15 oz can of plain tomato sauce plus a pinch more Italian seasoning does the job.
Italian seasoning → mix dried oregano, basil, and thyme in roughly equal parts.
Bell peppers → poblanos work and add mild heat, though they're thinner-walled so check them a few minutes early.

Questions & Answers

Can I make these ahead?

Yes. Stuff the peppers and refrigerate up to two days, then bake when you're ready. Add about 10 minutes to the covered bake since they're going in cold.

Why were my peppers watery at the bottom?

That's usually the 2 tbsp of water plus juice the peppers release as they soften. Spoon it out before serving, or roast the empty peppers for 10 minutes first to drive off some moisture.

How do I know they're done?

The cheese should be bubbling and lightly browned and a knife should slide into the pepper wall easily. The chicken is already cooked from browning, so you're really just heating through and softening the peppers.

Can I freeze the leftovers?

They freeze well. Cool completely, wrap each pepper, and freeze up to three months. Reheat covered at 350 until hot in the center, around 25 minutes from frozen.

My peppers tipped over in the dish. How do I keep them upright?

Trim a thin slice off the bottom so they sit flat, but don't cut through to the cavity or the filling leaks. Packing them snug against each other also helps them hold each other up.

Chicken Stuffed Peppers: The Lean, Mean, Flavor Machine