Chipotle and Cheddar Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers
Stuffed peppers, typically with some sort of meat and rice filling, have been a comfort-food classic for at least as long as there have been cookbooks. But just because a dish is a classic doesn’t mean we can’t make it more exciting while still honoring tradition. For this smoky and zesty version of stuffed peppers, the filling has ground chicken and rice. However, the bulk of the flavors come from the assertive kale, cabbage, DOLE® Green Onion and the Chipotle Ranch Dressing that are key ingredients in our Chopped Chipotle & Cheddar Salad Kit, which is used as a fresh and convenient foundation for this dish. The baked stuffed peppers also get a topping of crispy Cheddar tortilla strips (from the kit) and shredded cheese. Serve with warm, soft corn tortillas and a side salad of our Butter Bliss blend with diced avocado tossed in a cilantro-lime vinaigrette.
Ingredients
- 4 red bell peppers
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1-½ teaspoon salt
- ½ DOLE® Onion, diced
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 gram [12.9 oz.] DOLE® Chopped Chipotle & Cheddar Salad Kit
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 cup salsa
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Remove dressing, cheese and tortilla strip packets from salad kit.
- Cut a small slice off the bottom of each pepper. Cut off the top of each pepper and discard the seeds and membranes. Place peppers in prepared pan.
- Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and salad; cook 5 to 7 minutes, or until salad is wilted and onion is tender. Remove from pan; reserve. Add chicken to the pan, with and more oil as if needed. Cook chicken 10 minutes or until chicken it’s turns browned and is thoroughly cooked. Combine salad mixture, chicken, rice, salsa, 1 cup shredded cheese and reserved dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Spoon mixture into peppers. Cover dish with foil; bake 40 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes, or until tops begin to lightly brown. Top each pepper with the reserved cheese and tortilla strip packets.