Stuffed peppers are a great go-to if you have leftovers laying around that you want to get the most out of. During the week I made fried chicken, and with what pieces were leftover, I removed the breading and shredded the chicken which made for a super quick new meal! Can you guess what I did with the leftovers from this meal? Well I'll just tell you... I made homemade tortillas, took the filling out of the peppers, sliced the peppers, and made Chicken Fajita Burritos! Talk about getting your money's worth!!
CHICKEN FAJITA STUFFED BELL PEPPERS
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup dry white rice (2 cups cooked)
3 medium red, yellow, orange or green bell peppers
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1/2 lb chicken, diced into 3/4-inch pieces (or leftover shredded chicken)
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (10 oz) can tomatoes with green chiles
1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
3 Tbsp fresh cilantro , plus more for garnish
1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
2/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
Sour cream
Mexican style hot sauce (such as Valentina, Tapatio or Cholula, optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
Prepare white rice (I went simple and didn't add anything but water and salt).
Halfway through the rice cooking, preheat oven to 375 degrees and begin making the filling and boiling peppers.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut peppers in half through length (top to bottom), seed and devein peppers, then boil 4 - 5 minutes (fully immersing them in the water), just until tender. Drain well and align in baking pans, set aside.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large and deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and saute until golden about 5 minutes, then add garlic and saute 30 seconds longer, transfer onion mixture to a plate.
Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil skillet, and add chicken, sprinkle with 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, the paprika and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, add tomatoes, onion mixture, black beans, corn, cooked rice, remaining 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, cilantro, lime juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook just until heated through.
Add a heaping 1/2 cup of the mixture to each pepper half (and slightly press as filling to fit). Pour enough water into bottom of baking dishes to reach 1/8-inch in height (careful not to pour it in peppers).
Cover baking dishes with foil and bake 30 - 35 minutes, until peppers are soft. Remove from oven, sprinkle tops evenly with cheese then return to oven to bake until cheese has melted, about 3 minutes longer.
Serve warm topped with more cilantro, sour cream and hot sauce if desired.