Description
These BBQ Chicken Nacho Stuffed Peppers have quickly become a dinner staple in our house. Loaded with protein and healthy carbs, these are so satisfying! Peppers get stuffed with a BBQ chicken, bean, and corn mixture, topped with cheese, and baked until gooey. The best way to serve these is nacho style, on a big platter and topped with all the fresh things. So much fun and so, so delicious!
Ingredients
Scale
For the Peppers:
- 4 large bell peppers (any color), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For the Filling:
- 2 teaspoons avocado or olive oil
- 1 cup red onion, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons dried BBQ seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 lb ground chicken breast (or cooked, shredded chicken breast)
- 1 (15-oz) can pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed well
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/3 cup BBQ sauce (any kind – use your fave!)
- Hot sauce, to taste (optional)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar, jack, pepper jack cheese (or a combo of these)
Optional Toppings for Serving:
- Romaine hearts or iceberg lettuce, shredded
- Cherry tomatoes, chopped or halved
- Scallions, chopped
- Additional red onion, chopped
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Salsa
- Ranch dressing
- Additional BBQ sauce
Instructions
For the Peppers:
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line the pepper halves up in a large baking dish.
- Brush the peppers all over, inside and out, with a little bit of oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Roast the peppers for 15 minutes while you make the filling and prep the fresh toppings.
For the Chicken Filling:
- While the peppers are roasting, make the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and cook for a few minutes to soften.
- Add the seasonings, the chicken, and a generous pinch of salt to the pan. Break up the chicken with a spatula or spoon and cook, continuing to stir and crumble the meat, for about 5-7 minutes or until the meat is cooked through.
- Stir in the beans, corn, BBQ sauce, and hot sauce (if using). Stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, as needed. Remove the pan from the heat.
To Assemble:
- Take the peppers out of the oven and working carefully (everything will be very hot!), fill the peppers with the chicken mixture. Top each filled pepper with some of the shredded cheese.
- Bake the peppers for another 15-20 minutes or until they are tender on the outside and the filling is gooey.
For Serving:
- I love to top these off like I would a batch of nachos. I do a layer of shredded lettuce, some chopped tomatoes, scallions, and red onion, slices of avocado, and a few spoonfuls of salsa. For extra fun, I’ll also drizzle over some BBQ sauce and ranch dressing that has been whisked together for “special sauce” effect. The idea is to make these your own and top them however you prefer! Have fun with it.
- Enjoy while the peppers are still hot! The combination of hot and cold and gooey/cheesy and fresh/crunchy is amazing.
Notes
- You can swap out the meat here for any ground meat, meat alternative, or even shredded Rotisserie chicken. Feel free to swap in whole grains or rice or even cauliflower rice. The possibilities are endless when it comes to making stuffed peppers – make these your own.
- I love to serve these nacho-style, all loaded up on a platter and piled high with all the toppings. If you are making and eating this right away, this is such a fun way to serve. If you are making and eating over the course of a couple meals, I recommend holding off on topping the peppers with the fresh ingredients until you are ready to serve. That way, everything stays crisp and fresh and will really have the amazing texture experience of nachos.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: dinner