By Dustin’s parents flew in Wednesday afternoon for the ten-day Brayden visit. They are staying at the Hampton Inn ten minutes from the apartment and coming to our place most of each day to hold Brayden, watch him sleep, walk him in the stroller around the campus quad. Dustin’s mother brought the half-finished pale-yellow knit blanket she’d started in October when we’d first told her about the pregnancy, and she’s been finishing the last few rows on our couch over coffee in the mornings. The blanket is the kind of grandmother-knit item that’s structurally important to family heirloom culture — Brayden will use it as a baby and probably hand it forward eventually.
Sunday I made easy chicken pesto stuffed peppers because Dustin’s mom had asked specifically for stuffed peppers Saturday afternoon — she said she missed her own mother’s stuffed peppers and was hoping I’d try a version — and the chicken-pesto variation was the riff I’d been wanting to try since the chicken-pesto-meatball Sunday last fall.
The technique: six large bell peppers (a mix of red, yellow, and orange for color), tops cut off and seeds removed. Briefly blanched in salted boiling water for three minutes to soften (raw-stuffed peppers don’t fully soften during the bake; pre-blanching ensures the peppers are tender when the filling is hot).
The filling: a pound and a half of poached and shredded chicken, a cup and a half of cooked white rice, a half-cup of fresh basil pesto, a cup of grated mozzarella, a half-cup of grated parmesan, two cloves of garlic minced, salt, pepper, fresh chopped basil. Mixed in a large bowl.
The peppers stuffed generously with the filling, mounded slightly above the rim. Topped with another half-cup of mozzarella. Placed upright in a deep baking dish. The bottom of the dish lined with a cup of marinara sauce so the peppers don’t stick and the bake creates a sauce-pool around them.
Bake at three-seventy-five for thirty minutes until the cheese on top has melted and bubbled and the peppers are tender. Garnish with fresh basil. Dustin’s parents and Dustin and I and Brayden (in the bouncer chair near the table) had Sunday dinner. Dustin’s mom asked for the recipe. I emailed it that night.
Pre-blanch the peppers three minutes. Pesto in the filling. Marinara in the dish bottom. Three-seventy-five for thirty. Here’s the build.
Easy Chicken Pesto Stuffed Peppers
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 50 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers (any color), tops cut off and seeds removed
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
- 1/2 cup prepared basil pesto
- 1 cup cooked white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a baking dish large enough to hold all four peppers upright.
- Prep the peppers. Brush the outside of each pepper lightly with olive oil and place them cut-side up in the prepared baking dish.
- Mix the filling. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, pesto, cooked rice, ricotta, 1/4 cup of the mozzarella, Parmesan, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
- Fill the peppers. Spoon the chicken pesto mixture evenly into each pepper, pressing gently to fill all the way down. Top each pepper with the remaining mozzarella.
- Bake covered. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the peppers have softened and the filling is heated through.
- Finish uncovered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 8–10 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.
- Rest and serve. Let the peppers rest for 5 minutes before serving. Spoon any juices from the bottom of the baking dish over the tops before plating.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 38g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 24g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 580mg