Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Chicken and Cheddar

I've been meaning to make stuffed peppers for a while but just never seemed to get around to putting them on the menu until last night. Sure wish it hadn't taken me so long!

A Poblano pepper is a mild chile often used for making ooey gooey cheesy chili rellanos but they're certainly more than just a one note wonder. They're great in salsas and sauces, particularly in mole and can be stuffed with darn near anything. Roasted to impart more flavor and remove the skin, most of the heat of these babies is in the inner membranes and seeds so I removed both last night when I stuffed the beauties.

As for the stuffing, you can use almost anything like shrimp, ground beef or pork or even leftover chili. Inspired by a recipe on finecooking.com, in this case shredded cooked chicken mixed with cooked brown rice and cheddar cheese is bound together with a fresh tomato, onion, garlic and spice puree. I made a few changes to their recipe and added a little heavy cream and a touch of hot salsa for more moisture and to round out the flavors. A squeeze of fresh lime completes the dish. Stuffed and warmed briefly in a hot oven, I finished them off with a little more grated cheddar on top that melted down for a pretty and tasty finish.

Served with guacamole and sour cream on the side, we were really happy with the final result, particularly since I managed to absolutely destroy the kitchen while I was making them. An unexpected trip to the veterinarian with Max put the kibosh on the usual organized chaos of dinner preparations so I had some cleanin' up to do. 

Max is still fighting hard to win the war against his latest illness, pancreatitis. Just when we think we've our feisty little schnauzer back and he's on the up and up, he takes another downturn but he's fighting hard to recover and we're not ready to give up yet.

Poblano Peppers Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken (from JBug’s Kitchen inspired by Fine Cooking.com)

4 large poblano peppers

3 roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon cumin

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I used chicken tenders)

1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice

2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup hot salsa

Juice of half a fresh lime

 

Garnishes - Sour cream, salsa and guacamole

Wash and dry poblano peppers well and cut a slit down one side from stem to tip. Place directly onto gas flame and roast until blackened all over (or alternatively place under broiler). Cool until easy to handle, then remove skins and using a spoon or melon baller, remove seeds from inside along with membranes. (Leave some if you want a hotter pepper). Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray and arrange poblanos leaving plenty of room in between each. Set aside.

Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper until smooth. Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering, and then add puree and cook down for 5 minutes or until almost all of the moisture has been removed.

Preheat oven to 425. Remove puree to a bowl and add chicken, rice, cilantro, cream and hot salsa. Stir to combine and add half of the cheddar cheese. Fill peppers mounding filling up well and wrapping the sides of the peppers up over the filling. Sprinkle peppers with lime juice. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until peppers are hot. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved cheddar, then return to oven until cheese is melted (about another 5 minutes). Serve garnished with sour cream and guacamole. Pass the salsa too. Serves 4.

A year ago - Chicken and Andouille Gumbo  Two year's ago - Ground Hog

Comments

[Lea]

This - minus the tomatoes - maybe with tomatillos for me? (darn that tomato allergy) - yum! I knew you would add cream! hehehehe

The poor little Maxer just can't catch a break can he. I am thinking good thoughts about him...

[June]

Lea - definitely tomatillos and/or salsa verde would work. Anything to add moisture. As for the cream, I've gotta' stop buying the stuff. LOL
Yes our little Maxer dog is one sick puppy and now we've got to change his seizure medication because one that he's on often causes pancreatitis. Poor little guy - but he's a fighter.

[Lorraine]

I feel for you guys. Poor Max. I hate watching one of my babies suffer. Hugs to all of you.
As usual you have taken a bunch of ingredients and turned it into a dinner worthy of kings.

[June]

Thanks Lorraine - hugs gladly accepted by all. The "king" was wishing there were some peasants to clean up the kitchen - LOL.

[Mary]

I love this recipe. I hope to be able to make my version of it on Sunday. I hope it will be as good as yours. Have a wonderful weekend. Blessings...Mary

[June]

Thank you Mary. I can't wait to see what you do and hope you'll be posting it!