Stuffed Peppers With Ground Chicken

Let's talk about one of my favorite recipes: Stuffed Bell Peppers!

Today's recipe is the perfect way to start your weekend.

It's super easy to make and can be prepared a day in advance.

You can even freeze them and keep them ready for special occasions or if you are on a run.

Store them in airtight containers for up to one week in our fridge or freeze them for up to one month.

To reheat frozen bell peppers, just place them directly in the oven and bake at 190 degrees for about 10 minutes.

All you need for this recipe is just some simple ingredients. 

Easily to find in your local supermarket or on the farmers market.

I love recipes that are easy, fast and family friendly!

Stuffed Pepper has always been a family favorite.

My mom used to cook this dish almost every Friday evening, as a side dish or even as a meal itself.

This classic version is filled with ground chicken, rice, healthy veggies and lots of mozzarella cheese. 

But don't be afraid to stuff them with your very own favorite ingredients, just have fun with it and be creative!

You can replace the chicken with some ground beef, pork or even ground Lamb! If you don't like rice, just replace it with a healthier ingredient like quinoa. 

Do you prefer to avoid meat? Do it Vegan!

There is so much room to experiment and select your own favorite filling.

We loved these stuffed peppers a lot, because they are firm enough to hold their shape while baking in the oven, but still soft enough to enjoy them sliced up with your favorite filling.

This recipe plays a big role when it comes to memories of my childhood. We all have these food memories from our childhood and we all remember some of our favorite meals back home or from elsewhere. 

Anytime I have to think about food memories, I remember my mom being in the kitchen preparing the most amazing meals for me and my sister.

My mom could prepare a delicious meal with us kids teasing and annoying her while she was cooking but still have it on the table at the same time every evening.

And feeding a bunch of hungry kids was no easy undertaking for her, I guess!

Every time I see bell peppers at the supermarket or the farmers market I remember a baking dish filled with Mom’s stuffed peppers. 

These colorful bell peppers, in red, yellow or green, overfilled with her special pepper mixture topped with tomato sauce or cheese.

Just the thought makes me want to go back in time and enjoy this beautiful home made dish.

It's been a long time since I have done this recipe on my own, as my friends and partner don't really like bell peppers.

But with this recipe I will prove to them that Bell Peppers are one of the best veggies they can find.

Let's talk a bit about why bell peppers come in different colors.

You can use any color of bell peppers that you like.

But keep something in mind: 

Red bell peppers are the sweetest, yellow are mild and green peppers are a bit bitter.

All Bell peppers start out green and then change their colors as they get ripen.

Green Bell peppers are picked under-ripe and that's why they are more bitter than the other colors, and also cheaper in price.

After those green bell peppers are more ripe, they will turn into vibrant yellow. orange or red bell peppers.

The bitterness will turn into a slightly sweeter and more nutritious bell pepper. This makes them more expensive than the green ones.

The best rice for stuffed peppers are medium, long grain white rice or jasmine rice. I use this kind of rice the most often with stuffed peppers.

But even brown rice or other grains like quinoa are a good choice too.

If you have some rice left from the other day, you can use it too!

I also recommend cooking the meat before filling the peppers!

Searing and browning the meat adds a lot of flavor to this recipe, but make sure to keep it juicy and not dried out.

The funny thing is, some food that you hated as a kid suddenly becomes really good!

It's the same with these stuffed bell peppers. 

My sister and I would eat only the filling, but usually not the peppers.

We didn't really like the taste of it, they tasted bitter and a whole pepper was just too much for us.

Now as an adult, I love bell peppers, raw or cooked!

My mom used to serve the peppers cut in half, layed down. But for me, I like them best when they stand straight up, loaded with the filling.

My tips to get stuffed peppers straight stand up:

Try to use a baking dish that just fits the peppers, no room between them. Sit them tight together, as they shrink when they cook.

Always trim the bottom of the pepper and give it a flat surface to stand straight without falling down.

My mom would use full size red bell peppers and fill them with a combination of steamed rice, ground chicken, tomato paste and topped with mozzarella cheese.

I mostly use red peppers in my recipes but my favorites really are the yellow and orange ones. They are more mild and sweet, also great to eat raw. This recipe calls for 4 bell peppers served as a whole, which serves 4 people.

If you can't finish a whole bell pepper on your own or have any leftovers, just store them in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a few weeks.

Try this recipe at home and surprise your family or loved ones with a really special treat! 

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