Sunday, January 13, 2008

Chicken Stuffed Bell Peppers



4 bell peppers, any color variey.
1-2 cloves garlic
1 medium size onion
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast
1 bottle Herb & Garlic marinade
Cilantro
Chili Powder
1 cup instant rice
1 cup (or so) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Sour Creme
fresh cracked pepper

Marinate chicken in fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Fill large pot with water, and bring to a boil. In a small pot, cook 1 cup instant rice according to package directions. Set aside.

Cut tops off of 4 bell peppers. Remove stems from tops, and set aside. Remove pulp and seeds from peppers and discard. Set peppers aside until large pot of water comes to a boil. Place peppers into boiling water and boil for 10 minutes.

Mince garlic, onion, and pepper tops. If you have a food processor, you can mince them in this as it will retain the juices from the ingredients and enhance the flavor. If not, a knife and cutting board will do just fine. Mix all three ingredients together.

If using fresh cilantro, mince and add to peppers and onion mixture. If using dried cilantro, sprinkle on top of pepper mixture. Stir cilantro into mixture, add fresh cracked pepper and chili powder to taste. Set aside.

Remove chicken from marinade and set remaining marinade aside. Dice chicken into very small cubes. Cook chicken and remaining marinade in large pan or pot until chicken cubes are done.

In separate pan, cook minced pepper mixture.

When chicken is done, stir pepper mixture and rice into chicken pan, then cook until all remaining marinade has absorbed into rice. Take handful of shredded cheese and stir into chicken mixture. Remove from heat, and stir until cheese is melted.

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish with tin foil. Remove peppers from boiling water, draining any excess water from peppers. Place all 4 peppers into baking dish.

With a large spoon, place spoonfuls of chicken pepper mixture into empty peppers until full. When peppers are full, sprinkle shredded cheddar cheese on top and place in oven for 20 minutes

When peppers are done, remove from oven and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Top with sour cream to taste. Serve.

Peppers could be served with spanish rice, or other southwest themed dishes. However, this recipe makes a great ala Carte dinner for two.

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