I have a board on my Pinterest that is ideas for the next meals I want to make. Yesterday I was struggling with what to cook, so I handed my phone to Dan and asked him to pick a meal. His chose stuffed peppers, and I adapted this recipe into my own!

To begin, I sauteed 1/2 pound diced chicken, 1/2 small onion, 1 seeded jalapeno, and 1/2 a red bell pepper in 1 Tablespoon olive oil. I seasoned the veggies and chicken with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon chili powder. I then covered the pan and stirred occasionally, letting it cook for about 10 minutes, or until chicken was completely cooked.

I planned on using poblano peppers like the recipe states, but the grocery store I went to only had 2 left. So I bought the 2 poblanos, as well as 2 green bell peppers. While the chicken was cooking, I mixed 2 Tablespoons olive oil with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon chili powder. I then halved and seeded the peppers, and coated the insides and outsides of the peppers with the oil mixture.

Once the chicken was cooked, I stirred in 1 package brown rice, 1 can Ro-tel Mexican diced tomatoes & chiles, 1 can of corn, and 1/2 can of organic black beans. I’m not a huge black bean fan, so I didn’t want to include a lot of them. If you like them, go ahead and add the entire can!

After letting the stuffing heat all the way through, I stirred in 1/2 cup of shredded cheese until completely melted. Once mixed, I stuffed all of the peppers and placed them in a casserole dish coated in non-stick spray. I had more than enough filling for all the peppers, so I just piled them up extra high!

I baked the peppers for 25 minutes at 400, and then pulled them out to top them with cheese. Lots and lots of cheese! How much you add is truly up to you, but I made sure to pile it on. After putting them back into the oven for another 5 minutes, they came out looking amazing! Dan and I were so hungry I didn’t even get a picture of the whole pan before we dug in and began devouring!

Seriously, amazing! Healthy, delicious, flavorful, and cheesy!

I topped my peppers with sour cream and taco sauce. Just the perfect extra touch to make these peppers even better!

Black Bean and Chicken Stuffed Peppers

Servings: 4

1/2 pound chicken, diced
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1/2 red pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 small onion, diced
2 teaspoons chili powder, divided
2 teaspoons garlic powder, divided
3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2-1 can black beans, drained (I used organic)
1 can corn
1 can Ro-Tel Mexican tomatoes and green chiles with lime and cilantro, with juice
1 package Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown
4 poblano or bell peppers, mix and match as you like
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Place chicken, jalapeno, red pepper, onion, 1 Tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon of each the garlic and chili powder into skillet. Stir to coat evenly, heat covered over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Halve and seed the peppers you will be stuffing.
Mix leftover olive oil, chili, and garlic powder. Coat inside and outside of peppers with the oil mixture. Place into a casserole dish that has been coated in non-stick spray.
Meanwhile, once the chicken is fully cooked, stir in black beans, corn, Ro-tel, and rice. Mix well and cook until heated through.
Stir 1/2 cup of cheese in until fully melted.
Divide mixture evenly into peppers. Place in oven and bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
Pull peppers out and cover with as much cheese as you desire. Put back into the oven for another 5 minutes.