These Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers are loaded with bold flavor yet simple enough for a busy weeknight dinner. Using store-bought rotisserie chicken and frozen rice cuts down prep time, so you can have a wholesome, satisfying meal on the table in under 45 minutes.
This is not your grandmother's stuffed pepper recipe! These Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers are one of my husband's absolute favorites, and for good reason. They're packed with a Tex-Mex inspired filling of chicken, corn, sour cream, and rice, all stuffed into smoky roasted poblanos and topped with bubbly, melty Monterey Jack cheese.
I especially love making these when poblanos are in season. They have just the right amount of mild heat, making this a dish the whole family can enjoy. Even better, they look like something you'd serve at a dinner party but are secretly so easy to pull together, especially when you use a store-bought rotisserie chicken and frozen rice. It's one of those recipes that's as perfect for a busy weeknight as it is for impressing guests without breaking a sweat.
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Other Mexican & Latin inspired recipes to enjoy!
Equipment
- Cutting board and knife
- Measuring cups and spoons: I love this set from Oxo!
- Baking sheet
- Large skillet: Preferably one with high sides. This Calphalon Deep Fry Pan works great!
Ingredients
- Poblano peppers: Look for firm peppers on the larger side.
- Shredded chicken: I love using rotisserie chicken for this recipe because it is so easy and adds a ton of flavor. You can also use home cooked shredded chicken breasts or thighs.
- Sour cream: I always recommend using full fat dairy products. They have way more flavor and tend to be a lot less processed.
- Monterey jack cheese: You can substitute with mozzarella or a Mexican cheese mix if desired. Cheddar would also work.
- Frozen corn: You can substitute with canned corn, just be sure to drain before adding.
- Cooked rice: This is a great recipe for using leftover rice. If you don't have any my favorite shortcut is to use frozen microwavable rice.
- Can of diced tomatoes: No need to drain!
- Onion
- Garlic
- Chili Powder
- Cumin
- Paprika
- Dried cilantro
- Olive oil
- Salt & pepper
Step by Step Instructions
Time needed: 45 minutes.
How to make Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Prep your ingredients.
Wash and dry the peppers, shred the chicken, chop the onion, crush the garlic and measure out the spices. This will make cooking a much quicker and easier experience!
- Broil the poblanos.
Broil for 3 minutes per side. Do NOT add any oils or seasoning to the peppers before roasting.
When you are done broiling reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
- Clean out the peppers.
Make a shallow incision down the middle of the pepper and then remove any seeds and pith from the inside. Try to keep the pepper intact so it is easier to stuff. Set aside.
- Make the filling.
Follow instructions to make the filling in a large skillet.
- Stuff the poblano peppers with the filling.
- Top with cheese and bake.
- Remove from the oven and serve hot. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Poblano peppers are extremely mild. They come in at about 1,500 SHUs or Scoville heat units (comparatively a habañero comes in around 250,000 SHUs). The heat level does vary from pepper to pepper but most people won't find this dish overly spicy.
Definitely. These stuffed poblano peppers can be stored in the fridge for 2 days before serving. Simply reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes or simply heat in the microwave.
Absolutely! These stuffed peppers reheat in the microwave beautifully! Make a batch to enjoy in your lunch all week.
Yes, you don't have to use rice if you don't want to. Quinoa would also work great. I've never tried it with cauliflower rice but I imagine that would work as well.
Check out more Tex-Mex inspired recipes.
Chile Relleno Breakfast Casserole
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Made this homemade chicken stuffed poblano pepper recipe? Let me know what you think in the comments!
Recipe
Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Skillet
- Cutting board and knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 6 large Poblano peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried cilantro
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz
- ½ lime, juice of about 1 tbsp
- ½ cup sour cream I recommend full fat
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups shredded chicken about 1 rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups Monterey jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to a broil. Arrange Poblano peppers on a baking sheet (do NOT add any oil or seasoning). Broil the peppers for about 3 minutes until slightly blistered. Flip the peppers to. the other side and broil for an additional 3 minutes. Remove peppers from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. When cool enough to handle, use a knife to carefully make a slit down the middle of the peppers (do NOT cut the whole pepper in half). Carefully remove the seeds and pith while leaving the pepper intact. Repeat with all peppers and set aside.
- Preheat about a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add onion and cook over medium high heat for about 5 minutes until soft. Add garlic, spices and salt to the skillet and mix to to combine. Cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute over medium high heat until garlic is fragrant. Add in can of diced tomatoes and continue cooking for 2 more minutes over medium high heat. After 2 minutes reduce heat to low and add lime juice and sour cream. Stir to combine then add cooked rice, frozen corn and shredded chicken. Cook over low heat for a couple minutes until the mixture is heated through. Remove mixture from the heat and stir in 1 cup of shredded Monterey jack cheese. Taste the mixture for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper according to personal preference.
- Using a spoon, carefully transfer the mixture into the roasted poblano peppers, dividing as evenly as possible and filling to the top. Once the peppers have been filled sprinkle remaining cheese over the tops of the stuffed peppers. Bake on a baking sheet at 350 degrees F for 15-17 minutes. At the end, turn the broiler on for an additional 1-2 minutes to get the cheese nice any bubbly. Be sure to watch closely to prevent burning!
- Remove the stuffed peppers from the oven and serve hot. Enjoy!
Biana
These stuffed poblano peppers look delicious! A simple and delicious dinner.
Brenda
Delicious, we loved them. Will make again.
Anne Casey
You didn’t have to peel peppers after broiling?
jamjarkitchen
Nope! I leave the peels on. 🙂
Anaiah
I cannot get enough of these stuffed poblano peppers! The combination of flavors was amazing and it was such an easy dinner to whip up when short on time.
Christina
These were SO good! My entire family loved them! I did double up on the spices, but they were so much better than I expected.
Maria
I haven't tried chicken stuffed before but this surely be the first! I love this recipe so definitely trying it. The combination of stuffing and the cheese is just WOW!
Beth
These look amazingly delicious and very addicting! My hubby and daughter are going to love these for lunch tomorrow. Can’t wait to make these!
Marie
Delicious and easy to make
Nancy
Made tonight and it was easy. Next time I will double the spices and use fresh cilantro instead of dried. I used Rotel because that's what I had. Also next time I will double the spice's. Served with homemade refried beans. I will make again.
Margie
Do you have to peel the peppers after they cool?
jamjarkitchen
Nope, go ahead and leave the skin on. Just sure to remove the seeds.
Shanon savage
Can this be frozen afterwards ?
Linda
I made this once before and it was fantastic. I pretty much stuck to the recipe. Tonight I’m doing it again but with Anaheim peppers because the store didn’t have Poblanos. I think it will be just as tasty, but maybe a bit more of a challenge because the Anaheims aren’t as big and won’t open up as much. I’m also going to omit the rice this time. I think it’s a very versatile recipe, where one could use different cheeses or veggies.
Mary
So good! A lot of prep work but it was worth it!
Katlyn
This is hands down one of the best dishes I have ever made! Got rave reviews by my boyfriend! My family saw the pictures and want me to make it for them.
jamjarkitchen
Yay! I’m so glad y’all enjoyed it!
Betty
Can these be made a day ahead?
jamjarkitchen
They can, just know they’ll be a little softer than if you made them fresh. We love these as leftovers too!
Kim
These were the best stuffed poblano peppers I’ve had.. better than any restaurant!!
My husband even loved them.
Gretchen
Any ideas on time and temp to finish in an air fryer?
jamjarkitchen
Hi Gretchen- unfortunately I haven’t tried this in an air fryer so I don’t have much insight on time and temp.
You could try doing around 350 and start checking for doneness around the 10 minute mark. Best of luck!
Cathy
So good!! My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! The only thing I did differently was use fresh cilantro instead of dry and I added black beans to my stuffing. I still have a decent amount of stuffing left over, can I freeze and later use it to stuff poblanos again?
jamjarkitchen
Absolutely!
Bill
Great recipe and the results were amazing! I added some black beans and cooked in some jalapeños, tajin seasoning, cilantro and red peppers in with the corn. I also used Mexican rice instead of white rice. Everything else was according to the recipe and I am very pleased with how it turned out.
Dana
I just made them and they’re delicious! I modified a little to include black beans which our family loves. Placed each stuffed poblano pepper on a bed of sofrito cream cheese sauce and the paring was perfect! These will be the next dish I remake for company. Sooooo good.
jamjarkitchen
So glad you enjoyed! Love the idea of serving with the sofrito cream cheese sauce. Yum!
Keri
This was incredibly easy and absolutely delicious! I didn't change a thing in the recipe, and although I was skeptical of making it as a weeknight meal, it came together so quickly that I'll be doing it again soon! The whole family loved it! Thanks!
Dion Allen
I made this for dinner a couple of weeks ago, and it was delicious. My husband, son, and bonus daughter said that it is the best thing I have ever cooked. I will be adding this one to my frequently cooked meals, The only thing I changed is that I smothered them in Colorado green chili.
Ken N.
1.5xs the seasoning
Add bacon
Serve with tortilla chips
Boss!
Trudi
Couldn't you just cut the peppers and remove the seeds before broiling them? (cut side down)
jamjarkitchen
Hi Trudi - You could definitely do that if you prefer!
Katie
I've made thos twice now in the past 3 weeks that's how good it is! I did use more of the garlic and onion powder, paprika and cumin but that's a personal preference. I did not have cilantro on hand but had a box of Zataran cilantro and lime rice and it was so good that's my go to now for this meal. Thank you for the recipe!
jamjarkitchen
The cilantro and lime rice sounds delish. So glad you enjoyed the recipe!