If you want a hearty and delicious dinner recipe, make sure to add these Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers to your menu this week! They're made with wholesome ingredients in just about an hour for the best weeknight meal.
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Why You'll Love These Ground Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- A complete meal! These chicken parmesan stuffed peppers are a complete meal all in one dish! They include a starch (from the rice), a protein (from the ground chicken), and a vegetable (from the bell peppers). You can eat them on their own or serve them up with garlic bread or a salad.
- A delicious dinner recipe! Serve these ground chicken stuffed peppers for dinner this week and you won't be sorry. They'll be ready to eat in about an hour with minimal prep and great flavor. They're perfect for a family meal or dinner for two. You can save any leftovers and easily reheat them the next day.
- Easier than traditional chicken parmesan! Traditional chicken parmesan requires pounding and breading chicken, which can sometimes feel like a big chore. Instead, these peppers are filled with similar chicken parmesan flavors without the hassle of breading or frying the chicken. The seasoned breadcrumbs on top help to mimic the crispy flavor of the chicken parmesan breading and the melted cheese mimics the classic gooey cheesy topping.
Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Bell Peppers: Bell peppers are the perfect vessel for the ground chicken filling. Any color bell pepper should work. You can also use zucchini instead, if you prefer.
- Basmati Rice: Rice helps to bulk up the filling. I like using basmati rice but a brown rice or jasmine rice would work just as well.
- Ground Chicken: Ground chicken is my protein of choice, but ground turkey would work too! Ground beef would be okay, but I'd recommend using a lean ground beef to limit the amount of greasiness in the filling.
- Canned Tomato Sauce: This recipe uses a small can of tomato sauce. If you only have a jar of marinara sauce, you can use a ½ cup of that instead. However, I like to use the canned sauce so you can season it to your own taste.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Shredded mozzarella becomes perfectly melty on top, making these stuffed peppers look like your classic chicken parmesan. A higher quality shredded mozzarella cheese will melt the best.
- Plain Breadcrumbs: The breadcrumbs get seasoned and toasted for a great flavorful bite on top of the stuffed peppers. You can use panko breadcrumbs, but they'll just result in a coarser topping.
⭐️ See recipe card below for descriptions and quantities of each ingredient.
Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Step 2: Cook basmati rice according to package instructions.
- Step 3: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through, while breaking up into small pieces with a spoon.
- Step 4: Add minced garlic. Cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Step 5: Pour in tomato sauce, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.
- Step 6: Add the cooked rice and parmesan cheese. Stir again.
- Step 7: Scoop filling into each half of bell pepper and place them in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Step 8: Carefully pour ½ cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish. This will help steam and soften the peppers. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
- Step 9: While the peppers bake, add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley, ¼ teaspoon italian seasoning, and pinch of kosher salt for the topping into a small bowl. Mix to combine.
- Step 10: Spread breadcrumbs in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and lightly toasted.
- Step 11: When the peppers are done baking, serve them hot, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs on top.
⭐️ Tip: If you have leftover cooked rice that you want to use up instead, you can use 1 ½ cups and stir it into the filling.
Substitutions and Alterations
- Bell Peppers - Bell peppers are my preferred vessel for the ground chicken filling, but hollowed out zucchini or poblano peppers would also work.
- Ground Chicken - Ground turkey or lean ground beef can be used instead.
- To make this gluten free - Use gluten free breadcrumbs!
- To make this dairy free - Use plant based cheeses or simply leave them off.
- To make this vegetarian - Omit the ground chicken and add a rinsed and drained can of black beans into the filling instead.
How to Store Ground Chicken Stuffed Peppers
To store: Store chicken parmesan stuffed peppers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
To freeze: Freezing may make the peppers a bit soggy, but you can still try to freeze them in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, place frozen stuffed peppers on a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until warmed through.
Top tip!
You can store any leftover filling in a separate container and eat it on its own. Cut raw bell peppers into chip-sized pieces and use them to scoop up the filling, like a chip dip.
Recipe FAQs
Do you have to brown the ground meat before making stuffed peppers?
Yes! Browning the ground meat helps to break it up into small pieces, it also ensures that it cooks evenly and develops flavor. It also protects the peppers from getting soggy from the meat juices as it cooks.
Why do you need to add water to the baking dish with the stuffed peppers?
The water at the bottom of the baking dish helps to steam and soften the peppers. Without it, the filling in the middle would get too dry and the peppers wouldn't soften as much. You don't need a lot of water, just enough to add a small layer the bottom of the dish.
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Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know. Leave a comment with a rating at the bottom of this page!
Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers
If you want a hearty and delicious dinner recipe, make sure to add these Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers to your menu this week! They're made with wholesome ingredients in just about an hour for the best weeknight meal.
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Servings: servings
Calories: 308kcal
Cost: $15
Ingredients
For the Stuffed Peppers
- 3 large bell peppers, cut in half and deseeded
- ⅓ cup uncooked basmati rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound (16 ounces) ground chicken
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
For the Breadcrumb Topping
- ¼ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon italian seasoning
- Pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook basmati rice according to package instructions.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add ground chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until cooked through, while breaking up into small pieces with a spoon.
- Add minced garlic. Cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Pour in tomato sauce, tomato paste, 1 teaspoon italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Stir to combine, then remove from heat.
- Add the cooked rice and parmesan cheese. Stir again.
- Scoop filling into each half of bell pepper and place them in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
- Carefully pour ½ cup of water in the bottom of the baking dish. This will help steam and soften the peppers. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes, or until the peppers are tender.
- While the peppers bake, add the breadcrumbs, 1 tablespoon olive oil, parsley, ¼ teaspoon italian seasoning, and pinch of kosher salt for the topping into a small bowl. Mix to combine.
- Spread breadcrumbs in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, until golden brown and lightly toasted.
- When the peppers are done baking, serve them hot, sprinkled with toasted breadcrumbs on top.
Last step!Please consider leaving a review to let me know how you liked this recipe!
Notes
- Keep any leftover filling in a serving dish on the side. You can cut up raw bell peppers into chip-sized pieces and use them for dipping, like a chip dip.
- If you have leftover, already-cooked rice to use up, you can use 1 ½ cups cooked rice and add it to the filling instead of using the uncooked rice.
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- To make this gluten free - Use gluten free breadcrumbs!
- To make this dairy free - Use plant based cheeses or simply leave them off.
- To make this vegetarian - Omit the ground chicken and add a rinsed and drained can of black beans into the filling instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 308kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 458mg | Potassium: 605mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2071IU | Vitamin C: 78mg | Calcium: 141mg | Iron: 2mg
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