Looking for the perfect stuffed pepper recipe? Try these succulent Anaheim chili peppers stuffed with seasoned shredded chicken and cheese. These are great as an appetizer or a full meal.
Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Anaheim Peppers Recipe
Stuffed chili peppers are amazing. There are so many chili pepper varieties in the world, and so many of them are ideal for stuffing. They're such a perfect vessel for all sorts of delicious goodness, it makes my head spin. One of the most popular peppers around is the Anaheim chili pepper.
The Anaheim is a mild pepper with a thick enough flesh to be slightly meaty in texture, especially when roasted. You'll find them in most grocery stores in the fresh fruit and vegetables section, along with other more popular peppers.
I believe they are popular because they are so mild and can be incorporated into any number of dishes.
Stuffed chili peppers are an excellent choice for these peppers. Serve up one or two of these, and you have yourself a full meal. For this particular recipe, I went with some Creole-seasoned chicken breast, along with onion and garlic, feta cheese, and a bit of dried oregano.
Fresh oregano works nicely as well, but dried works just fine. We finished them off with freshly squeezed lemon juice for a flavor pop and additional moisture, but try topping them with a bit of hot sauce as well.
Sriracha is good for added heat and moisture, or you can use any of your favorite sauces.
Let's talk about how we make these stuffed Anaheim peppers, shall we?
Ingredients Needed
The full ingredients list with measurements is listed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Anaheim Peppers.
- Olive Oil. For cooking.
- Chicken. Use chicken breast or chicken thighs, chopped.
- Creole Seasonings.
- Salt and Pepper. To taste.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Feta Cheese.
- Dried Oregano.
- Lemon.
- For Serving. Fresh chopped cilantro, hot sauce.
Making These Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Anaheim Peppers - the Recipe Method
First, heat your oven to 400 degrees F.
Next, place the Anaheim peppers on a baking sheet and bake them about 20-25 minutes, flipping once through, or until the skins become charred and puffy. Or, you can char them over open flame on the stovetop, like I have done here.
It only takes a few minutes to roast them this way, over an open flame.
Flip them occasionally to let the skins char and bubble up. Learn more about how to roast peppers here.
Remove the peppers from heat and cool slightly, then place into a plastic baggie to steam for several minutes. Once cooled enough, peel off the skins and discard. Set the peppers aside until ready to use.
While peppers are roasting, heat a pan to medium heat and add some olive oil.
Roughly chop the chicken breast, then season it with Creole seasonings, salt and pepper. Cook the chicken along with the onion, about 5 minutes, stirring a bit to sear all sides of the chicken.
Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add about 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
Shred or chop the chicken and place into a mixing bowl along with the feta cheese and oregano.
Slit each pepper down the center and scoop out the insides.
Spoon the chicken-cheese mixture into the peppers and set them into a baking dish.
Bake the stuffed Anaheim peppers for 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and set onto serving plates.
Slice the lemons and squeeze lemon juice over the stuffed peppers.
Top with cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.
Boom! Done! Don't they look delicious? I could eat about 10 of these. YUM!
Recipe Tips & Notes
Alternatives to Anaheim Peppers:
- If you're unable to find Anaheim peppers for this recipe, look for Cubanelle Peppers, which are usually pretty easy to find at your local grocer. They offer a similar flavor.
- Bell peppers are also a great alternative in a pinch, though they are usually much larger, and you'll need to adjust your cooking times accordingly.
- Also, many varieties of Hatch chili peppers are wonderful for making stuffed peppers.
Storage & Leftovers
You can store leftover stuffed peppers in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days. Warm them in the oven to enjoy them again.
You can also freeze them in freezer containers for 3 months or longer.
Patty's Perspective
What makes this recipe so good is the nicely seasoned chicken and the mild flavor of the Anaheim peppers. Taken all together, this really became a whole meal with great balance.
Check Out Some of My Other Popular Stuffed Chili Pepper Recipes
Cookbook Recommendation
If you enjoy spicy cooking, I hope you'll check out my cookbook! 75 easy recipes with big, bold flavor.
- The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook, by Mike Hultquist (affiliate link, my friends!)
Got any questions? Ask away! I'm happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you'll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don't forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I'll be sure to share! Thanks! -- Mike H.
Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Anaheim Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 Anaheim chili peppers
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 medium-sized chicken breast, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Creole seasonings
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 4 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 lemon
- Chopped cilantro for serving
- Hot sauce if desired
Instructions
- Heat an oven to 400 degrees.
- Place Anaheim peppers on a baking sheet and bake about 20-25 minutes, flipping once through, or until the skins become charred and puffy. Or, you can char them over open flame on the stovetop.
- Remove from heat and cool slightly, then place into a plastic baggie to steam for several minutes. Once cooled enough, peel off the skins and discard. Set the peppers aside until ready to use.
- While peppers are baking, heat an oven proof pan to medium heat and add olive oil.
- Season chicken breast with Creole seasonings, salt and pepper. Sear the chicken on each side 3-4 minutes to blacken. Add about 1/4 cup of water or chicken stock to the pan and allow to steam.
- Set the pan into the oven at 400 degrees F. and bake 8-10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove.
- Shred or chop the chicken and place into a mixing bowl.
- While the chicken is baking, cook the onion in the same pan, about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute, stirring. Remove from heat and add to mixing bowl with chicken.
- To the mixing bowl, add feta cheese and oregano. Mix well.
- Slit each pepper down the center and scoop out the insides.
- Spoon the chicken-cheese mixture into the peppers and set them into a baking dish.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat and set onto serving plates.
- Slice the lemons and squeeze lemon juice over the stuffed peppers.
- Top with cilantro and hot sauce, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This recipe was originally published on 3/27/15. It was updated on 11/27/18 to include new photos and information.
Lisa says
Lovely flavour on these! Yes, they’re a little tedious, but the end result is wonderful. I’d try these without the roasting ahead as I do love me a good Anaheim in many different ways. Thanks for this great flavour combination!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Lisa! Glad you enjoyed them!
ChefDeb says
Great flavor! Would appreciate having a measure (weight or cups) for a "medium" chicken breast as sizes vary greatly in the markets. Also, I used a bone-in skin on breast, then removed the skin and bone before shredding. Even so, the final product was dry. Cooked according to the instructions, boneless, skinless would have been far too dry!
Laurie says
I made this with my homegrown Anaheim peppers. It was good. The creole seasoning makes it tasty and the feta and lemon add a nice bit of tang. I was able to make about 7 stuffed peppers (mine are about 8" long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches wide at the shoulder). It took longer than 45 minutes to make (and I'm an experienced cook). I find that most recipes take longer than the 'total time' posted. Unless you are a pro or super organized. The 5th and 6th bullets in the instructions could benefit from clarification. The one says to says to add chicken stock to pan and allow to steam, and the next says to set pan in oven. I think it should just say to add stock to the pan and set into the oven. Thanks for the recipe!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks for the comments and feedback, Laurie. I do appreciate it.
Maia Duerr says
why should we trust you when you aren't spelling chile correctly?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Maia, I refer you to this page: How Do You Spell Chili Pepper? Is it Chili, Chilli or Chile? https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/frequently-asked-questions/how-do-you-spell-chili-pepper-is-it-chili-chilli-or-chile/.
The name of peppers can vary from region to region, hence the different spellings. Depending on where you go, it is either “chili pepper”, “chilli pepper”, or “chile pepper”. Chile is the Spanish name, and while adopted in parts America, particularly the southwest region, it was also Anglicized to "chili" and is used by far more Americans, Canadians and Germans. In fact, "chilli" is used in more parts of the world than anywhere else. I accept all terms. Unfortunately, there is no standardization of the name. Perhaps we should just use "capsicums".
Laurie says
I haven't tried this yet, but plan to. Like Marilyn, I have wondered why all the Anaheim chili recipes seem to require roasting and skinning. To be honest, I find this a bit tedious to do (I know the tricks, but, still, it's tedious). Last year I grew Poblanos. This year, I have two kinds of Anaheims. I've pretty much been using them the same way that I would a green bell pepper and I notice no additional heat (sometimes if I eat a bit raw from near the stem, it will taste a little heat, but I don't notice it after cooking). Anyway, today I harvested about 30-40 Anaheims between the two varieties, and I don't know what to do with them (after making this recipe!). Ideas?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Laurie, you don't have to roast them, but the roasted peppers have a wonderful flavor to them that is different from non-roasted. Tedious, yes, but worth it. However, if you don't want to spend the time, you can blanche the peppers before slicing and stuffing them to soften them up a bit, or just slice and stuff them to your preference. They're good that way, but will require more cooking time to soften up to your preference. With such a large harvest, I would slice and freeze some, would probably pickle some as well. They are great right out of the freezer, pre-chopped, just thaw them a bit for general everyday cooking. You can freeze stuffed peppers and reheat them for later. Check out the Preserving section at the top of the site for some ideas to help. So many ways to use up peppers. Take a look and let me know if you'd like some other suggestions.
Barbara Bolez says
Delicious and easy especially good with heirloom tomato and cuke salad with grapes and olives, balsamic dressing...yum!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect! Thanks, Barbara! I appreciate it.
Marilyn says
Mike, why did you char and peel the peppers first? Are the skins too tough? I grew Anaheims for the first time and have just harvested a bunch. Have never cooked with them before. Thanks!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Marilyn, I did so for the charred flavor, but also to soften up the peppers. Often when you stuff peppers without cooking them a bit first, they can be slightly undercooked if you bake them with the stuffing. They're definitely still good that way, so go for it. As an alternative, you can boil/blanch them for a few minutes first to soften them slightly, then stuff and bake them. Let me know how it turns out for you.
Heidy L. McCallum says
Oh, this looks AMAZING! I am wondering where this recipe has been all my life! I love this idea stuffing the peppers with a flavorful chicken mix. I saved it to my Yums to make one day.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Perfect! Thanks, Heidy!
Jacqueline Debono says
I love stuffed peppers, although here in Italy we mostly stuff bell peppers as the chili peppers are too small and too spicy. Love the sound of your filling though! Definitely want to try that!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bell peppers are great for this. Absolutely!
Amanda says
These stuffed peppers look so flavorful! Anything with chile peppers is a win for me. Can't wait to try this!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Awesome!
Dannii says
That looks like my kind of comfort food and lots of spice too. Yum!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice and spicy for sure! But not too crazy. =)
Elaine Benoit says
I'm a big fan of stuffed peppers, any type of pepper is perfect for me! I especially love Anaheim peppers! Your stuffed peppers look so delicious!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Elaine! Anaheims are so great for stuffing.
Tina says
I agree, stuffed peppers ARE amazing:) I think they are fun to make too. I like how you stuffed yours with meat, I usually do cheese. Going to have to try this, the pictures are fabulous. Thanks for sharing this.
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Thanks, Tina!
Harriet says
How many servings does it make
REPLY: Harriet, this will make 4 stuffed halves. They're each a good size, so could serve 4. -- Mike from Chili Pepper Madness.
Kathryn Doherty says
Yum, I'm a stuffed pepper fan too! I usually go with poblanos, but definitely want to try anaheim - they look great here!
Michelle @ A Dish of Daily Life says
These look delicious! We love Anaheims here! Definitely trying these!
Suzy @ The Mediterranean Dish says
Stuffed peppers are a favorite of mine! This recipe is after my own heart. The combination of flavors and the addition of feta and oregano is spot on!