This Mexican stuffed poblano peppers recipe is a great weeknight meal alternative to taco Tuesday!
This post is written in partnership with Sargento®. All opinions are 100% honest and my own.
I love Food Network’s reality cooking show Chopped. It’s one of those shows that no matter how many times I watch it, I can watch over and over again because it’s always different. And to be honest, I love seeing people crack under the pressure.
Right now Food Network is hosting a Chopped at Home challenge to give at home Chopped lovers the chance to win a spot to compete on the show themselves. Use the secret ingredients provided, submit your recipe to FoodNetwork.com/ChoppedChallenge, and you’ll be entered to win $5,000 cash and a trip to NYC to compete on the show for a chance to win the coveted $10,000 grand prize.
What would you do with $10,000? I for one would get a bigger kitchen. Learn more about the challenge here or on the back of select Sargento products. If you need some inspiration to get started, the Sargento Pinterest page has a ton of good cheesy recipes!
Right now for round 2, the theme is Mexican. And the secret ingredients?
- Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Blend
- chicken thighs
- poblano peppers
- corn tortillas
These Mexican stuffed poblano peppers are my entry, and they may not be quite as pretty as some of the things the Chopped contestants make, but they sure are yummy. And that has to count for something right? While Sargento may have over 30 different varieties and blends available, we use the 4 Cheese Mexican Blend for pretty much everything, so incorporating it into the recipe was a piece of cake.
Start by grilling your peppers on all sides until you get a nice char. If you’re using a grill pan, place a lid or something heavy on top of the peppers to weigh them down to get that char.
Once the peppers are grilled, take them off to cool and add your seasoned chicken thighs. I accidentally bought bone-in chicken thighs for this, which I don’t particularly recommend, but I have included cooking instructions in the recipe for both bone-in and boneless in case you can’t find boneless!
Grill the chicken thighs for just a few minutes, flip, and toss the entire grill pan into the oven to bake. This is my husband’s secret to perfectly cooked and juicy chicken!
While the chicken is grilling, you’re going to do two more things since this is supposed to be like Chopped after all. First, use those corn tortillas to make crispy homemade tortilla strips. And while those are baking, make your filling!
For the filling, start by fully caramelizing the corn; this will add a sweetness you won’t get anywhere else. Add black beans, rice, and chicken (once it’s done), and some of the shredded cheese to bind everything together.
Last but not least, cut open your peppers and fill. Then top with more cheese and bake again until cheese is melted and gooey. Top with crunchy tortilla strips to add that bit of salt and crunch the peppers need!
And if there is anyone in your family who doesn’t like peppers (like my 3-year-old), you can always save some of the filling and use it in the extra corn tortillas for tacos. Not quite the same but still tasty.
Now go create your own chopped recipe and enter to win a spot on Chopped!
Ingredients
- 2 cups Sargento 4 Cheese Mexican Blend shredded cheese
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 4 boneless , skinless chicken thighs
- 4 small corn tortillas
- 1 cup rice , cooked
- 2 TBS olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 11 oz can corn
- 1 cup black beans , drained
Instructions
For the tortilla strips:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Brush both sides of corn tortillas with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Stack on top of each other and cut into strips using a pizza cutter. Place in oven and bake for 4 minutes. At 4 minutes, use a spatula to flip over then cook for another 3-4 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp.
For the peppers:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Heat grill pan or grill on medium-high heat.
- Brush all sides of peppers with olive oil then place directly on grill pan, cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side until charred. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Mix all spices (cumin through salt) together. While peppers are cooking, rub spice mixture into both sides of all four pieces of chicken.
- After removing peppers from grill, add chicken directly onto the grill. Cook for three minutes then flip over and place grill pan directly into preheated oven. Bake chicken for 22 minutes. Once baked, cut into bite-size cubes.
- While chicken is baking, preheat large saute pan with 1 TBS olive oil on medium high heat.
- Add corn to heated pan and allow to caramelize for 5-6 minutes.
- Add black beans, rice, and chopped chicken to pan. Stir together and cook until thoroughly heated.
- Add 1 cup shredded cheese to the mixture and mix until combined.
- While filling is cooking, slice a slit in the peppers lengthwise and place on a baking sheet.
- Fill each pepper with filling then top with 1/4 cup cheese. Bake in oven for another 5-6 minutes or until cheese is melted.
- Serve hot topped with crispy tortilla strips.
Notes
Nutrition
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sargento. The opinions and text are all mine.
