These are perfect if you have leftover chicken in your fridge or freezer which is what happened to me! My mom and sister have both made their own versions of stuffed peppers over the years, and this was a simple combo of both.
You can definitely use ground chicken if you’d like, but I went ahead and used shredded chicken breasts and that seemed to work out well!
The only downside of this dish is that Nathan doesn’t love peppers too much…sucks for him! These make great leftovers though and I have been eating them for lunch all week.
What you need: A baking sheet, foil, a small pot, a big mixing bowl and a cutting board
Time: about 30 minutes + 1 hour to bake
Makes: 6 stuffed peppers
Ingredients:
- 6 bell peppers (I like red the best!)
- 1 28 ounce can of Italian tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon of oregano
- 1 teaspoon of thyme
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
- 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/2 pound of orzo
- 2 chicken breasts (I actually bake about a pound or so and save the rest for another meal)
- 1/4 cup of ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup of grated parmesan romano blend, plus more for sprinkling
- A pinch of red chili flakes
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. On a baking sheet lined with foil, space out the chicken breasts and coat with a sprinkle of olive oil plus 1/2 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let cool, and then shred the meat with two forks. If you are using leftover chicken, no need to reheat it yet.
Heat a small pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Dump in 1/2 pound (typically just half of the box) of the orzo pasta and cook for 4-5 minutes. The pasta should not be very soft yet since it will continue baking in the oven. Remove from the heat and strain.
In the meantime, pour the can of tomatoes into a large bowl and smash any big chunks with a fork. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon of thyme, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, and the 1/4 teaspoons of salt and pepper. Add a pinch of red chili flakes, chopped garlic and 1/4 cup of olive oil and stir together until incorporated. Then add the ricotta cheese and parmesan – stir until combined.
Once the chicken and orzo are ready, add both to the bowl and stir all together until incorporated with the tomato mixture.
Next, slice the tops of the peppers off and remove the core and seeds gently with a knife or spoon. If needed, cut a small slice off the base of the peppers to help them stand upright.
With a spoon, stuff peppers to the brim with the tomato pasta mixture. Once prepared, place the peppers on a baking sheet lined with foil. Be sure to place another piece of foil on top of the peppers before baking. I wrapped the edges of the foil around the peppers slightly.
Bake in the oven for 45 minutes and then remove the foil. Sprinkle each pepper with more parmesan romano and bake for 15 minutes more. Remove from the oven, and let cool for 20 minutes before eating!
