Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Peppers (Print version)

Tender mini peppers filled with creamy pesto chicken, topped with melted cheese and baked to perfection.

# What You'll Need:

→ Filling

01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, finely shredded
02 - 1/3 cup basil pesto
03 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
04 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
05 - 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

→ Peppers

07 - 12-16 mini sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded

→ Topping

08 - 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
09 - 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
02 - In a medium bowl, mix the shredded chicken, pesto, cream cheese, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 2 tablespoons Parmesan, and black pepper until well combined.
03 - Arrange the halved and seeded mini sweet peppers cut-side up on the prepared baking sheet.
04 - Spoon the pesto chicken mixture evenly into each pepper half, mounding slightly.
05 - Sprinkle the tops with the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
06 - Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender and the cheese is golden and bubbly.
07 - Let cool for 3-5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They look elegant enough to impress guests but require zero fancy cooking skills or techniques.
  • One pan, minimal cleanup, and you've got something that tastes restaurant-quality and feels like you actually tried.
  • The filling comes together in minutes, and you can prep everything ahead if life gets chaotic.
02 -
  • Don't skip softening the cream cheese—a cold or chunky filling won't mix smoothly, and your texture will suffer for it.
  • Those mini peppers have significantly less structural integrity than regular bell peppers, so they're done baking faster than you might expect; check at eighteen minutes.
03 -
  • Invest two minutes in softening your cream cheese at room temperature—your filling will mix smoother and taste less lumpy than if you force cold chunks to combine.
  • Buy pre-shredded rotisserie chicken if you have it, because that's the ingredient where a shortcut genuinely makes your life better without affecting the final result.
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