Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Peppers

I’ve always been a fan of stuffed peppers, but never tried to make them on my own. Finally my boyfriend gave me the inspiration to try something new from the standard beef and tomato sauce.

You’ll need:

4 Bell peppers that can stand up without being propped up preferably
3 Chicken breasts, boiled and chopped
2 cups rice
Half jar of Alfredo sauce
Salt
Pepper
Shredded cheese

How to:

Start by boiling your chicken until the pink is all gone. Once done, chop them into manageable bite-size pieces. Prepare your rice like you would normally.

Once both are done, toss into a bowl to mix the rice and chicken together. Once mixed, start adding the Alfredo sauce until it’s all creamy. I added salt and pepper to taste at this point.

Next, take your peppers and cut the tops off. Take the core out and you can begin scooping your chicken rice mix inside. I filled them to about the top. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top if you want and place on a baking sheet if the peppers will stand on their own. If not, pack together in a baking dish so they can lean on each other plus walls for support. Bake for 40-50 min or until your pepper is soft and the filling is heated through.

Note: This will make more filling than you probably need. Chop the pepper around the top that you took off and dice those to throw in with the rest of the filling. Serve hot or cold in a wrap for lunch the next day.

The rest of the filling is just an added bonus for the next day’s recipes.

Southwest Style Quesadilla with Southwest Ranch

I was just sparked to make this earlier today when I realized I had chicken thawed in the fridge.

You’ll need:
4 thawed Chicken Breasts
1 pack of taco seasoning (I used Old El Paso brand)
Cholula Hot Sauce (or your favorite)
Salt
Tortillas
Shredded Cheese
4 slices of Pepper Jack Cheese
1 stick of Butter

Dip:
Ranch
Cholula
Chili Powder

How to:

Start by boiling the chicken in a pot. I filled the pot at least halfway with water and added my taco seasoning pack to it and the chicken. The chicken may take awhile and I didn’t time it. I let it go and pick a thick piece to pull out and cut into the center to make sure there’s no pink to know it’s done.

When the chicken is done, take them from the pot and start slicing into small chunks to be shredded. You can leave it as chunks if you like or a mix. Toss the chicken into a bowl and start adding your hot sauce of choice. I used Cholula as it gives good flavor as well as heat. You’re just looking for a nice coating on the chicken for flavor. Add salt to taste.

Now, get your pan heating up and once it’s hot, take the stick of butter, peel the foil back, and just rub the butter in the pan. *Easy tip for buttering pans instead of taking a piece of butter and moving it all over the pan* Toss your tortilla in and with the slightly still melty stick of butter, rub some onto the tortilla. Start with your shredded cheese and placing it on one half of the tortilla. Layer some chicken on top, with another layer of shredded cheese after, and for an extra kick, break a slice of pepper jack in half and place on top. With a spatula, take the empty half of the quesadilla and fold it on top. Make sure to squish it down and seal it with the melty cheese. After a couple minutes, flip and let it sizzle on the other side to ensure melty cheesy goodness. Once, done, pop on a plate and repeat the process 3 more times as 4 chicken breasts should yield 4 quesadllas.

For your sauce:

Start with a good bit of ranch, I’d say I used about 1/3 cup. Add in some cholula or your favorite hot sauce and stir. Next, add about a half teaspoon of chili powder and mix. After that, add a little more of what you need for your taste.

And that’s all you need for your own homemade Southwestern quesadilla. Enjoy!

Southwest Quesadilla with Southwest Ranch (not pictured)