Fresh green bell peppers become their own serving vessel when stuffed with chicken, rice, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce to create a weeknight dinner that puts the all the essential nutrients in one easy-to-make and totally delicious dinner.
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“Yum! The first time I made this was so good I had to make it again.” -Gail, FoodieCrush reader
This Is One of My Family’s Top 5 Favorite Dinners of All Time
My husband and I have been making a variation of these creamy chicken stuffed peppers for way longer than I’d care to reveal, ’cause you know, I was a child bride and all 😉.
Back in the day we used an onion soup mix as the main flavoring to spike a cream of mushroom soup concentrate to make the creamy filling. If anyone had tested our sodium levels post gorge we would have been straight-up mistaken for a salt lick thanks to the massive spike.
I set my man to task to create a lightened up, non-grocery store mix version. I’m stoked to say, he did it — and then some. It’s every bit as good, and I think way better thanks to the omission of the salty onion mix that we subbed with savory thyme leaves.
Today, we make a simple roux with butter, flour, and milk that’s reduced for a creamy filling with cooked rice and sautéed mushrooms. Plus this version gets its mushroom-y flavor from ground, dried porcini mushrooms combined with a load of sautéed cremini mushrooms added to onion and celery for a delicious trilogy of flavor.
Enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Bell peppers — I prefer using green peppers for this recipe, but I’ve also used red, orange, and even poblano peppers in the past.
- Mushrooms — A combination of sliced cremini mushrooms and dried porcini mushrooms gives the creamy filling tons of flavor.
- Aromatics — Celery and onion help flavor the sauce.
- Creamy sauce — It’s a simple béchamel sauce made with butter, flour, and milk. I also add some chicken stock to thin it out and make it thin enough to coat the chicken, rice, and veggies.
- Cooked chicken — A store-bought rotisserie chicken keeps this recipe weeknight-friendly.
- Cooked rice — I typically make the rice the day before (here’s my favorite method), especially if I’m using brown rice which takes much longer to cook. You can sub in cooked quinoa too.
- Cheese — Shredded cheddar or Monterrey Jack are my personal favorites.
How to Make Stuffed Peppers with Chicken and Rice
- Blanch the peppers. I do this by placing the trimmed and seeded peppers in a bowl with a little water and sprinkling their insides with kosher salt, and then microwaving them on high for 10 minutes or so. I prefer my peppers to be on the less-than-mushy side, so this technique works perfectly for a tender, but not over-cooked bell pepper.
- Make the creamy chicken and mushroom filling. After sautéing the aromatics and sliced mushrooms, melt the butter in the now-empty pan and stir in the flour. You need to let the flour cook for a couple minutes otherwise your béchamel will taste gluey. Whisk in the milk and chicken stock, then the spices and mushroom powder.
- Simmer, then stir in the chicken and rice. When the sauce has reduced by about a third, return the veggies to the pan along with the shredded chicken and rice.
- Fill the peppers, then bake. So long as you really pack the peppers into the baking dish, they should stand up one their own without issue so that you can really stuff them to the brim. Don’t forget to sprinkle the tops with cheese before baking until golden!
Heidi’s Tip: To grind the dried porcini mushrooms, we use a coffee grinder, or you could also use your food processor instead.
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Give the peppers a cooking head start before stuffing them! I always blanch my peppers quickly in the microwave, that way they’re softened and ready for the already-cooked stuffing, making the baking process more of a warm-up instead of a full-on baking experience.
You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken for this recipe. Or, if you’re a wanna be meal-prepper like me, roast or poach up a chicken of your own on the weekend, shred it, and store in the fridge for dinners like this.
Adjust the filling as desired. We’ve made versions of these stuffed bell peppers with chicken, without chicken, with rice on the side, with rice added and baked in. You can make this recipe your own by tweaking the filling as you see fit.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Creamy Chicken Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 green bell peppers , seeded and cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 stalks celery , diced
- 1 small onion , diced
- 2 pounds cremini mushrooms , sliced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups cold milk
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme , crushed
- 5 teaspoons dried mushrooms (such as oyster or porcini) , ground into a powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken , shredded
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 ¼ cups shredded cheese (such as Monterey jack or cheddar)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- Par-cook the peppers. Remove the stems from the peppers and carefully remove the seeds and ribs from the inside. Lightly salt (about ¼ teaspoon) the inside of the stemmed and seeded peppers and place in a microwave safe bowl with ½ cup or so of water, cover and cook for 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Sauté the aromatics and mushrooms. In a large skillet or dutch oven, sauté the onions and celery with 1 tablespoon olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 4-5 minutes. Add the cremini mushrooms and cook for another 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms soften then transfer to a bowl.
- Make the creamy sauce. In the same dutch oven or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, scraping bits from bottom of pan if there are any. Whisk in the flour and cook over low heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly so flour taste cooks out and the mixture becomes lightly browned. Add the chicken stock and the milk to the butter and flour mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add the thyme, crushing it between your fingers, the ground mushroom powder and season to with the salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to medium heat and cook until the sauce thickens and reduces by one third.
- Finish the filling. Add the mushroom mixture back to the pan along with the cooked chicken and rice. Simmer until warmed. Add more milk if the sauce is too thick.
- Bake. Place peppers in a 9×13-inch baking dish, skin side down, and fill pepper cavities with chicken mixture and top each pepper with a small handful of shredded cheese. Add extra filling around the peppers, if needed. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and the cheese is melted. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.
Nutrition
What to Serve with Chicken and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Because stuffed bell peppers are literally a meal in one, the big question becomes what goes with them? Here are a few ideas to take your one-stage meal to upstage all the others:
More Easy Stuffed Pepper Recipes
- Breakfast Stuffed Peppers
- Stuffed Pasilla Peppers
- Ground Beef Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Southwestern Stuffed Peppers
- Mexican Stuffed Peppers
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Ana
Delicious! I love all things with thyme and this is no exception. I didn’t do the second microwave round with the bell peppers as I liked their consistency with the first 8 minutes in the microwave. I subbed in baby bella and white mushrooms as that was what was available at the store. It turned out great!
Laura
What a perfect way to use the end of the pepper crop from our garden! They look delicious!
Kelly Senyei | Just a Taste
These stuffed peppers look and sound so delicious, Heidi! Can’t wait to try them :)
Katie | HealthySeasonalRecipes
I am so in love with this mash up of comfort food! And the local peppers at the farmers’ market are so gorgeous here too right now. I can’t resist them!
Becky
What a fun twist on stuffed peppers. These sounds outrageously good Heidi!!! Hope all is well for you this Fall!!
Liren | Kitchen Confidante
Love that you have made these peppers with a gorgeous creamy mushroom sauce, Heidi. You’ve inspired me to stuff some peppers this week!
marcie
My mom used to make the same type of stuffed peppers and I can’t say I was into them back then either. I love ’em now and this filling sounds so much better than the one I grew up on!
phyllis
Thank you for this recipe, as I have lots of red peppers in my garden ready to pick. Always looking for new and different recipes. Who would think of mushrooms! Can’t wait to make this tonight.
Liz
I love stuffed peppers and they always remind me of my childhood because my Mom would make them at least once a week. AND she actually made them last night and I’m having the leftovers for lunch today. Yahoo! Love the flavors in this version. Gotta try it ASAP!
Jacy
Is the 2 POUNDS?!? the correct amount for the cremini mushrooms? That’s a lot!
YES! 2 pounds of mushrooms, and yes, it sounds like a lot, but yes, that’s the correct amount! So good!
Martyna @ Wholesome Cook
I adore peppers, my Mum pickles them in vinegar – they are fantastic. I don’t stuff them often enough at home and when I do, I normally use a mixture of mince and rice. But I absolutely love your vegetarian version. We are great fans of mushroom risotto – this would so work!
Kristen
We are huge stuffed pepper fans! Loving all these recipes.
Jeanine
Thanks for the link love!
My mom made hamburger + tomato sauce red peppers, and I hated them too :). Or rather, I remember eating the filling but no way would I eat the actual pepper!
Kalyn
I never liked the pepper part when my mom made them, but now I would eat the whole thing!
I too never liked the pepper part but now I’d rather have that half of the time. But just half of the time.
Jen @ Savory Simple
My hubs and I like to joke that I was a child bride because of the 10 year age difference. “When you were graduating high school? I WAS EIGHT, HA”
Love the recipe :)
Hey! We have kind of the same kindling romance between me and my husband, just 8 years. But I always think about me in 3rd grade “liking” a boy 8 YEARS OLDER!
Ashley @ Wishes and Dishes
I wish my hubby loved stuffed peppers so I could make these….heck, I’ll make ’em anyway – more for me! ;)
Rachel Cooks
Yum! These look fabulous. I’d be way more into these than their beef/tomato sisters. I love the idea of the mushroom powder–need to try that asap!
The mushroom powder really does infuse a nice flavor. We find it in our herb designated coffee grinder.
kellypea @ sass & veracity
I’ve been thinking about stuffed peppers quite a bit lately — the good old fashioned type like my mom made — so thanks for sharing these new, gorgeous versions!
Dixya
I love stuffed peppers and it makes such a great starter or even a meal.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
I love stuffed peppers, a perfect dinner this time of year!
Cathy @ Noble Pig
I love this version! I started making a quinoa ~ Mediterranean style stuffed peeper we really like but I love the mushroom- cheese idea.
Quinoa is a great addition, and gluten free too
Annalise
Totally drooling over all these gorgeous stuffed peppers! Yum!
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
I love that you call yourself child bride! Amazing! My friends and I call one of our best friends child bride. I am really into the addition of ground dried mushrooms! I think a lot of dishes would be so much better with that addition.
Bev @ Bev Cooks
This is making me want to play with dried mushrooms again! What a freaking pretty dish. Is there room in that for my entire life?
Kathryn
I’m totally inspired by this post and all your lovely links. I’m not going to be able to think about anything else until I can make some stuffed peppers!