Print It| Add to Favorites| | Pin It

Poblanos Stuffed with Cheddar and Chicken

by Allison Ehri Kreitler

read reviews (23)

These are not the stuffed peppers of your childhood—they're better. Poblano chiles are rich and flavorful with a mild to medium heat. Using leftover cooked chicken and rice speeds up the already quick prep. Serves 4

To learn more, read the article:
The Rules of Melting Cheese

Get a quick and delicious recipe every day with our FREE Make it Tonight newsletter Make it Tonight Recipe

poblano chiles cinnamon oregano more more

4 large poblano chiles
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1/2 medium white onion, chopped
1 large clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
1 tsp. ground cumin
Generous pinch ground cinnamon
Kosher salt
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups shredded cooked chicken, preferably dark meat
1-1/2 cups cooked brown or white rice
2 cups grated sharp or extra-sharp white Cheddar (about 7 oz.)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (including some tender stems)
1 Tbs. lime juice

Position an oven rack about 4 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler on high. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Slit the chiles from stem to tip and set on the baking sheet. Broil, turning every few minutes, until blackened all over, 5 to 8 minutes. Let cool slightly, peel off the skins, and cut out the seed cores, leaving the stems on. Turn the chiles inside out, flick out any remaining seeds, and turn right side out. Return the poblanos to the baking sheet.

Purée the tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp. salt in a food processor. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the purée and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture looks thick and pulpy, 8 to 11 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the chicken and rice, and then 1 cup of the cheese, the cilantro, and the lime juice. Season to taste with salt. Divide the filling among the peppers, wrapping the sides of the peppers up and around the filling, some of which will still be exposed.

Broil the peppers until the cheese is melting and the top is beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Top with the remaining 1 cup cheese and broil until the cheese is completely melted, about 2 minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Jícama, Radish, and Pickled Shallot Salad with Feta is the perfect way to start this meal.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 510; Fat (g): 28; Fat Calories (kcal): 250; Saturated Fat (g): 14; Protein (g): 37; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 9; Carbohydrates (g): 28; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 2.5; Sodium (mg): 570; Cholesterol (mg): 125; Fiber (g): 5;

photo: Scott Phillips

From Fine Cooking 97 , pp. 21

December 31, 2008

user reviews

Rate this Recipe

by bjunge, 8/16/2012Have made this twice now, and change it up just a touch; dusted and grilled 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs (paprika/garlic salt/chipotle chili/cumin) for 6 mins/side on med heat, then chopped/shredded for the mix. Grill/char the poblanos, and don't turn them inside out. Also used pepperjack instead of cheddar. Put in the oven on a lined sheet for 15 at 350 and then dust with remaining cheese and a 5 min low broil.

by czburger81, 6/5/2012this was excellent. i used about 1.25c grated cheddar (1c in the rice mix and .25c sprinkled on top of the final product)and didn't feel like it needed any extra. Will def. be making these again. Also - used a combo of dark & white meat from grilled chicken leftovers.

by Bike53x12, 5/13/2012This one will be kind of Rich Little on the old Tonight Show; it'll show up on our table every couple of months or so. I too, did not turn the peppers inside-out. I found that the seeds tended to want to stick to my fingers, so they were easy to remove. Other than additional cheese, I followed the recipe pretty close. Next time, I may cut back on the chicken and add some turkey sausage. There are several variations that come to mind though. Also, I think this one may be a great way to use left-over Thanksgiving turkey; we'll see this Fall. This recipe is going to be fun to play with. We had about 1-1/2 of these left over. I removed the stems and coursely chopped the peppers. Then scooped some into a flour tortilla, rolled it up and tucked in the ends. These were fried crisp in canola oil. It turned out to be a really good twist on our usual chimichanga recipe!

by memerescookn, 5/11/2012Great recipe. I use gloves when I prepare pablano's in this way I spare my skin. I have used Italian sausage stuffed peppers also. I enjoy the recipes and so does the family.

by rbraver, 4/13/2011Delicious! We didn't flip the peppers inside out becuase they were weak, instead we just scooped out the seeds with a spoon. I wasn't sure about the cinnamon either, but it all blended together perfectly.

by lorian, 2/22/2011Such a delicious recipe! I made it as specified the first time. This time I chopped the peppers and baked like a casserole. Great way to use leftovers from a baked chicken!

by mgssts63, 2/15/2009Excellent! Great flavor. I had a bit of a challenge handling and peeling the peppers, but it was well worth the effort.

by cookiegirl52, 1/15/2011This recipe was so good! Taking a cue from some earlier reviewer(s), I doubled the sauce and I was glad that I did. I topped the peppers with salsa verde and avocado before serving. I didn't think I was going to like the cinnamon, but it really added a nice flavor. I did add a bit of cayenne to the sauce too just because I felt it needed heat. Preparing the chiles was time consuming, but worth it. Next time I'll prepare my chicken thighs the night before to save time.

by BKeep, 10/29/2010Great recipe. Yum!

by mauicat, 10/28/2010YUM!! Blackened the peppers on the grill, also grilled three boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the stuffing. Will definitely make again.

by carnage, 8/11/2010My girlfriend loved this, and so did I!! We have never tried pablanos before and you can bet we will be using them again. Such a wounderfull sweet tast with a perfect bit of heat!!

by Erikalyf, 4/13/2010Love it!

by FLEMVIC, 2/9/2010My husband inhaled his! Nice spiciness, relatively easy execution and the cinnamon was a really lovely touch. At only 510 calories a servings covered in cheese, with a little restraint it could be a down right guilt free dinner staple :)

by smitty2k2, 1/13/2010FLAWLESS! This recipe rocks. It can inspire a home cook to create all sorts of stuffed poblano variations. Great execution.

by Drillerdave, 10/6/2009Wonderfull recipe, we charred the peppers on the grill, best stuffed peppers so far.

by Elonios, 4/18/2009I really like this recipe but have adjusted it since the first time I made it. I use half of the rice called for and add about a cup of black beans and some corn. For the sauce I use 1 28 oz can of the fire roasted tomatoes instead of the fresh tomatoes. I also increase the spice amounts. I like the extra sauce. Also instead of broiling at the end I cook for 15-20 minutes in a 425 degree oven. This warms everything back up and makes the cheese nice and melty. The avocado tomatillo salsa on this site is great on top.

by cklawrence, 4/2/2009A very good recipe, I think for my taste, I would add some extra cumin and maybe something for more heat.

by fcar, 3/24/2009Great flavor, only made one mistake cooked the poblanos to long and they became to soft had to get more.

by NancyFM, 2/8/2009I made the brown rice in the rice cooker and had the same problem as the other reviewer, my stuffing cooled down so I just tossed everything back in the rice cooker to keep it warm while I assembled the rest of the dinner. I didn't add the chicken to the stuffing because I was serving grilled chicken tacos and used the stuffed poblanos as a side dish. Next time I do that I will use smaller poblanos because this dish is nice and filling. Wasn't sure I would like the cinnamon and oregano with the cumin but it was delicious. This would be great as part of a buffet, I bet the poblanos could be stuffed the day before, warmed and then broiled till golden. I'd wear gloves for a large quantity though.

by Nancy, 2/3/2009I've made these twice. My family loved them. Preparing the chiles is a little time consuming, but well worth it. The filling had cooled off and I realized broiling wouldn't heat them enough, so put them in the oven for about 10 minutes before briefly broiling to toast the cheese.

by braunm, 1/31/2009Excellent recipe. When serving, I did top it off with sour cream and some fresh tomatoes. Next time I want to try a little enchilada sauce or salsa verde on top. Delicious.

by slmassie, 1/30/2009When I first saw the recipe I knew I had to make it and was it ever delicious. We had our son and his family to dinner and everyone raved. It was easy to make and didn't take much time to assemble, the longest time was doing the peppers but then I just held them over the gas burner and that worked better for me then the broiler. Thank you for a great keeper recipe (I have passed it along to many friends).

by Amy, 1/16/2009We loved them. I didn't use quite as much cheese.

join the conversation