These quick and easy Italian chicken stuffed peppers will be a guaranteed weeknight regular. Simple ingredients that pack plenty of flavor, they’re a crowd pleaser anyone can get behind. This post has been sponsored by Barilla America, Inc. All thoughts and opinions are my own!
Stuffed peppers are a favorite in my house. Everyone loves how they pack so much flavor in perfectly portioned, edible containers. They’re infinitely customizable in terms of flavor. We really love keeping the ingredient list minimal and better for you without compromising on flavor. One of my favorites to make are these Italian chicken stuffed peppers made with Barilla® Marinara Sauce that I buy at Shoprite (bonus, it’s on sale for 2/$5).
Stuffed Peppers are one meal the kids and adults can both get excited for, especially these Italian chicken stuffed peppers. Usually, I have to make a double batch of stuffed peppers because everyone either wants seconds or to know that there will be extra the next day for lunch. Even if one kid doesn’t like the pepper itself, they always dig into the filling—and a big part of the reason why is the fact that we use a good, hearty tomato sauce as the base for the filling.
When it comes to shopping for tomato sauce, I am pretty picky about the brands I use. Taste is very important to me, especially since I have kids with particular palates waiting for something delicious to eat. So far, the Barilla Marinara is the only one that was 100% kid-approved.
I personally love how there are no preservatives and it's made with non-GMO ingredients. It actually tastes like marinara I’ve had in Italy, simmered with garlic, onions, and a touch of basil. You can learn more, plus get additional inspiration here - shop.barillasauce.com.
What’s best is that you can easily find the Barilla Marinara, plus all the ingredients to make these Italian chicken stuffed peppers, at Shoprite. I love that they have everything I need with friendly, knowledgeable employees who are always willing to help me find a product or ensure it will be in stock the next time I am around.
Okay, let's get back to making the peppers. These Italian chicken stuffed peppers are super easy to make and are done really fast since we begin cooking the peppers in the preheated oven while we make the filling. If I have any leftover rice, I can usually get this done in under 30 minutes.
If you do not have any rice already made, make sure you start that when you put the peppers in the oven!! You can also use any other grains you have available. I actually love this recipe as a way to use up any leftover rice/grains from another meal.
To keep things simple, you can also use ground chicken instead of finely dicing chicken breast. This recipe also works well with ground turkey, ground beef, and Italian sausages! Think of this as a delicious base recipe and customize it to your liking. As long as you are using any of the Barilla sauces, you are sure to be tonight’s dinner hero!
Italian Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 9 medium bell peppers
- 1 lb chicken breast finely diced
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 medium zucchini or vegetable of choice, finely diced
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil divided
- 1 ½ cups cooked rice*
- 1 jar Barilla Marinara Sauce
- 2 cups shredded cheese divided**
- ⅔ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Cut the tops from the bell peppers and clean out their insides. Rinse.
- Place the bell peppers in the oven, then preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. (If you don’t have rice ready to go, now is the time to start making some!)
- Once you’ve finely chopped your chicken, toss with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Finely dice a medium onion and small zucchini. (You can also use yellow squash, mushrooms, a small eggplant, or other vegetables).
- Heat a large skillet and add 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.
- Cook the onion and zucchini together until the onions are fragrant and translucent.
- Add the chicken, and cook through.
- Add in the rice and Barilla Marinara sauce. Stir well.
- Sir in all but ½ cup of the cheese.
- Use oven mitts to remove the bell peppers and carefully stuff them.
- Mix together the bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, and remaining cheese.
- Generously top the stuffed peppers with the breadcrumb mixture.
- Bake until the bread crumbs are toasted—about 5 - 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately.
Elizabeth says
These Italian Chicken Stuffed Peppers look and sound so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe 🙂 I have a question about the 1 lb chicken breast finely diced; did you use raw chicken, or was it already cooked?
Amanda Powell says
I used raw, it takes just a few minutes for it to cook since its cut so small! You can also use ground chicken if you want!!
Elizabeth says
Thanks so much, Amanda!! I really appreciate your immediate response 🙂