Chicken & Black Bean Stuffed Pablano Peppers

I've made stuffed peppers before, but this was complete opposite.  This recipe used pablano peppers vs green peppers and chicken vs ground beef.  They were so good.  You might use half a jalapeno if you don't like it too spicy because ours was pretty spicy but it really depends on the jalapeno you buy.  The pablano peppers are a lot more flexible and once I removed the stem and seeds they really opened up all the way and I ended up just making them sort of open faced.

Chicken and Black Bean Stuffed Poblano Peppers:

Recipe adapted from For the Love of Cooking

3 poblano peppers (these are also referred to as pastillo peppers at the grocery)

2 cups of diced chicken

1/2 cup of black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 cup of sharp cheddar cheese

2 tbsp red bell pepper, diced

2 tbsp red onion, diced

2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/2 small jalapeno, diced

1 clove of garlic, minced

Salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Dash of oregano

Dash of cumin

Clean the poblano peppers and carefully slit them down the center (be careful not to go all the way through the pepper).  

Broil until peppers are blackened on all sides in the oven and skin is bubbling.  Transfer the peppers to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap (or in a plastic bag), and let cool for 10 minutes.  While peppers are blackening then cooling, season the chicken with S&P, oregano, and cumin and cook through in a sauté pan, then shred it or dice it small.  Combine the chicken, black beans, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, minced garlic, S&P to taste.  Once the peppers are cool enough to handle, remove the blackened skin – it should peel off very easily.  I pulled out the stem and the seeds also.  Place peppers in a baking dish and carefully stuff each pepper with the chicken and black bean mixture.

Top each pepper with the cheese.  Place in the oven and bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is warmed through and the cheese is melted. Serve with guacamole, sour cream, and fresh salsa.