In The Kitchen With Kanta: Stuffed Peppers

Stuffed peppers are eaten in many different parts of the world; from Spain to the Middle East, North Africa to Mexico and the USA. Typically stuffed peppers are formed of Bell peppers, stuffed with minced meat, rice, herbs and spices and sometimes topped with melted cheese. This delicious combination makes for an impressive meal for friends and family. They are quick and easy to make; and they offer a bit of variety to your typical meal. So the next time you have people over and you want to impress, try this colorful dish, that’s sure to entice, even the kids.

This recipe is courtesy of Marc Matsumoto from the Fresh Tastes Blog and has always worked perfectly for me, so Enjoy!!

Ingredients

• 180 grams chicken, cut into small pieces
• 7 grams – about 1 large clove garlic, grated
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2  teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 4 medium red, yellow and green bell peppers
• 1/2 a small onion finely chopped
• 1/2 small green bell pepper, finely chopped
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock

Method

Combine the chicken, garlic, 1 tablespoon olive oil, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper in a bowl, and stir well. Let the chicken marinate for at least 15 minutes.

Prepare the peppers by cutting the tops off of them. Try and make the cups as deep as possible. Scrape out the seeds and membranes with a spoon.

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil over the pepper cups, and rub with your fingers to coat evenly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 175 C.  Heat a frying pan over medium high heat until hot, and then add the marinated chicken. Fry the chicken until brown on both sides.  Once cooked, transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving as much oil in the pan as possible.

Add the onions and chopped green bell peppers, and sauté until tender and caramelized, adding more oil if needed. Now add the rice, and stir until the rice absorbs some oil and becomes translucent.

Add the chicken stock and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook; stirring constantly until the rice swells up and the mixture becomes thick enough that you can leave a streak behind by running a spatula across the pan.

Turn off the heat, and stir in the chicken.  Stuff the peppers with the chicken and rice mixture.  Bake the peppers until they are tender (about 30-40 minutes).

Serving

These stuffed peppers are ideal for lunch with a salad or served for dinner with potatoes and fresh greens.

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.