Chipotle chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers are the perfect simple dinner to enjoy when bell peppers are at their seasonal peak. Chicken, quinoa, and beans are mixed with homemade orange chipotle sauce and stuffed into roasted bell peppers, then topped with cheese and warmed up until the cheese melts. Garnish with avocado crema and pickled jalapeños, and serve with tortilla chips for crunch, and you have the perfect healthy summer supper.

Any fun plans for the weekend? It’s a long weekend here; hard to believe that tomorrow is August 1st! I don’t know where the summer has gone, but I’m kind of okay with it flying by, since as some of you know, summer is not my favourite season. But July was actually much more moderate in temperature here in Ottawa than it normally is, so I am super grateful for that and feel very thankful that we have gotten a fair amount of rain. As for my weekend plans, I am just going to see where my days take me. I had a little homemade pizza and Olympic watching party last night and made pesto, fennel, and Calabrese pizza (my recipe can be found here), barbecue chicken pizza, peach spinach salad, and vegan s’mores bars for dessert. It was great!

Having the Olympics to watch has been such a treat, hasn’t it? What are your favourite sports to watch? I love gymnastics and track!

Stuffed peppers are such a classic summer meal. Last summer, I shared a recipe for quinoa and black bean stuffed peppers, and today, I have something a bit different: Chipotle chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers. The chicken is combined with orange-infused chipotle sauce, making it a bit special and unique, but still so simple to prepare.

ingredients you’ll need

For the chipotle orange sauce, you’ll need canned chipotles in adobo sauce, orange, water, salt, and lime juice.

For the chipotle chicken and quinoa, you’ll need extra virgin olive oil, organic ground chicken or turkey, onion, garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, pepper, black beans, cilantro, the chipotle sauce, and cooked quinoa.

For the yogurt avocado crema, you’ll need avocado, Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, salt, garlic, and water.

And cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese and bell peppers.

the method

Roast the peppers: Preheat the oven to 400 F. Lightly oil a large rimmed baking sheet. Slice the peppers in half lengthwise and remove the seeds, but keep the stems intact. Brush both sides with oil and roast, cut side down, for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully flip them over so that the cut side is facing up.

Make the chipotle orange sauce: In a food processor, combine the chipotles in adobo sauce, orange, water, salt, and lime juice. Process until smooth.

Cook the quinoa: Combine the quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down heat to low, cover, and cook for fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.

Cook the chicken: Warm the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes, or until the chicken is cooked. Add the spices, salt, and pepper. Cook for three more minutes, then add the chipotle sauce. Cook until most of the liquid has evaporated before stirring in the black beans, quinoa, and cilantro.

Stuff the peppers: Add a generous amount of chipotle chicken quinoa filling to each pepper half. Top with the grated cheese. Bake at 350 F for 8 minutes, until the cheese has melted. If desired, broil for 1 minute to brown the cheese.

Meanwhile, make the avocado yogurt crema: Combine the avocado, Greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, salt, garlic, and water in a food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer into a container.

Serve each pepper half with a generous dollop of avocado crema and pickled jalapeños. Tortilla chips on the side are always a good idea!

more healthy recipes with seasonal vegetables

I hope that you love these chipotle chicken and quinoa stuffed peppers! If you make them, let me know how you enjoyed them by leaving a comment and rating below the post. And if you share a photo to Instagram, tag it @upbeet.kitchen and #upbeetkitchen. I love seeing what you’ve made.

Enjoy!