Tex-Mex

Chile Stuffed Chicken Breasts

by
Chile Stuffed Chicken and Maize Picante

As far as meat proteins go, I probably use chicken the most. Trying to figure out new and exciting ways to prepare chicken has become a challenge for me that I have happily taken on.

I stuff these chicken breasts with roasted peppers, chiles, and cotija cheese and marinate them in a somewhat spicy, sweet, and tangy marinade to add a lot of flavor to the chicken.

2 larger chicken breasts can easily be cut in half for a meal for 4 people. Try serving this with Cilantro Lime Rice for a delicious meal.

I start by mixing my marinade ingredients in the pan that I’m going to cook my chicken in.

Slice the cheese, peppers and chiles, and butterfly the chicken.

Roll your chicken breasts around in the marinade, ensuring you get it all over and leave them cut side up.

Now it’s time to add the fillings. I like to put the cheese in between the peppers and chiles. Cotija cheese holds up well when baking. You can use a mild feta if you can’t find cotija cheese.

Now fold over the top. Try to stuff everything inside, but a little hanging out won’t really matter.

Cover the pan with a lid or foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the oven and remove the foil or lid. Using a spoon, scoop up some of the liquid and baste the chicken. Return to the oven without a cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Make sure the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165 degrees.

Now it’s time to eat. You could certainly top this off with a dollop of sour cream or guacamole or even some avocado slices, but it is so tender and delicious all on its own. Try this with Cilantro Lime Rice and Maize picante.

Enjoy!

Chile Stuffed Chicken and Maize Picante
Print Recipe

Chile Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Stuffing the chicken with moist chiles and peppers and baking in a marinade makes this chicken super moist and tender to eat. It has a little bit of spice, a little tang, and a little sweetness.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 10 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keyword: Chicken, Chiles and Chicken, Stuffed Chicken
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 104kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • 1 8 x 8 baking dish
  • Cutting board and knife
  • Citrus Zester

Ingredients

Chicken and Stuffing

  • 2 each chicken breasts butterflied
  • 2 each whole green chiles cut into long strips
  • ½ each roasted red bell pepper cut into long strips
  • 2 ounces cotija cheese 4 to 6 thin slices

Marinade

  • 2 tsp Sambal Oelek chili sauce
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ each lime juice and zest
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
  • 1 tbsp cilantro fresh, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the dish you are going to bake the chicken in, combine the Sambal Oelek, oil, lime juice, honey, ginger, and chopped cilantro.
  • Butterfly the chicken breasts.
  • Slice the cheese, roasted red pepper, and green chiles.
  • Rub both sides of the chicken breasts in the marinade mixture.
  • Place chicken breasts flat, cut side up. On one half of each breast stack half the chiles, half of the cheese, and half of the red bell peppers. Fold over tucking in the ingredients.
  • Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and use a spoon to baste the tops of the chicken with the sauce that is in the pan. Leave cover off, return to oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Check to ensure the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
  • Cut each breast in half to get 4 servings.
  • Try this with Maize Picante.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

Cotija cheese which is a Mexican Feta does not melt well and will hold up during baking. You can replace it with a mild feta if you cannot find Cotija cheese.
You can find roasted whole green chiles in the Mexican section of the supermarket.

Nutrition

Calories: 104kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 197mg | Potassium: 29mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 85IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 1mg

Cilantro Lime Rice

by

I don’t eat much rice, but when making a Tex-Mex or South of the Border meal, it is a necessity.

I usually use brown basmati rice if I am making a rice side dish. It cooks in about 30 minutes on the stovetop. I also use chicken or vegetable stock as my cooking liquid to infuse some flavor into the rice.

After you get the rice cooking, prepare the rest of the ingredients. This won’t take long to throw together once the rice is done.

Once the rice is done, or almost done, heat a large stainless steel saute pan on medium heat. Add the oil, bell pepper, and onions. Saute for about 2 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium low and stir in the green chiles, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, and oregano. Cook for about 2 minutes.

Now add the cooked rice, corn, lime juice and zest. Don’t worry if there is some cooking liquid left in the rice, add that too. It will just simmer down and add more flavor to the dish. Simmer for a couple minutes until the liquid is incorporated. Taste – be careful it’s hot – and add any salt or pepper you may desire. I usually do 3 or 4 turns of my pepper mill.

It’s ready to eat. I sprinkle on some crumble cotija cheese (it’s basically the Mexican style of feta cheese, technically Parmesan but it reminds me more of feta), some more fresh cilantro, and serve it with lime wedges.

Try this with Adobo Lime Chicken.

Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Cilantro Lime Rice

A refreshing rice dish for any Tex-Mex meal.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner, Side Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keyword: Cilantro, Lime, Rice
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 222kcal
Author: Eating With Deb

Equipment

  • 2 quart or larger sauce pan
  • Large stainless steel saute pan
  • Knife and cutting board

Ingredients

  • 2/3 cup brown basmati rice
  • 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 each red bell pepper chopped
  • 2 tbsp yellow onions fine chopped
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil or canola or peanut oil
  • ½ can green chiles
  • 1 each jalapeno seeds and ribs removed, minced, optional
  • 1 tbsp cilantro fresh, chopped
  • 1 tsp garlic fresh, minced
  • ½ tsp oregano
  • 1 each lime zest and juice
  • ½ cup frozen corn thawed
  • Crumbled cotija cheese chopped cilantro and lime wedges for topping

Instructions

  • Put rice and stock in a sauce pan. Put on stove and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add a lid. Cook for about 30 minutes, until done. Remove from heat and set aside. If there is broth left in the pot, you will simmer it down later.
  • While rice is cooking prep the veggies, cheese, lime and seasonings.
  • Heat a large stainless steel saute pan on medium heat. Add the oil, bell pepper, and onions. Cook for about 2 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to medium low and stir in the green chilies, jalapeno (if using), cilantro, garlic, and oregano and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add the cooked rice, corn and lime juice and zest. Stir and cook for a minute or 2. Cook long enough to simmer out any stock that may have been left from cooking the rice. Taste and add any salt or pepper that you may desire. Do not add salt if you are topping with cotija or feta cheese.
  • Top with crumbled cotija (or feta) cheese, fresh cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice.
  • Enjoy!

Notes

If I am serving this with something spicy, like Adobo Lime Chicken, I will omit the jalapeno pepper in the rice.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 222kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 299mg | Potassium: 287mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg