Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers are Anaheim peppers loaded with lots of southwest flavor like chicken, corn, black beans, salsa, and more! With less of a kick than a jalapeno pepper, these stuffed peppers can be enjoyed by the whole family! Try my Southwest Cobb Salad Dip for another dish with lots of fresh ingredients and flavor!
Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers
Anaheim peppers are mild enough peppers that a lot of people can enjoy them. In fact, they are generally eight times milder than a jalapeno pepper. But, be careful with this statistic. Depending on where they were grown, there is a chance that Anaheim peppers can be as hot as a jalapeno. If you purchase a pepper grown in New Mexico, it could even be hotter than a jalapeno! In fact, they are also known as New Mexico peppers. But, in California, where Emilio Ortega (does that Ortega name sound familiar???) brought these peppers, they are mild and can be referred to as California Chilis. Anaheim peppers are really versatile and can be used in any recipes that call for bell peppers, but you want just a touch more oomph to each bite.
Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers Recipe
I love using the Anaheim pepper for this Southwest Stuffed Peppers Recipe. The little bit of kick you get from the pepper is just enough to go perfectly with the southwest flavors of the ingredients. But, if you don’t want any extra spice, you could always substitute bell pepper for the Anaheim pepper. A poblano pepper would also work well with this recipe.
How to Make Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are easy to put together and make for a meal packed with fresh and delicious ingredients. Once the peppers are cut in half it’s about stuffing them and cooking them. To get started, you need to remove the seeds and membranes of the Anaheim peppers. This process is pretty simple. First, cut the peppers in half from top to bottom, and then use a knife tip to gently remove the seeds and membranes. Flip the halves over and tap out any extra seeds that might be ‘stuck’ in there. That’s it! They are ready to be filled with all the southwest flavors of this recipe. Preheat the oven to 375°F while you prepare the chicken mixture.
To prepare the chicken mixture, combine the shredded chicken, corn, black beans (drained and rinsed), salsa, taco seasoning, and cream cheese. Mix everything together. Next, fill each pepper with the chicken mixture, placing each stuffed pepper into an oven-safe skillet. Top them off with the shredded cheese and bake for 20 minutes. The peppers should be soft and the cheese melted. Top them all off with some cilantro and sour cream and enjoy!
Canned Beans vs. Dry Beans
Dry beans cost a few cents less than canned beans, so it may be tempting to purchase the dry beans. However, be aware that dry beans require a major cooking commitment. In fact, it can take anywhere from 3-24 hours to prepare dry beans for use in your recipe. On the other hand, you can always make a large number of dry beans and freeze them to use when needed. In addition, dry beans are way lower in sodium than canned beans, if that is a concern.
Canned beans, which is what I used in this Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers recipe, are ready to go, but you need to make sure to drain them and rinse them well! When you open the can, you will notice a liquid in there that doesn’t look too appetizing. It’s simply a combination of salt and water and the starch from the beans. Rinsing the beans actually does more than just remove that murky substance, it lessens the sodium of the beans.
Can I Freeze Stuffed Peppers?
Yes! Stuffed Peppers are a great meal that you can make ahead of time and freeze. Once the stuffed peppers have been cooked, let them thaw completely before freezing them. If they are still warm, they will probably end up soggy when they thaw. The easiest way to freeze the peppers is in a freezer-safe casserole dish with the lid on it. If you don’t have a casserole dish, you can double wrap (in plastic wrap) each stuffed pepper individually and put them in freezer-safe bags. Be sure to label and date the bags. The peppers can be frozen for up to a year, but best eaten within 6 months.
When you are ready to heat up the peppers, you can let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight, or simply take them from the freezer directly to the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the frozen (or thawed) stuffed peppers in the oven. Bake them until they are warm. The bake time will depend if they have been thawed or not.
More Chicken Recipes
Southwest Anaheim Stuffed Peppers
Ingredients
- 4 Anaheim peppers, cut in half with seeds and membrane removed
- 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 6 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Sour cream, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, corn, beans, salsa, taco seasoning, and cream cheese. Stir until incorporated.
- Fill each pepper with the chicken mixture and place them in an oven-safe skillet. Add cheese to the top of the peppers.
- Bake 20 minutes (or until pepper is soft and cheese is melted).
- Top with fresh cilantro and sour cream.
Did you make this recipe?
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Super good! Luckily, the peppers we used were mild, so my husband who usually can’t do spicy loved them (almost ate them all!). Would be great as a dip too 🙂
Excellent recipe. Everyone loves it. Am making it again now but using regular green peppers. I will leave them in longer because they are thicker. One of the best recipes ever. I make it often. Thanks for the recipe.
I find the skins are much too tough to consume without roasting and removing them. Why isn’t this done?
Because that sounds like a personal preference. If you prefer to roast the peppers separately and remove the skins you are welcome to do that. I do not want to do that.
These were really tasty and easy. I used a chicken breast I rubbed with a chipotle rub and baked, then shredded, instead of a rotisserie chicken, but otherwise followed the recipe. Will be making these again.
Love this recipe! We grew Anaheim peppers in the garden as well as other vegetables. I didn’t have a rotisserie chicken but I just made pulled pork so I used the pork with homemade salsa and the other ingredients you listed. It turned out great! The corn and black beans add great texture and the flavor is amazing. I stuffed about 12 peppers and will freeze most of them for future dinners. Thanks for the recipe!
I’ve never used Anaheims before. Husband said it better not be hot! He loved it! Very very good!
Scratch that, just saw the servings! 🤓
Would like to know the serving size per the noted calories. Thanks
Excellent! Had it with Cilantro lime rice. Did one pepper by only cutting one side and stuffing it. Nice alternative to give a little more “pepper” in each bit.
I had already blistered and peeled off the skin of the chilies so I just placed them in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. I followed the recipe except used a full block of cream cheese and a can of corn and only cooked for 10 minutes. It was great. A couple of my guests scooped it up with tortilla chips. Added avocado with the sour cream on top. Great!
This is delicious. Really enjoyed this dish. I did not use rotisserie chicken; I cooked 2 chicken breasts.
10/30/23 made it several times with chicken, ground venison and ground turkey it was equally delicious. I seasoned the ground meat to my liking and yeah it was a hit served with Mexican style rice and refried beans it’s really a complete meal in itself. Great recipe!!
Really good recipe! I used TVP (soy based meat substitute) & quinoa instead of chicken. I made 2 batches of the filling for a total of 24 stuffed peppers. I was given over 60 Anaheim chiles so now I’m going to have to either go grocery shopping or find another recipe to try. Bringing plates to several neighbors in a bit. Thank you for sharing!
A friend of mine gifted me a bag of Anaheim Peppers so this recipe popped up when I googled it. I made it exactly as written and it was delicious. The canned black beans I felt were slightly undercooked at the time given, however, when I reheated the dish the next day they were perfect. I baked a second dish and put it in the freezer for our next football gathering. I will definitely make this dish again…and again…
A nice mix-up to the standard stuffed pepper meal. I’d make it again!