Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers are an easy dinner of fresh peppers stuffed with chicken tenders, cheese and tomatoes. Make it tonight!
Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers are a fun new twist on a favorite Italian Dish! It has all the classic flavors of delicious Chicken Parmesan, but is baked into cheesy bell peppers. This quick and easy semi-homemade Dinner is perfect for busy weeknights and is sure to be a hit!
If you’re in a recipe rut for weeknight dinners, try changing one of your go-to dishes into Stuffed Peppers into a fun new meal. For more dinner inspiration, check out my Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers and Mexican Stuffed Peppers.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers Recipe
Chicken Parmesan with a side of pasta, is a classic comforting and well-loved dish, both to make at home and order at restaurants. This delicious stuffed peppers recipe takes the flavors and crispy chicken of the original dish and bakes it in bell peppers for an easy one-pan meal in almost no time.
One thing I love about this Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Recipe is how easy it is! It is semi-homemade, using cooked chicken tenders and a jar of spaghetti sauce which saves a bunch of time and prep work. Using some simple ingredients you can make the filling taste like you made it all from scratch. Since it is made using cooked chicken, it’s a great recipe to use up leftover chicken for a hearty and delicious round two recipe later in the week!
Ingredients
- Peppers: Red bell peppers are a bit sweeter than green bell peppers and they go perfectly with the tangy tomato flavor of the sauce. Using pepper halves instead of one whole pepper makes them easier to eat and they cook a little quicker.
- Chicken: This recipe is made extra easy by using cooked breaded chicken tenders. If they are frozen, let them thaw first and then chop them up. If you want to make them a little healthier, you can always use unbreaded leftover chicken, just as long as it’s cooked.
- Seasonings: To give this dish some more Italian flavor, it is seasoned with fresh garlic, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. It makes the dish a lot more flavorful than just using a jar of sauce.
- Tomatoes: To add some vegetables and make the filling a bit heartier, you also add a can of diced tomatoes.
- Sauce: Adding tomato paste to store bought marinara sauce makes it more robust and gives it a homemade taste.
- Cheese: The cheese is a super important part of any chicken Parmesan recipe. Parmesan cheese is mixed into the sauce and sprinkled over the Stuffed Peppers before serving. We’ve also added fresh mozzarella cheese for a melty filling and topping.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
Baking Dish: A 9 x 13 baking dish should hold the bell peppers snugly without crowding them too much. It’s okay for them to touch, it will help keep them from tipping over.
Skillet: The filling gets cooked first all together in a large skillet before adding it to the peppers. This keeps you from accidentally overcooking your peppers waiting for a raw filling to cook through.
How to Make
Time needed: 45 minutes.
- Prep Work
Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray. Chop the cooked chicken tenders into pieces. Wash the peppers, and slice them in half from top to bottom. Remove the core so that you have six bowl-like shapes.
- Soften the Bell Peppers
Microwave the bell peppers for 2-3 minutes to soften them. Set the pepper halves to the side while you make the filling.
- Make the Chicken Filling
Add the garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and diced tomatoes to a large, heavy skillet. Stir the ingredients as you bring them to a simmer. Stir in the shredded mozzarella cheese and chicken pieces.
- Assemble the Peppers
Lay the bell pepper halves on the sheet with the opening facing up. Scoop the chicken and gooey mozzarella cheese filling evenly into each pepper.
- Prepare the Sauce
Add the marinara sauce, tomato paste, and Parmesan cheese to a pot over medium heat. Stir the ingredients as they come to a simmer. When the sauce is done, spoon it over and around the Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers.
- Bake the Stuffed Peppers
Sprinkle a little extra mozzarella cheese over each of the peppers. Put the dish in the 350 degree oven to bake for 30 minutes. Garnish the dish with parsley and extra Parmesan before serving.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Absolutely, stuffed peppers are a great meal prep recipe! You can assemble the peppers and keep them in the fridge overnight in the baking pan covered with plastic wrap and foil. When you are ready to bake them, removed the plastic and pop them in a heated oven. You could also freeze assembled peppers in a freezer safe baking pan (like the disposable foil pans) and bake them from frozen, adding about 10-15 minutes to the baking time.
Nutritional Facts
Tips for Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Peppers
Use up Leftover Chicken
This is a fantastic recipe to use up leftover breaded, cooked chicken like my Crispy Breaded Cutlets. It’s a great recipe for Rotisserie Chicken if you want to skip the breading too.
Cook the Chicken Fresh
You can also use fresh chicken, just make sure it’s cooked through before adding to the filling. Try this Homemade Chicken Tenders recipe for the easiest, crispiest chicken tenders ever!
Soften the Peppers First
Don’t skip the step where you soften the peppers a little beforehand. This is the key to getting perfect stuffed peppers that are tender on the outside with a fully cooked filling.
What to Pair With Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers
These stuffed peppers make a great low-carb dinner with some salad or even more veggies, like Italian Roasted Veggies, on the side. You can also serve it with Classic Spaghetti or other cooked pasta on the side. Don’t forget some easy semi-homemade Garlic Bread for soaking up the extra sauce!
How to Store
Store: You’ll need to store Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers after no more than 2 hours at room temperature. To store the cooked peppers, cover the dish with aluminum foil or transfer them to an airtight container. Keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat: Reheat the stuffed peppers in the oven at 350 degrees in a baking dish covered with foil. This will keep the filling from drying out.
Freeze: Allow the peppers to cool completely to room temperature then transfer to a container to store. Keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen or thaw first overnight in the fridge.
Frequent Questions
You need to cook your bell peppers slightly before stuffing and baking them, but you don’t have to use the boil and blanch method. Instead you can pop them in microwave like this recipe.
If you bake the peppers too long, they can get soggy. The key is having a thicker filling that is fully cooked. If you use a raw filling, it will take a long time to cook through, meaning your peppers will cook longer too and become mushy.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3 red bell peppers , halved and cored
- 2 cups breaded chicken tenders , chopped, (thawed if frozen)
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 14 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley , minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Microwave the bell peppers covered with a wet paper towel for 2-3 minutes until softened.
- To a large heavy skillet add the garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, canned diced tomatoes, stir and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in half the mozzarella cheese and the chopped chicken tenders.
- Scoop the mixture into the red bell peppers and place into a 9×13 baking pan.
- To the pot add the marinara sauce, tomato paste and parmesan cheese on medium heat.
- Stir well and bring to a simmer, then spoon the mixture over and around the stuffed peppers.
- Top with remaining mozzarella cheese cheese.
- Bake in a covered pan for 30 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley and additional parmesan cheese before serving.
Nutrition
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Variations
Seasonings: There are lots of seasonings, you can add in with the Italian seasoning for more flavor. Try paprika, garlic salt, red peppers flakes, or some fresh basil or oregano.
Peppers: This recipe calls for red peppers. But, you could make Chicken Parm Stuffed Peppers with yellow, orange, or green peppers depending on what you have on hand and your preference.
Extra cheese: You can add different varieties of cheese to the cheese mixture to change up the flavor a little bit. Crumble some blue cheese or feta over the top. You could also use extra shredded cheese like provolone, Swiss, or cheddar to melt with the mozzarella.
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