Southwestern Smoked Chicken Stuffed Poblanos
This recipe started out a couple of weeks ago because I dusted off the smoker (shame on me for letting it collect dust) and smoked a couple of chickens. Well with that comes leftovers, and today's dish was born just the same as many of the recipes that come about in my kitchen. With that said, and to save you from having to smoke your own chicken, you can certainly use a roaster chicken that has already been cooked right from the store.
Ingredients for stuffing:
- 1 cup smoked or rotisserie chicken, diced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn (I had some frozen in the freezer fresh from this summer)
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Now, let's make a red pepper sauce. Note that this sauce recipe has multiple uses and freezes well for other dishes!
Ingredients: Recipe adapted from Epicurious.com
- 2 large red bell peppers
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped shallots
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 serrano chili or jalapeño chili, seeded, minced
- 1 cup low-salt chicken broth
Char the bell peppers under the broiler, turning them frequently until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag 10 minutes (this will make peeling the pepper easier). Peel and seed bell peppers. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots, garlic, and chili; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer mixture to blender; add bell peppers and chicken broth. Puree until smooth. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
Add about 1/4 cup of the red sauce with your heated filling mixture until thoroughly incorporated.
At this point, simply remove the peppers from the oven, stuff them with filling mixture, and top with the cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes until cheese melts in the 350 degree oven. Remove from the oven and serve with a Spanish rice or roasted potatoes. Peppers can be topped with sour cream, cilantro, or additional cheese.
These will have a little bit of spice so you will want serve a nice Riesling. A couple of additional notes — don't forget to save any leftover red sauce as it goes well on chicken or fish. Any leftover stuffing can be served in tortillas or scrambled with eggs the next morning, which really makes this a two-meal dish. Ole'!
