I can admit it, hot peppers intimidate me. Not because I don’t like spicy food. I’m more than comfortable with a bottle of hot sauce, big shaker of red pepper flakes, Frank’s Red Hot, Tabasco: love them all! But fresh hot peppers, I’m just not experienced with, and I wish they had a “heat index” at the store so I’d be less daunted. I don’t want to pick one thinking its mild (or spicy) and be surprised. And I’m still a bit emotionally, if not physically, scarred from a particular encounter with chipotle peppers last year that left me face down in a bowl of milk.
My friend Barb, SHE knows hot peppers. She grows them in her garden and has lived in the Southwest, which is plenty of hot pepper pedigree for me! So while we were at the farm market together, I spied some nice looking deep green peppers and asked her “How about poblanos? Are they hot?” Her answer was that they are hardly hot at all. So I thought, a couple poblanos would a good candidate for a new pepper in my kitchen. I can try a different flavor, and hopefully not sear off my tastebuds or blind myself in the process.
The result? Delicious! This recipe would work with bell peppers as well, but if you too have never tried a poblano, give it a shot! They really are quite mild – barely even perceptibly so. Not even close to the heat of Jalapeno Poppers. (In fact, Val and I both hit them with some hot sauce while dining.) We really enjoyed them, I hope you do too!
You can also make them in a toaster oven, using a smaller metal tray instead of a 9 x 13″ dish.
• 2 poblano peppers
• 8 ounces cooked chicken breast, chopped (*or raw chicken, see variation, below*)
• ½ cup fat free refried beans
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 2 ounces reduced fat cheddar cheese, grated
• ¼ cup light sour cream
• (Cilantro, optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9 x 13″ baking dish with foil.
2. Cut around the stem of the peppers and remove. Cut peppers in half, removing the seeds and inner membranes. Place halves cut side up in baking dish. Spread 2 tablespoons of refried beans in each pepper half.
3. In a medium bowl, combine chicken and salsa; stir to coat. Divide chicken evenly between pepper halves. Bake 30 minutes. * If using raw chicken, bake 40 minutes in this step, then continue.*
4. Remove from oven. Using a butter knife, spread 1 tablespoon sour cream on each pepper half; top with ½ ounce shredded cheese. Bake 5 to 10 minutes until cheese melts. Serve with cilantro, if desired.
Makes 2 servings
Per serving: 373 calories, 10 g total fat, 5 g saturated fat, 115 mg cholesterol, 21 g total carbohydrate, 6 g dietary fiber, 50 g protein, 819 mg sodium.
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They look delicious! I wonder how it would work on an outdoor grill to give a bit of a smoky flavor?
These look amazing and right up my alley. I found your website from the PN site and i am glad i did! These recipies look great! Do you have any other recipies along the same lines as these?
Dean
Hey Georgie,
Just dropping you a note to let you know i made those peppers again, but this time i used some 95% lean beef a little tomato sauce and lots of chili powder and cumin. It made a really thick chili, then topped it off with the no-fat sour cream and cheese. These were awesome too! Like little bowls of chili! Thanks again for the recipe! And i did it in Pablano and Bell Peppers, both were really good.
Deano