Baked buffalo chicken stuffed peppers are the perfect, healthy dinner idea! This scrumptious recipe is made with shredded chicken, cream cheese, Greek yogurt, zesty buffalo hot sauce, seasonings and green onion. Top your bell peppers with blue cheese crumbles and ranch for next level flavor!
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Stuffed peppers are on regular rotation in our home. Of course, we don't always stick with the same flavors or fillings!
It's fun to mix things up with these super-popular Taco Stuffed Peppers or Sausage Stuffed Peppers.
And you definitely can't go wrong with a bowl full of warm and comforting Stuffed Peppers Soup!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe!
- What Is Buffalo Chicken?
- How To Cut Bell Peppers?
- Ingredients
- How To Make Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
- Helpful Tips
- Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Sides For Stuffed Peppers
- Tools You'll Need
- Meal Prep & Make Ahead Tips
- How To Store Leftovers
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Why You'll Love This Recipe!
Buffalo chicken stuffed peppers are a really easy dinner and require minimal hands-on time.
They're gluten-free, low calorie, low-carb and keto friendly! Also, bell peppers are loaded with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (source: healthline).
Plus, with football season in full swing, the timing for a buffalo chicken recipe couldn't be more perfect. I always associate the fall season, tailgate parties and football Sunday with buffalo chicken wings, wraps and dip.
Best of all, this recipe allows you to enjoy that classic buffalo chicken flavor without the aftermath of messy, stained fingers.
What Is Buffalo Chicken?
Originally, the term buffalo chicken referred exclusively to wings covered in bright orange hot sauce mixed with butter and red pepper. Buffalo chicken wings are named after the city in which they were invented: Buffalo, New York!
They came to be back in 1964, the brainchild of Teressa Bellissimo who first whipped them up while working at her families pub called Anchor Bar. She served them with blue cheese and celery, simply because the restaurant had both on hand, though I had always thought it was to cut/calm the spice! (Source: time.com)
The Anchor Bar still exists today and is a popular tourist attraction.
These days, you'll find tons of different buffalo chicken recipes made with that classic, deep-red hot sauce and chicken (not necessarily wings).
How To Cut Bell Peppers?
Cutting bell peppers is so easy! Halve them lengthwise and stuff each side, or remove the top for one giant, singular stuffed pepper. All you need is a sharp knife and a cutting board.
I prefer a cutting board with rubber grips for extra stability. But you can also put a wet paper towel or dish towel under the board to keep it from sliding.
Halving bell peppers:
I like this method best! I find pepper halves easier to serve and eat. Plus, the little knobs or feet on the bottom of a bell pepper can be uneven, causing them to tip over while baking (unless they're in a nice, small dish).
Remove pepper top and stem:
I really only use this method when making peppers in the air fryer since I've got less space to spread out smaller halves. Plus, I don't worry about my peppers tipping over in the air fryer where they're more contained.
TIP: When removing the whole top, you can save the flesh from around the stem. I like to dice it up and save for omelettes!
Ingredients
- Bell peppers: You can find red, orange, yellow or green peppers! Use any color you like, or mix and match.
- Reduced fat cream cheese: The reduced fat version of cream cheese is often labeled "Neufchatel cheese" at the grocery store. Regular, full fat cream cheese also works fine. I like RF because it has less calories and tastes just as good.
- Plain Greek yogurt: Tangy Greek yogurt adds nice, creamy texture and extra protein to stuffed peppers! I use nonfat yogurt, but 2% or full fat would work fine. You can also substitute sour cream, which has similar flavor.
- Buffalo wing sauce: I always use Frank's Buffalo Hot Sauce, but you can use any brand you prefer. Frank's also offers a few different spice levels!
- Green onion: Green onion slices add great flavor and color. I mix some into my filling and save the rest for garnish and topping.
- Seasonings: I add a little bit of garlic powder and ground black pepper.
- Shredded chicken breast: You can buy pre-shredded chicken at the grocery store, typically from the deli section. You can also buy and shred a rotisserie chicken or even use canned chicken. The most affordable option is homemade shredded chicken.
- Blue cheese crumbles: You just can't have a buffalo chicken recipe without the blue cheese!
- Shredded cheese: I add a sprinkling of cheddar cheese to the top of each pepper half before baking for the best cheesy goodness.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with an overview of the directions!
Prepare peppers:
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rinse bell peppers, cut them in half and remove all membranes/seeds.
- Line halved peppers in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
Make hot sauce mixture:
- Measure your cream cheese into a large bowl and soften it in the microwave for about 10 seconds. Add Greek yogurt, hot sauce, garlic powder and pepper to the bowl.
- Whisk ingredients together until well combined.
Add chicken, onion, cheese:
- Add shredded chicken, chopped green onion and blue cheese crumbles to the bowl along with hot sauce mixture.
- Fold ingredients together until all chicken is coated in creamy hot sauce.
Stuff peppers:
- Stuff peppers with buffalo chicken filling mixture.
- Sprinkle cheddar cheese and extra blue cheese crumbles atop each.
Bake stuffed peppers:
- Add a little water, around ¼ cup, to the baking dish and cover with foil.
- Bake 40-50 minutes, then remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes longer. For a golden-brown finish, turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the very end.
Serve and enjoy!
- Plate stuffed peppers and serve with toppings, if desired! We like extra buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, feta cheese, extra blue cheese crumbles, extra green onion slices, lime juice or avocado slices. A bit of fresh, chopped parsley would also be good. Enjoy!
Video: Watch Me Make It!
Helpful Tips
Crunchy or soft: I like my bell peppers to be really soft. If you prefer a crunchier pepper, you can reduce cooking time to fit your preferences.
Extra filling: Stuffed peppers vary widely in size, so you may end up with extra filling on occasion! Use it as a dip for chips, celery or carrots.
Blanch peppers: If you want to reduce bake time significantly, you can blanch your bell peppers before baking. This simply means to boil your pepper halves in hot water for 5-10 minutes before stuffing them with filling!
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
- Extra spicy: Add cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, a can of diced jalapenos or a bit of extra hot sauce to filling.
- Mexican flavor: Instead of adding buffalo sauce to your shredded chicken, add canned diced tomatoes, beans and taco seasonings for Mexican Stuffed Peppers!
- Add cooked rice: Make some white or brown rice and add it to your filling! Quinoa would also be tasty and cauliflower rice is a nice low-carb option.
- Sub protein: Got thanksgiving leftovers? Shred your turkey and use it in this recipe! You can also use browned ground turkey or ground chicken for your peppers.
- Mini bell peppers: Swap large bell peppers for minis (or banana peppers)! They cook faster, so reduce bake time accordingly. These can make a nice party appetizer.
Sides For Stuffed Peppers
Serve buffalo chicken stuffed peppers with a simple garden side salad, crusty bread, roasted broccoli and cauliflower or roasted asparagus.
I also really enjoy them with rice (white or brown), and sauteed zucchini.
These air fryer sweet potato cubes are another good pairing!
Tools You'll Need
- Baking Dish: I use a 9x13 inch baking dish for 8 pepper halves.
- Aluminum Foil: To cover your peppers while the bake!
- Large Mixing Bowl: Used to mix up your shredded chicken filling.
- Knife & Cutting Board: For halving peppers and chopping green onion.
Meal Prep & Make Ahead Tips
Want to make stuffed peppers ahead of time? Here are some ideas:
Prep and store ingredients. Halve peppers and mix up your filling. Store both separately, then assemble and bake when you're ready.
Fully bake and freeze. Make and bake stuffed peppers in a freezer-safe casserole dish or disposable aluminum baking dish and allow them to cool completely. Cover tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Parboil, fill and freeze. Simmer peppers in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then stuff with filling. Place in a freezer bag, freezer-safe baking dish or disposable aluminum baking dish and freeze up to 3 months.
Baking: If you froze your peppers in a disposable aluminum pan, bake straight from frozen! Avoid putting super cold or frozen ceramic/glass bakeware into a hot oven, instead thaw overnight in the refrigerator and place on the countertop for around 30 minutes before reheating at 350°F until warmed though.
How To Store Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Let leftovers cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap leftovers individually in plastic wrap to freeze single portions or place multiple peppers in a lidded, freezer-safe container and store frozen up to 3 months. These reusable silicone bags are also great for freezer storage!
- Reheat: Place stuffed peppers on a plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high, in 30-60 second intervals until warmed through completely. Peppers also reheat nicely in the oven, bake at 350°F until warmed though completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe is gluten free. To be safe, I'd recommend checking your hot sauce to make sure it's gluten-free. This can differ brand to brand.
Yes! And you don't even need to blanch them first! I prefer to halve mine and remove seeds/membranes before placing in a freezer bag to save space. Press on the bag to remove as much excess air as possible (this helps prevent freezer-burn). Peppers can last up to a year when frozen! They will likely lose some of their original crispness.
To reduce baking time, you can parboil your peppers. However, it's not necessary. They'll cook and get soft in the oven after 40-50 minutes. If you parboil, you can reduce baking time by approximately half.
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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers
Equipment
- 1 9x13 inch baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Sharp knife & cutting board
Ingredients
- 4 large bell peppers *any color
- 4 ounces (half block) reduced fat cream cheese *full fat also works
- ½ cup fat free Greek yogurt
- ⅔ cup buffalo hot sauce *I prefer Frank's brand!
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups shredded chicken *see note below
- ⅓ cup chopped green onion
- ⅓ cup blue cheese crumbles *plus more for topping
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings:
- Blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, feta cheese crumbles, extra buffalo sauce, extra blue cheese crumbles, extra green onion slices, lime juice, avocado slices.
Recipe notes:
Shredded chicken: Buy pre-shredded chicken at the grocery store (look in the deli section). You can also buy and shred a rotisserie chicken or use canned chicken! The most affordable option is homemade shredded chicken. Baking time: For crunchier peppers, reduce covered baking time! I like my peppers pretty soft, so I typically go the full 50 minutes.Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Rinse peppers, cut them in half and remove veins/seeds. Line pepper halves in a 9x13 inch baking dish.4 large bell peppers
- Measure your cream cheese into a large bowl. It will mix into the filling more easily if softened, so I typically pop my bowl in the microwave for about 10 seconds!4 ounces (half block) reduced fat cream cheese
- Add Greek yogurt, buffalo sauce, garlic powder and pepper to the bowl with cream cheese. Whisk until well combined.½ cup fat free Greek yogurt, ⅔ cup buffalo hot sauce, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Add shredded chicken, chopped green onion and blue cheese crumbles to the creamy hot sauce mixture and fold everything together until all chicken is coated in sauce.4 cups shredded chicken, ⅓ cup chopped green onion, ⅓ cup blue cheese crumbles
- Stuff bell pepper halves with filling mixture and sprinkle cheddar cheese atop each. I generally sprinkle some extra blue cheese on top, as well!1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Add a little water (around ¼ cup) to the bottom of your baking dish and cover peppers with aluminum foil.
- Bake covered for 40-50 min, then remove foil and bake 5-10 minutes longer. You may also turn on the broiler for 1-2 minutes at the very end if you'd like the tops to be golden brown.
- Add toppings, if desired, and enjoy!Blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, feta cheese crumbles, extra buffalo sauce, extra blue cheese crumbles, extra green onion slices, lime juice, avocado slices.
Storing leftovers:
- Store: Let leftovers cool and refrigerate in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Freeze: Cloak single portions in plastic wrap or place multiple peppers in a lidded, freezer-safe container. Freeze up to 3 months. Reusable silicone bags are also great for freezer storage!Reheat: Cover peppers with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high, in 30-60 second intervals until warmed through. Peppers also reheat nicely in the oven, bake at 350°F until warmed though completely.
Video
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