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Air fryer fiesta chicken stuffed poblano peppers, or Mexican chicken stuffed peppers, offer a true south of the border flavor. Chicken is flavored with cumin, salt, pepper, and margarita mix and the recipe also includes poblanos, pico de gallo, sour cream, and cotija cheese. Your family will LOVE these tasty stuffed poblanos and it’s so easy to air fry poblano peppers.
Bring some beautiful south of the border flavors to your dinner table with this chicken stuffed poblanos recipe. Everyone will love it!
Like this? You can also try parmesan herb crusted pork tenderloin, chicken madras curry, Italian stuffed peppers, or unsloppy joes biscuit pockets.
How to Make Chicken Stuffed Poblanos
First you need to season the chicken with cumin, salt and pepper. Now add the chicken to a skillet, add the margarita mix and cook for 15 minutes. The chicken will soak up the margarita mix flavors this way and will also shred easier.
Cut the peppers in half and discard the seeds. Wash your hands immediately after! Even though poblanos aren’t very spicy, you’ll regret accidentally touching your eyes after preparing them!
Shred the chicken and mix in the pico de gallo, sour cream and half the cheese. Stuff this mixture into the poblano halves and air fry for 5 minutes. Serve garnished with the rest of the cheese and some cilantro if liked. You are going to love the flavour of air fryer fiesta chicken stuffed poblano peppers!
Are These Keto-Friendly?
If you’ve been looking for a keto poblano pepper recipe, these peppers with chicken and cheese are low in carbs and definitely very tasty. A word of advice is to make your own margarita mix though, not use the sugary kind from the store, since that will push the carbs up significantly.
Use 1 part water to 1 part lime juice plus your preferred artificial sweetener to make a low carb margarita mix. A lot of sweeteners are many times sweeter than sugar so I like to add a little and taste as I go. You can always add in more. You could even omit the sweetener for a more tart flavour in the finished stuffed poblanos.
Actually if you don’t want to use commercial margarita mix and want to make your own but aren’t worried about this being a keto poblano pepper recipe, that’s possible too.
To do this, add a cup of water and half a cup of sugar to a pan and heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Mix in a cup of lime juice (fresh if possible!) once it’s cooled down a bit. Make extra if you want – this mixture keeps in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks and is nice with a splash of tequila!
How to Shred Chicken Easily
Shredded chicken is one of the key components of these air fryer Mexican chicken stuffed peppers. There are different methods for shredding chicken. Use a pair of forks to shred the chicken or else pull it apart with your fingers.
It’s also possible to shred it in a bowl using an electric whisk. Keep the speed at medium or under else you’ll have bits of chicken flying around all over the kitchen!
What Side Dishes Go with This
Peppers with chicken and cheese are a complete meal in one if you don’t want carbs. However they are also great with a contrasting side dish such as creamy potato salad. Sweet potato fries, roasted vegetables or Mexican rice would also be nice here.
Can You Use a Different Type of Pepper?
Air fryer fiesta chicken stuffed poblano peppers are popular because they’re not too spicy. But what if you want the extra spice? In that case, feel free to sub large jalapenos or another type of medium-sized peppers. Anaheim peppers are another option. These turn sweeter as well as spicier after cooking.
Although Cubanelle peppers are a milder poblano alternative, their relatively thin walls means they are likely to burst open in the air fryer, which will result in very messy air fryer Mexican chicken stuffed peppers!
Bell peppers would also work and they’re of course not spicy at all, so ideal if you prefer the sweetness of those to the gentle heat of poblanos.
These peppers with chicken and cheese are certainly tweak-able and you can swap the type of pepper and even the chicken. Try turkey instead of chicken for a similar yet slightly different flavour.
You can add chilli powder and/or cayenne ( or a cayenne pepper substitute) to the mix to liven them up further. Another idea is chipotle powder which is ground smoked chillies.
Why You Will Love Chicken Stuffed Poblanos
The first time I made fiesta chicken stuffed poblano peppers, I was really impressed! I love how easy these peppers with chicken and cheese are to make, and the possible variations. It’s easy to convert to a keto poblano pepper recipe if you make your own margarita mix.
Air Fryer Fiesta Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers Recipe
Air Fryer Fiesta Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
Ingredients
- 3 chicken Breasts, boneless/skinless
- 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper, coarse
- 1/2 Teaspoon cumin
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 Cup margarita mix
- 6 poblano peppers
- 1 Cup pico de Gallo
- 1/4 Cup sour cream
- 1 Cup cotija cheese, crumbled
- cilantro, as garnish
Instructions
- Combine black pepper, cumin, and salt in a small ramekin or bowl and mix. Season both sides of chicken breast with the seasoning.
- Add margarita mix and chicken breasts to a large frying pan over medium high heat. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. By partially submerging the chicken in the margarita mix the chicken will soak in the flavors of the mix and soften as it cooks, making it easy to shred and filling it with flavor.
- While the chicken is cooking, prepare the poblano peppers. Cut poblano peppers in half and remove the seeds.
- Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for five minutes
- Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl and shred. There will only be a small amount of liquid left in the pan, add this to the bowl as well along with pico de gallo, sour cream, and half of the cotija cheese. Stir to combine.
- Fill the poblano pepper halves with the chicken mix.
- Place the poblano peppers in an air fryer basket. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the air fryer and sprinkle with remaining cotija cheese. Garnish with chopped cilantro.
Nutrition
These air fryer stuffed poblano peppers offer plenty of flavor as well as gentle spice from the poblanos. I love the smoky flavor chipotle adds to the fiesta chicken stuffed poblano peppers.
Other Recipes to Try
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Wow! Just wow! I am so impressed, this dish is so packed with flavors!
This recipe was so good and I can’t wait to make this again soon!