3/4/13

Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos



My husband was horrified the first time I made him nachos early in our marriage. I'm not sure if it was because they were microwaved or it was the use of American cheese slices. Either way, he did a double take when I handed him a plate of what we had always called nachos in my house growing up. (I love how being married to someone for even a short time can show you so many reasons that the family you grew up with was not as normal as you thought.) My husband took over nacho making after that incident. 

Thinking back, I should have done something similar with our dinners. 



With my previous track record, you can see why my husband was skeptical when I told him I was making these nachos, especially when I told him there wouldn't be any tortilla chips involved. Skepticism turned to praise when he ate the first one, though. These nachos are delicious. Completely delicious. The chicken/salsa topping alone is tasty, and throw it on top of some mini peppers that are cooked just long enough to get slight sweet, add in some melted cheese and favorite nacho toppings and this is a new family favorite. The missing tortilla chips were not even missed at all. The mini peppers stay just crispy enough to spoon up the topping easily, and their flavor goes so well with the rest of the nachos. It's a great way to eat more veggies and a healthier alternative to regular nachos. I might even say tastier alternative. 



Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

HeatOvenTo350 Published 03/04/2013
Mini Pepper Chicken Nachos

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 green onions, sliced, white parts and green parts separated
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 cup salsa
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 pound mini bell peppers (these are usually sold by the bag in the produce section near the full-sized bell peppers)
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar/Monterey jack cheese blend (can be low-fat)
  • 1/4 cup sliced black olives
  • 1/2 large tomato, diced
  • 1/4 cup cilantro

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Heat the oil in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and the white parts of the green onions and cook and stir 1 minute. Mix in shredded chicken and chili powder. Toss until all ingredients are well coated with chili powder and chicken is warm, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in salsa. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I make the chicken mixture slightly salty because the mini peppers are unsalted.)
  3. Slice the ends off each mini bell pepper and slice in half lengthwise. Remove seeds and ribs and press each half open so the peppers are as flat as possible. Arrange close together in a single layer on a large baking sheet.
  4. Spoon chicken mixture evenly over pepper halves. Top with black olives and cheese mixture.
  5. Bake nachos for 10 minutes, or until cheese has melted. Remove from oven, top with tomatoes, cilantro, and remaining green onions. Serve.
Yield: 4 side dish servings
Prep Time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Recipe Source: HeatOvenTo350

17 comments:

  1. I love, love, love this lighter take on nachos Nicole! I'm trying to eat healthier but I crave Mexican food big time. I am cracking up at the microwaved American cheese nachos, that's so awesome :)

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  2. Holy cats! This is my kind of nacho. I love your posts. They are always entertaining.

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  3. These are so colorful! How do you get your colors so vibrant?? Is it just because you have such wonderful light?

    I rarely think to eat nachos but these are making me crave some...big time :)

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  4. marcie @ flavor the momentsMarch 6, 2013 at 1:58 PM

    These look so good, I know I wouldn't miss the tortilla chips! I love those mini peppers, and I'll tell you, if the rest of my family didn't buy in, I would happily eat it all myself...in a few sittings, of course!

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  5. What a great idea! I've seen those containers of sweet peppers on sale at my grocery store but never knew what to do with them. Very cool!


    And I would've been all over your American cheese nachos. My "nacho" go-to growing up was a plate full of tortilla chips covered in shredded cheddar cheese and catalina dressing. I would be lying if I said I haven't eaten it in the last 12 months...

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  6. Wow - these are so pretty! I make Mexican Stuffed Peppers all the time, love the idea of making stuffed peppers as nachos :-)

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  7. Ok, so I don't even like nachos that much and these have got me drooling. I've seen a whole lot of healthy recipes swaps, but never peppers for chips. Genius! I've got to give these a try!

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  8. I know exactly what you mean by "being married makes you realize that the family you grew up with was not as normal as you thought." :)

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  9. I just wanted to make a quick comment and say THANK YOU for such a delicious and creative recipe! I made it tonight using black beans instead of chicken and it was wonderful. I blogged about it here and made sure to let everyone know how creative you are: http://www.paulasplate.net/2013/05/nacho-pepper-bites.html
    I only wish I my pictures turned out half as beautiful as yours! Thanks for a tasty meal :)

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  10. Cealleadh CattefeldMay 6, 2013 at 6:09 PM

    I've made these several times and I've loved them more every time. Today I subbed beans for the meat and LOVED it! Thanks so much for the idea!

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  11. I'm so glad you liked them! I'll have to try it with black beans next time. It sounds delicious.

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  12. Bell peppers are about 7 carbs per cup.

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  13. I didnt have any chicken, so I used grass fed beef. And added some ground cumin as well. Soooo good. And filling. Tyvm

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  14. I made these today for lunch & my husband, our 15 year old son & I all loved them. Thank you so much!

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  15. This is brilliant! Thank you!

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