Cubanelle Peppers Stuffed with Spicy Chicken and Brown Rice

Also known as Italian Frying peppers. Cubanelle peppers are large and blocky. They are light green in appearance and they mature red. The thin walls of this pepper make it an excellent choice for frying. This pepper is not hot.

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Yields 4 Servings

Ingredients

To make the tomato sauce
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 cups of tomatoes , peeled and seeded
  • 2 cloves of garlic , crushed
  • ¼ teaspoon of oregano
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of pepper
To make the stuffing
  • 1 cup of brown rice
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 large white onion , grated
  • 2 garlic cloves , crushed
  • 1 lb of ground chicken
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
  • 1 tablespoon  hot sauce
  • 1/4 cup of chopped basil
To assemble the stuffed peppers
  • 8 cubanelle peppers
  • A bunch of basil leaves to garnish

Instructions

How to make tomato sauce
  1. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over low heat. Add the tomatoes and garlic.
  2. Cover and simmer until the tomatoes are cooked through, mash them with a potato masher. Add oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
How to make the stuffing
  1. While you are making the sauce, soak the rice in enough water to cover it, plus an inch. Let it rest for an hour.
  2. Heat the oil over very low heat, add the onion and garlic, cook and stir until they start to release their aroma. Stir in the chicken, salt, pepper and hot sauce, increase heat to medium and simmer covered for five minutes.
  3. Remove all rice from the water. Add the rice to the pan and stir. Add 1 cup of the water in which the rice was soaked and a cup of the tomato sauce you prepared previously (set the rest aside). Simmer until almost all the liquid evaporates. Cover tightly, lower heat to minimum, and simmer for five minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the chopped basil.
To assemble the stuffed peppers
  • Preheat oven to 400 ºF [200 ºC].
  • Cut a slit in the cubanelle peppers and scoop out the seeds and white parts with a small spoon.
  • Stuff the cubanelle peppers with the chicken mixture.
  • Pour the remaining tomato sauce on a baking pan big enough to accommodate the peppers. Place the peppers on the tomato sauce. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, garnish with the basil leaves and serve.

Recipe from Dominican Cooking, 2015