Have you ever heard that spicy food makes you lose weight faster? Apparently capsaicin - the element in hot peppers that give them their heat - raises the metabolism of its consumers. It is found in jalapenos, habaneros, cayenne, and most other chili peppers. Along with its slimming effects, capsaicin also has blood thinning properties and is also thought to work as an anti-inflammatory and help to control pain. It's with all that info that I set out on a mission to make something hot, hot, hot to spice up dinner and slim my waistline.
I'm pretty particular about spicy foods - I usually go for cayenne-hot or vinegary-hot foods (think boiled crawfish and Tabasco). But after stumbling across some gorgeous poblano peppers at Rouse's, I figured why not! I've never cooked with whole chilies before, aside from making stuffed jalapenos or salsa, so I was a little intimidated, but every blog and website recipe I came across sounded pretty easy. You just needed a little patience and a lot of heat to get the pepper prepped. This particular recipe came together pretty quickly since I used my slow cooker the day before to prep my protein. So the next time you wanna give your dinner guests a little boost, give this recipe a try...just make sure your air conditioner is turned way up!
Chicken-stuffed poblano pepper
Ingredients
Poblano pepper
1 lb skinless boneless chicken breasts
1-8 oz jar of salsa
1 chipotle pepper, chopped + 3 TBS of adobo sauce (this is the sauce that the chipotles are canned with) – add more for extra heat
1 c of chicken broth
enough water to cover the chicken
Directions
- Add salsa, pepper, adobo & broth to a slow cooker, combine
- Add chicken and enough water to ensure chicken is completely covered
- Cook on low setting for 6-8 hours, until chicken shreds easily with a fork
- When chicken is cooked, remove to cool
- Char pepper under the broiler or on top of a gas stove until skin is completely blistered and black – place in plastic bag to steam, after 3 minutes remove and peel off the skin
- Reduce braising liquid in a saucepan until thickened, add shredded chicken and toss to coat
- Cut a slit down the length of the pepper and carefully remove seeds near the stem (use a utensil or gloved fingers to do this, the seeds are hot!)
- Stuff the pepper with the chicken and place in the oven to warm
- Goes great with a jarred or homemade cheese sauce or shred a little and broil for a minute or two!