Chicken Fiesta is like a cascarón explosion in your mouth, but with cheese and pepper goodness instead of confetti. lol For those who have never even seen that word before, you must not be from South Texas. It’s a Spring time tradition of hollowed out eggs that are dyed/painted, stuffed with confetti, and the hole covered with colorful tissue paper. The tradition is to crack them on people’s heads and the confetti explosion ensues. It’s all in good fun and usually during Fiesta, festivals, and just generally good times with tasty foods and fun music.
This recipe is a new take on chicken fajitas. The chicken breast is stuffed with a delightful bell pepper cheese mixture. Great dish with a side of Alisa’s Mexican Rice and whatever else sparks your fancy.
Pro Tip: Prep requires a Chicken Brine which takes appx 6 hrs for maximum flavor.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or more as needed)
- 1/4 large sweet onion, diced
- 1/4 red pepper, diced
- 1/4 yellow pepper, diced
- 1/4 green pepper, diced
- salt, to taste
- fresh cracked pepper, to taste
- 1/4 c shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 c shredded pepper jack cheese
- 2 oz cream cheese (whipped version makes mixing easier)
- 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (already prepped in brine)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
DIRECTIONS
- Heat olive oil in a pan over high heat. Add onion and frequently stir for a few minutes.
- Add peppers, salt, and cracked pepper until soft and slightly caramelized, then remove from heat/turn burner off.
- Add the cheddar, pepper jack, and cream cheese to the pan, stirring until evenly incorporated.
- Mix spices together in a small bowl or container. (You will have extra to save for later or another dish so be mindful to not stick your raw chicken fingers in the mix if you want to save the left over seasonings. Optional: add a little adobo and Julio’s seasoning to mix as well.)
- Then cover the outside of the chicken in the seasoning mix, pat/rub it all over.
- Slice a pocket in the chicken horizontally and fill it with a heaping spoonful of the fajita mixture.
- Remove any remaining fajita/cheese mixture from the pan.
- Heat pan over medium heat with some olive oil.
- Cook the stuffed chicken until chicken is cooked through and cheese is melted, about 7 minutes on each side.
- Once done and heat is off squeeze half a lemon over all of it.
- Serve with your choice of sides (Alisa’s Mexican rice) and salsa, sour cream, and/or avocado/guacamole.
