Cheesy Chicken & Pepper Bake

By Maria DoPublished: Apr 15, 2024

chicken breasts in a casserole dish baked over peppers and topped with cheese

PHOTO: RYAN LIEBE; FOOD STYLING: TAYLOR ANN SPENCER

In a rut with weeknight chicken dinners? On those nights where you want to spice things up but still need to keep prep easy, this cheesy chicken and pepper bake makes for the perfect meal. It takes about an hour to get on the table, but most of that time is hands-off as the chicken bakes in the oven. You get the convenience of cooking both the chicken and peppers in one dish, but with the added flavor and fancy-ish feel from a thyme cream cheese stuffing and colorful sweet peppers beneath.

The chicken is not only stuffed with cream cheese, but is also topped with even more cream cheese to help the chicken stay moist without having to wait a long time for marinating. The result is a beautifully baked chicken breast and pepper dish with extraordinary color and flavor. You can serve this dish all on its own, but the side options are endless; some of my favorites are mashed potatoes and roasted green beans.

Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!

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Yields:: 4 serving(s)
Prep Time:: 35 mins
Total Time:: 1 hr 5 mins
Cal/Serv:: 526

Ingredients

14 oz.
mini sweet peppers, seeded, thinly sliced
1
(8-oz.) block cream cheese
2 Tbsp.
fresh thyme leaves, plus more for serving
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4
(6- to 8-oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp.
Cajun seasoning
2 oz.
pepper Jack cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Step 1Preheat oven to 375º. Layer peppers on the bottom of a 13" x 9" baking dish.
2. Step 2Cut cream cheese block in half crosswise. Slice one half into 8 rectangular slices; set aside. Transfer remaining half to a small bowl. Add thyme; season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
3. Step 3On a cutting board, pat chicken dry. Cut a slit into thickest, long side of each breast, being careful not to cut all the way through. Stuff with cream cheese mixture, then tightly seal with your fingers. Sprinkle outside of chicken with Cajun seasoning.
4. Step 4Arrange chicken on top of peppers in baking dish. Top each breast with reserved 2 slices cream cheese. Sprinkle with pepper Jack.
5. Step 5Bake chicken until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165°, about 30 minutes.
6. Step 6Arrange chicken on a platter. Spoon peppers and juices on top. Top with thyme leaves.