Cheesy Mexican Rice Stuffed Peppers W Fajita Chicken And Shrimp

About

If you’re feeling stuck on inspiration for Keto meal prep ideas, look no further! This complete meal includes the Carb Manager Fajita Chicken and Shrimp recipe with cheesy stuffed bell peppers for a no-nonsense recipe. A mix of chicken and shrimp are coated in a spicy, Tex-Mex inspired seasoning blend before being baked to perfection in your oven. The protein is paired with low-carb bell peppers filled with a creamy and tangy cauliflower rice mixture. A mix of cream cheese and cheddar cheese make this meal prep recipe appetizing for lunch or dinner. If you have carbs to spare in your macros, you can include a Keto guacamole to dollop on top of your stuffed peppers. Cilantro, hot sauce, or lime juice are zero-carb garnishes you can include as well. You can easily double this recipe to make enough meals for the week without greatly increasing your prep or cook time. The suggested serving is described in the final step of the recipe.

Are Bell Peppers Keto?

While bell peppers are generally a vegetable with low carbs per serving, your carbs can add up quickly if you don’t measure your serving accurately. Bell peppers can be 100% Keto and are good sources of Vitamin A and C. What you may not have known is not every bell pepper has the same carbohydrates per serving. Green bell peppers have the lowest carbs per serving, followed by yellow, then orange, then red peppers. Basically, the sweetest peppers have more carbohydrates than the less sweet ones. So, if you want to enjoy a stuffed pepper on your Keto diet, make sure to choose a green pepper. For other recipes, you can enjoy other colored bell peppers in moderation, but make sure you’re calculating your macros correctly.

Is This Recipe Spicy?

Mexican-inspired dishes typically include a level of spice. Thankfully, the only spicy element in this recipe is a little cayenne pepper on the fajita chicken and shrimp. However, if you’re sensitive to spicy ingredients you may want to omit the cayenne pepper altogether. The only other pepper elements in this recipe are the bell pepper and paprika, which aren’t spicy. If you’d like to increase the heat, there are a few ways you can do this. You can increase the amount of cayenne pepper in the fajita seasoning. You may also consider tossing the cooked chicken and shrimp in a Keto hot sauce of your choosing. For the peppers, you can incorporate chopped jalapenos in the rice stuffing, which are very low in carbohydrates. Let other users know in the comments what changes you made to this recipe to suit your tastes.

Ingredients

6 ounce green bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
¾ teaspoon black pepper
¾ teaspoon onion powder
1 ½ teaspoon cumin, ground
½ teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon oregano, dried
10 oz chicken breast boneless skinless raw
6 large shrimp raw
6 ounce cauliflower rice
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoon cream cheese, brick
3 tablespoon natural sharp shredded cheddar cheese by essential everyday

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat on the stove. While the water is coming to a boil, prepare a large green bell pepper (a whole pepper makes 2 servings) by slicing away the top and removing the stem and seeds. Slice each bell pepper into 2 halves and place them in the boiling water. Boil the peppers for only 3 minutes before removing them to cool on a clean surface. Turn on your oven as well to preheat to 350 degrees.
Next, brush a seasoned sheet tray with olive oil. In a small dish, mix together the seasoned salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, cayenne, paprika, garlic powder, and oregano. If you don’t want a spicy mix, you can omit the cayenne. Pat your chicken breast dry and cut it into1 or 2-bite sized pieces. In a large mixing bowl, toss the pieces of chicken with about ¾ of the spice mix. Keep tossing until the chicken has picked up all the seasoning in the bowl.
Arrange the chicken on the oiled tray and bake for 15 minutes. While the chicken is baking, you can prepare the shrimp. Peel and devein the shrimp, and add them to the large mixing bowl. Toss the remaining fajita seasoning with the shrimp until the shrimp has picked up all the seasoning in the bowl. Once the chicken has finished cooking for 15 minutes, move the chicken to the outer edge of the tray. Add the seasoned shrimp to the center of the pan and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
When the chicken and shrimp are done baking, you can set the tray aside to rest. While the chicken and shrimp are in the oven, you can prepare the stuffed peppers. In a wide pan over high heat, cook the cauliflower rice with the salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Cook until the cauliflower rice turns golden in the pan and the spices char. Once cooked, turn the heat down to low.
Move the cauliflower rice to the outer edge of the pan. Melt the butter in the center of the pan. Then, melt room-temperature cream cheese into the butter. Continually stir the butter and cream cheese to avoid burning. Once they’re both melted, stir in the cauliflower rice until your rice is completely coated in butter and cream cheese. The rice will thicken and congeal slightly.
Place the cooled bell pepper halves in a glass baking dish. Use a spoon to fill each pepper with the cheesy rice mixture. You can gently pack down the rice so it fills the peppers without spilling out. Then, top the stuffed peppers with about 1 ½ TB shredded cheddar per serving. Place the dish of stuffed peppers in the oven for 7 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Serve 1 stuffed pepper with about 5-7 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces of shrimp per serving.