5 Ingredient Pesto Chicken Stuffed Peppers (Quick Air Fryer Recipe)

Easy Chicken Stuffed Peppers in the Air Fryer

Need a recipe that is quick, full of great flavor, and is only 5 ingredients? I’ve got you! Today’s air fryer recipe is a simple and delicious pesto chicken stuffed bell peppers with quinoa. It is hearty, healthy, and so easy to make.

Keep reading to learn how to make this amazing quinoa pesto chicken stuffed bell pepper recipe in your air fryer!

Pesto Chicken Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Ingredients

You only need 30 minutes and 5 ingredients to make this quick, simple, and tasty dinner!

• 3 bell peppers
• 1 chicken breast
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
• 1/2 a jar of pesto (about 3 ounces, or to taste)

A Note about the Quinoa

I don’t know about you, but quinoa is such a pain to cook. You have to rinse it before you cook it on the stove top and it just gets messy and is almost not worth the fight anymore.

I love to use the microwavable quinoa bags for this recipe because it saves so much time. I used a Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice bag.

If you know how to cook quinoa like a pro, feel free to use your favorite quinoa cooking method. Also, please share with me how you do it!

Can I make stuffed peppers in the air fryer?

Stuffed peppers is an awesome air fryer recipe because it takes half the time than if you were too cook it in the oven! Here is how I like to make pesto chicken stuffed. You can of course use any of your favorite stuffed pepper fillings and still follow these directions.

Step 1. Make the filling

I like to use shredded chicken for this recipe. Normally, I like to make it on the stovetop. But you can also cook chicken in the air fryer, instant pot, or slow cooker. Or, buy a rotisserie chicken and use its meat.

Combine the shredded chicken in a bowl with the pesto, cooked quinoa, and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.

Step 2. Roast the peppers (optional)

Wash and cut each bell pepper in half. My air fryer isn’t able to fit whole stuffed bell peppers, so I like to cut them in half so that it still works in the air fryer.

If you like your bell peppers extra roasted, place them in the air fryer basket for 4 minutes at 380 degrees F or 193 degree C. Or, you can skip this step and roast the peppers with the stuffing. It is up to you.

Step 3. Stuff the peppers

Stuff each halved bell pepper with the pesto chicken quinoa mixture. Then, place the bell pepper halves in the air fryer basket. Top each bell pepper with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

If you are worried about your cheese burning, or don’t want your cheese as roasted, you can add cheese during the last minute or two of air frying. Or you can add the cheese after it cooks and shut it in the warm air fryer so that it is melty.

Step 4. Air Fry

Air fry the peppers in the air fryer basket for 7-10 minutes at 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C, or until the peppers are roasted to your liking.

Carefully remove the peppers from the air fryer basket, let them cool slightly, and enjoy!

How to Double this Recipe

This recipe as I have shared it with you is perfect for serving 3 hungry people. If you need to feed more, double this recipe. Use 6 bell peppers, 2 chicken breasts, 1 jar of pesto, 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, and 1 cup of cooked quinoa. It is likely you will need to cook the dinner in batches.

When you are making the pesto chicken mixture, add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and reserve the other half cup for topping the peppers.

Cooking time will be the same.

Final Thoughts

I love this recipe because you only need 5 ingredients. Each ingredient blends together beautifully and the flavor is amazing on this quick stuffed pepper recipe. The air fryer speeds up the cooking process by half and the results are the same, if not better, than cooking in the oven.

Share with us in the comments below what you love about this recipe!

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Get my air fryer cookbook for more air fryer recipe inspiration and tips.

Air Fryer Pesto Chicken Stuffed Peppers (5 Ingredient Recipe)

This delicious and simple 5 ingredient pesto chicken stuffed pepper recipe is so incredibly easy to make in the air fryer!

4.43 / 5 ( 7 Reviews )

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Serves: 3

Adjust Servings: 3

US CustomaryMetric

Equipment

• Air Fryer

Ingredients

• 3 bell peppers
• 1 chicken breast cooked and shredded
• ¾ cup mozzarella cheese divided
• ½ cup cook quinoa I used a microwavable Seeds of Change Organic Quinoa and Brown Rice bag
• 3 ounces pesto half a jar of pesto

Instructions

• Cook and shred the chicken. I did mine on the stovetop, but you can use your favorite method, such as in the Instant Pot, Slower Cooker, or Air Fryer.
• Wash and slice the top stems off the peppers and clean out the inside, cut the peppers in half lengthwise. You should end up with 6 bell pepper halves.
• Cook the quinoa. I used a microwave bag of quinoa because cooking quinoa on the stovetop is always so messy for me. I followed the instructions on the bag, then I used ½ cup of the quinoa that was in the bag.
• Combine the shredded chicken, quinoa, pesto, and ½ cup of mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Mix to evenly combine everything.
• Preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes at 400 °F
• Fill each half of the bell peppers with the chicken mixture. Place the stuffed bell peppers in the air fryer basket on a piece of parchment paper.
• Cook for 7-10 minutes at 350 °F, or until peppers are tender to your liking.
• For the cheese. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the cheese for a broil affect. Or if you want it nice and melty, put it on after the full cook time and let it sit in the warm air fryer and it will melt.
• Remove and enjoy.

Recipe Notes

Depending on the size of your bell peppers, this will serve at least 3 people. Feel free to double this recipe to make more.

• If you double the recipe, you will use 1, 6 oz jar of pesto.
• If you double the recipe, you will add 1 cup of shredded cheese to the mixture. And then top the peppers with the remaining ½ cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Sodium: 535mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g

Recipe Adapted From: Layers of Happiness