Pepper poppers with chipotle chicken salad
Instructions:
- 1 cup whipped cream cheese, at room temperature;
- Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lime (about 3 tablespoons);
- 1⁄2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt;
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper;
- 2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, or to taste;
- 11⁄2 cups finely chopped grilled chicken;
- 1⁄4 cup finely diced red bell pepper;
- 1⁄2 cup corn kernels;
- 1⁄4 cup finely diced red onion;
- 12 miniature sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and cored;
- Chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish.
- Combine the cream cheese, lime zest, lime juice, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir until well combined. Puree the chipotles with a fork, add to the cream cheese mixture, and mix well. Fold in the chicken, bell pepper, corn, and onion. Refrigerate the mixture until slightly chilled.
- To assemble, spoon about 1 tablespoon of salad into each pepper half, garnish with cilantro, and serve at room temperature.
- What else works? You can use jalapenos or other chiles instead of the miniature sweet peppers for even more kick. You can also use larger sweet peppers cut into curved wedges.
- Make-ahead note: You can prepare the salad up to 2 days ahead, covered tightly and refrigerated.