Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Mini Pepper Poppers
This post may contain affiliate links.
If you love buffalo chicken but want something a little lighter and packed with colorful veggies, these mini Stuffed Buffalo Chicken Peppers are the best appetizer for your next party! Whether you’re hosting a game day gathering or just want a delicious, healthy appetizer for Friday night with the family, these spicy little bites are sure to hit the spot.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
These Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mini Peppers are spicy, creamy, and cheesy with a hint of sweetness from the peppers. This is the perfect healthy appetizer for game day or other gatherings with friends and family. At only 50 calories per serving, popping a few of these for a snack or several of them for a healthy meal is a no-brainer!
Delicious & Nutritious
Appetizers are one of my favorite things to make when we have a relaxing day at home. Being a busy family, those days are few and far between. When they appear, I want to make them special and fun!
We also love having “Family Happy Hours” on Friday nights after a busy week of work and school. I love whipping together some of our family’s favorite snacks and apps while everyone grabs their favorite drink from the garage fridge.
We love to sit around the coffee table and play a board game together, or sometimes my husband & kids will put on Mario Kart while I relax on the couch nearby cheering them on.
Fun family rituals like this are things I hope we carry in our hearts for years to come!
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mini Peppers Ingredients
These stuffed buffalo chicken mini peppers are so simple to make and you just need a few ingredients!
Mini Sweet Peppers – These can be found in the produce section of any grocery store. Even though these are mini peppers, they will range in size depending on the producer. Larger mini peppers will hold the stuffing better, but if your store only has smaller ones, you can make them work, too.
Shredded Chicken – I like to grab a rotisserie chicken to make this quick and easy. (Costco $5 for the win!)
Buffalo Sauce – I love Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo best, but use whatever brand you like.
Cream Cheese – Make sure your cream cheese is at room temperature for better mixing. I use light cream cheese (1/3 reduced fat) to lower calories. Honestly, you do not miss the full-fat cream cheese at all. It’s still plenty creamy and tangy when mixed with the buffalo sauce. I get many people are morally opposed to reduced-fat cheeses, so if that’s you, go ahead and grab a regular block. 😉
Freshly Shredded Cheddar – Skip the bag of shredded cheese and grate your own cheddar from a block. Not only does it taste better, but it melts better, too.
Healthy Ranch Dip – I also highly recommend making my healthy ranch dip to serve with these peppers.
Instructions
1. Whisk Cream Cheese & Buffalo Sauce
Whisk together your softened cream cheese with your buffalo sauce.
If your cream cheese is still cold, this will be difficult, so make sure you let the cream cheese sit out first or carefully microwave it in 5 to 10-second increments until soft.
Whisk it until it’s well combined, but it’s okay if there are still some small lumps.
2. Stir in Chicken
Add the shredded chicken to the bowl of buffalo sauce mixture. Stir to combine.
3. Prep Mini Peppers
Slice the mini peppers in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seed.
There is no need to trim off the stems for the recipe! They are easy to eat around and keeping them on helps protect the structure of the mini pepper while it’s baking.
4. Stuff Pepper Halves
Spoon the buffalo chicken mixture into each mini pepper half. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.
5. Top with Shredded Cheese
After stuffing all of the peppers, top each with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar.
6. Bake
Bake in the oven at 375°F for 10-12 minutes or until the cheddar cheese is nicely melted.
Serve with my delicious creamy healthy protein ranch dressing for dipping!
Storage & Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-to-4 days. They can be reheated in your microwave in short increments of 30-60 seconds at a time, or reheated in your oven or air fryer.
To reheat in the oven or air fryer, set the temp to 375°F and cook until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Substitutions
Cream Cheese – Feel free to use full fat cream cheese if desired.
Buffalo Sauce – You could use regular Frank’s Red Hot if you can’t find the buffalo specific version. Feel free to use any wing sauce you prefer if you don’t like spicy food.
Cheddar – You can use blue cheese or shredded provolone if cheddar isn’t your thing.
Other Delicious Appetizers
Check out my Appetizers & Sides section for even more ideas!
Sausage & Cream Cheese Mini Peppers
Beef & Cheddar Sliders
Loaded Beef Birria Nachos
Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends
Make These Amazing Pepper Poppers Today!
You’re going to love these buffalo chicken pepper poppers! Give them a try today! If you make these, please come back and let me know how it went by leaving a rating & review–I’d love to hear from you!
Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mini Peppers
Equipment
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Whisk
- large sheet pan
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese reduced fat or regular
- 16 oz chicken cooked & shredded–I like rotisserie chicken.
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce
- 16 oz mini peppers
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
Optional, for Serving
- 1 serving Homemade Protein Ranch Dressing Recipe Here
Instructions
- Soften the cream cheese to room temperature, either by removing from the fridge an hour beforehand, or carefully soften it the microwave in 5 to 10-second increments.
- Add the cream cheese and buffalo sauce to a mixing bowl. Whisk together until mostly smooth–a few lumps are okay.16 oz chicken
- Add the shredded chicken to the bowl of buffalo sauce & cream cheese and stir to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Slice your mini peppers in half length-wise. Do not de-stem. Arrange the pepper halves cut-side up on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Use a spoon to remove seeds if needed.16 oz mini peppers
- Scoop a spoonful of the buffalo chicken mixture into each pepper half until they are all filled. Place them back on the sheet pan.
- Sprinkle a little bit of shredded cheddar on top of each pepper.1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes until the cheddar is melted. Remove from the oven and serve warm.
- Serve with creamy protein ranch if desired.
We love these spicy mini peppers! Delicious appetizer for a Friday night or Sunday afternoon. Super filling and low calorie, yet satisfying. Easy to make, too!